A Lenticular Demonstration
I am still very excited about my 25-year-old camera lenses. I have entirely ditched the Sony kit lens. Today, I solved the vexing problem of soft focus on the 70-210 telephoto. The lens had a very dark filter (oops) screwed in place. Removing it produces crisp happy images, even at maximum zoom.
A demonstration! Consider this dull pastoral scene, taken with the used Maxxum 28-70 at 28mm.
And again, with the 70-210, at 210mm.
And then again with the x2 teleconverter, at 210mm. Still sharp and clear.
This is the same scene with the Sony 18-70, at 70mm. Not so bad, eh wot? So, what's all the fuss with the new lens?
Compare the detail and clarity. This is the Sony kit lens photo at 70mm, cropped close. The auto setting took it at ISO 100, 1/200 sec, f7.1.
And the Maxxum 28-80, also set at 70 mm, auto settings of ISO 100, 1/125 sec, f6.3
The nearly-new Sony lens specifically made for the camera in 2009 is an unbelievably softer and less usable photo. I've lost large numbers of sports photos because of that blur. Mind you, it is an entry-level lens. Nonetheless, the superiority of some 25-year-old lenses made for a different company and a different camera, years before the first commercial digital SLR camera, is incredible. These are VERY good lenses, and sitting in a dirty bag for however long doesn't seem to have reduced their quality at all.
A demonstration! Consider this dull pastoral scene, taken with the used Maxxum 28-70 at 28mm.
And again, with the 70-210, at 210mm.
And then again with the x2 teleconverter, at 210mm. Still sharp and clear.
This is the same scene with the Sony 18-70, at 70mm. Not so bad, eh wot? So, what's all the fuss with the new lens?
Compare the detail and clarity. This is the Sony kit lens photo at 70mm, cropped close. The auto setting took it at ISO 100, 1/200 sec, f7.1.
And the Maxxum 28-80, also set at 70 mm, auto settings of ISO 100, 1/125 sec, f6.3
The nearly-new Sony lens specifically made for the camera in 2009 is an unbelievably softer and less usable photo. I've lost large numbers of sports photos because of that blur. Mind you, it is an entry-level lens. Nonetheless, the superiority of some 25-year-old lenses made for a different company and a different camera, years before the first commercial digital SLR camera, is incredible. These are VERY good lenses, and sitting in a dirty bag for however long doesn't seem to have reduced their quality at all.