Your favorite MF or 35 mm format lenses that are free of CA and have high resolution?

[Asher Kelman]

In this review on Andrey Tverdokhleb's 32 BIT LAB space RAW processor "Raw Photo Processor", it was mentioned that Chromatic Aberration is not really possible to be corrected by software without degrading the sharpness and resolution. It's proposed that not paying attention to CA will allow a loss of the value of one's digital camera. The lens admired in was the Zeiss AF 2/50 Makro, supposedly as perfect as one can get to being achromatic.

So what fine MF or 35 mm lenses can you report are CA free? Show off any pictures!

Asher

 

[Wendy Thurman]

Well, I have this Leica 50/1.4 ASPH which I am pretty sure is about is good as it gets in the lens category. Unfortunately I have yet to figure out how to use it and have not done any color with it. More to come- maybe some chromes, maybe some digital work.

Wendy

 

[Asher Kelman]

Well, I have this Leica 50/1.4 ASPH which I am pretty sure is about is good as it gets in the lens category. Unfortunately I have yet to figure out how to use it and have not done any color with it. More to come- maybe some chromes, maybe some digital work.

Wendy

Wendy, could you take some pictures of trees against the bright sky at different f-stops to see if there's CA?

Thanks,

Asher

 

[Doug Kerr]

Hi, Asher,

In this review on Andrey Tverdokhleb's 32 BIT LAB space RAW processor "Raw Photo Processor", it was mentioned that Chromatic Aberration is not really possible to be corrected by software without degrading the sharpness and resolution.

Pete Myers is quite emphatic about this. Is that outlook supported by other responsible analyses? I haven't looked at the theory of the matter.

Are there others here who have looked into this.

I have no doubt but that the correction of the phenomenon by processing at the raw stage would not be as desirable as its avoidance to begin with (assuming that this could be done without countervailing cost to other properties of the lens, such as its basic resolution capabilities).

I'm just always a bit suspicious of outlooks as absolute as Myers'.

He mentions in the review his earlier discussions of this ibid. I'll see if I can find them.

Best regards,

Doug

 

[Dr Klaus Schmitt]

Without any doubt the Cosina Voigtlander Macro Apo Lanthar 2.5/125mm would be such a lens! I immediately sold my Zeiss ZF Makro Planar 2/100 which I had at the same time since it showed unacceptable CA! Reviews of the CV125 are here on nikongear (I'm "kds315" there)

 

[Mike Shimwell]

Hi, Asher,


Pete Myers is quite emphatic about this. Is that outlook supported by other responsible analyses? I haven't looked at the theory of the matter.

Are there others here who have looked into this.

I have no doubt but that the correction of the phenomenon by processing at the raw stage would not be as desirable as its avoidance to begin with (assuming that this could be done without countervailing cost to other properties of the lens, such as its basic resolution capabilities).

I'm just always a bit suspicious of outlooks as absolute as Myers'.

He mentions in the review his earlier discussions of this ibid. I'll see if I can find them.

Best regards,

Doug

Doug,

I'm with you on this - Pete apparently has a scientific background, but without doing some more reading around his response does appear fairly absolute. On the other hand, working digitally and using LR3 or DXo CA can be really hard to deal with well. My Zeiss Distagon 35/2 suffers significant CA under certain shooting conditions (at least it becomes visible on high contrast edges) as does the canon 24-105. DXo seems to do a better job with the latter than LR2/3, but that may be profiling related. I suspect the reality is that to remove CA and restore resolution (they don't necessarily go together) you need to be able to devonlute the point spread functions for at least the 3 colour channels and possibly more as the spectrum is, of course, continuous. Sounds like your processor could be working overtime

MIke

 

[Mike Shimwell]

The Mamiya 150/4.5 for the 7 RF is startlingly good. It is said to be apochromatic and it renders information on black and white film better than any other lens I've used. The 80 is also excellent as is the Zeiss 25/2.8 Biogon and the 35/2 for 35mm (though I don't know if they're apochromatic).

Mike

 

[Asher Kelman]

Without any doubt the Cosina Voigtlander Macro Apo Lanthar 2.5/125mm would be such a lens! I immediately sold my Zeiss ZF Makro Planar 2/100 which I had at the same time since it showed unacceptable CA! Reviews of the CV125 are here on nikongear (I'm "kds315" there)

Ths Cosina Voigtlander Macro Apo is really a cult lens! I mistakenly thought I could just go to Cameraquest and put down the usual $200 to $595 for their lenses! However, these lenses sell for much more and are out of production, it seems!

What have you heard about the Voigtlander 90/3.5 SLII? Is it in this category too?

Asher