Which lens seems sharpest?

rickydiver · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

Hi all I have taken the same shot with 4 different lenses and I am trying to work out which seems sharpest. The shot is maybe not the best to test the lens, but I had a go anyway

The lenses used were as follows 1st crop Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 Xr DRi. 2nd crop Canon 35-80mm f3.5-5.6 3rd crop Canon 50mm f1.8 mk1 and last crop Canon 18-55mm kit lens. They were all set to f4 and to 50mm. Please give me your views. Please bear with me as I can only upload 2 images at a time!
Thanks Ricky

rickydiver · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

1st crop Tamron
2nd crop Canon 35-80

rickydiver · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

3rd crop Canon 50mm
4th crop Canon 18-55mm

Citizensmith · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

Your results kind of confirm what we'd expect. The Tamron is a very nice lens, gives great results. The 35-80 is a piece of crap. The 50 1.8 lives up to its reputation as best sharpness for the dollar, and the 18-55 beats the 35-80 by a long shot but seems soft and has a color cast. Not bad for the money though.

Which wins? Not easy as the Tamron and the 50 are very close. There does seem to be a touch more flare in the tamron image and a little better contrast with the 50. Thing is, its so close that if the f/2.8 isn't a problem to you selecting it over the 50 is no big deal. You'd need to test it at the ends of its zoom range to see how well it holds up.

1sdman · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

It appears the Canon 18-55mm is overexposed a little. Could you take the shot again but stop it down in a couple of steps? I think that might make it more of a fair test.

Tee Why · 12th of March 2006 (Sun)

either the 28-75 or the 50 seem the sharpest, it's very close,
Then 35-80, followed by the kit

blue_max · 13th of March 2006 (Mon)

Well, I'm no fan of third party lenses, but the Tamron zoom closely matches the prime.

Excellent result for Tamron.

Graham

elTwitcho · 13th of March 2006 (Mon)

Pixel peepers in the "talk about PHOTOGRAPHY" forum? This is an outrage!!!!!

rickydiver · 13th of March 2006 (Mon)

Guys Thanks for the replies, I have just checked the exif data and it looks like I cocked up the test

the 18-55 had a 3.2second exposure at f5.6 and the bag of crap known as the 35-80 had 1.3 seconds at f4.5 so the test is flawed

I will have another go at this keeping all the same but I think we will know that the 35-80 will still come out bad in this test

Cheers Ricky

queenbee288 · 14th of March 2006 (Tue)

My first thought was "these were taken at different exposures". I would take them again to make it fair. I will tell you though, I tested the Tammy against the 50 1.4 (not the 1.8 but the 1.4) at 2.8 and it was very close. I love my Tammy.

Andy_T · 14th of March 2006 (Tue)

Plus, if you repeat the test, you might think about using a non-reflective surface as focus target.

Of course, the reflective subject could reveal issues with chromatic aberration (like the 35-80 image in your flawed test suggests)

Best regards,
Andy

12th of March 2006 (Sun)	#4
Citizensmith Cream of the Crop Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Sacramento, CA USA Posts: 6,376 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? Your results kind of confirm what we'd expect. The Tamron is a very nice lens, gives great results. The 35-80 is a piece of crap. The 50 1.8 lives up to its reputation as best sharpness for the dollar, and the 18-55 beats the 35-80 by a long shot but seems soft and has a color cast. Not bad for the money though. Which wins? Not easy as the Tamron and the 50 are very close. There does seem to be a touch more flare in the tamron image and a little better contrast with the 50. Thing is, its so close that if the f/2.8 isn't a problem to you selecting it over the 50 is no big deal. You'd need to test it at the ends of its zoom range to see how well it holds up. __________________ My POTN Gallery, Complete gear list, POTN members who aren't a Turing test "Those who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities" - Voltaire Tradition - Just because you've always done it that way doesn't mean it's not incredibly stupid.

12th of March 2006 (Sun)	#5
1sdman Junior Member Join Date: Mar 2006 Location: San Diego Posts: 25	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? It appears the Canon 18-55mm is overexposed a little. Could you take the shot again but stop it down in a couple of steps? I think that might make it more of a fair test.

12th of March 2006 (Sun)	#6
Tee Why "Monkey's uncle" Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Pasadena, CA Posts: 10,579	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? either the 28-75 or the 50 seem the sharpest, it's very close, Then 35-80, followed by the kit __________________ Gallery: http://tomyi.smugmug.com/

13th of March 2006 (Mon)	#7
blue_max Goldmember Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: London UK Posts: 2,621 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? Well, I'm no fan of third party lenses, but the Tamron zoom closely matches the prime. Excellent result for Tamron. Graham __________________ . Lamb dressed as mutton.

13th of March 2006 (Mon)	#8
elTwitcho frustrating as .... Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Toronto Posts: 1,478	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? Pixel peepers in the "talk about PHOTOGRAPHY" forum? This is an outrage!!!!! __________________ Rich Some of my recent projects Portraits from 2007 Urban Gallery Where Toronto Was Built People and such

13th of March 2006 (Mon)	#9
rickydiver Member Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Sunny Bo'ness by the Sea! Posts: 740	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? Guys Thanks for the replies, I have just checked the exif data and it looks like I cocked up the test the 18-55 had a 3.2second exposure at f5.6 and the bag of crap known as the 35-80 had 1.3 seconds at f4.5 so the test is flawed I will have another go at this keeping all the same but I think we will know that the 35-80 will still come out bad in this test Cheers Ricky __________________ Bodies: Canon EOS 1DS Mkii, Canon EOS 1Dmkiii, Canon EOS 30D, Canon G12. Lenses: Sigma 120-300 f2.8,Canon 70-200L f2.8 IS, Canon 17-40L, Tamron 28-75mm f2.8 XR Di, Sigma 10-20mm, Canon 50mm F1.8 mkI, Canon 1.4TC. Flash Guns: 580EX and 420EX

14th of March 2006 (Tue)	#10
queenbee288 Cream of the Crop Join Date: Dec 2004 Location: Madison, Alabama Posts: 5,480 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? My first thought was "these were taken at different exposures". I would take them again to make it fair. I will tell you though, I tested the Tammy against the 50 1.4 (not the 1.8 but the 1.4) at 2.8 and it was very close. I love my Tammy. __________________ Char www.lanephotography.smugmug.com Canon 7D, Sigma 70-200, Tamron 28-75, Canon 100 2.8, 50 1.8,

14th of March 2006 (Tue)	#11
Andy_T Compensating for his small ... sensor Join Date: Jan 2003 Location: Stuttgart/Cologne, Germany Posts: 9,848 IMAGE EDITING OK	Re: Which lens seems sharpest? Plus, if you repeat the test, you might think about using a non-reflective surface as focus target. Of course, the reflective subject could reveal issues with chromatic aberration (like the 35-80 image in your flawed test suggests) Best regards, Andy __________________ some cameras, some lenses, and still a lot of things to learn... (so post processing examples on my images are welcome ) If you like the forum, vote for it where it really counts! CLICK here for the EOS FAQ CLICK here for the Post Processing FAQ CLICK here to understand a bit more about BOKEH

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