Lens Testing, Round 1
Part 4. Stopped-Down Center Target
30mm Arsat. Group 4 is solidly resolved under the microscope.
Coming soon: Hartblei 45mm PCS.
45mm Mir. Group 4 is resolved--barely.
50mm Flektogon. Group 4's horizontal lines are sharp, but the vertical lines aren't quite as good. But it's still excellent, second only to the 30.
80mm Arsat. Not quite as good as the Flektogon.
80mm Volna. Not quite as good as the Arsat.
120mm Vega. More contrast than wide open, and a little better resolution, too.
180mm Sonnar. The contrast is much better than wide open, but the resolution is worse. We will take a look at this mystery later on.
240 doubled Vega. Resolution of the horizontal lines is not so good here, and camera shake is a real possibility. But contrast is much better than wide open.
360mm doubled Sonnar. Now this is showing camera shake. The horizontal lines are smeared but the vertical lines are not, showing some up and down movement while the shutter was open. A puff of wind? Most likely.
The rankings for stopped-down center resolution:
30 Arsat
50 Flektogon (excellent in the center!)
180 Sonnar
120 Vega
80 Arsat
45 Mir
80 Volna
45 Hartblei (not as good as the Mir!)
240 2x Vega
360 2x Sonnar
The next page will show the results at the edge of the frame while stopped down.