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  1. #1
    Member Jumpseat's Avatar
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    DX Lenses: A step backwards?

    Sometimes progress is an illusion created by the hype of a sales brochure. Bigger, better, and more as represented by the propagandists of the marketing department often has no bearing on reality. In the days of 35mm, full frame film camera lenses made some tremendous advances. However, there have always been shortcomings which presented themselves in one form or another. We became accustom to the aggravation of dealing with vignetting, light fall-off, soft edges/corners, edge distortion, and so on. Then someone invented the APS-C digital sensor and stuck it in an SLR camera capable of using all of those not quite perfect lenses. And … something wonderful happened! Because the APS-C (and similar size) sensor only used a smaller central portion of the lens’s image circle the vast majority of those edge problems vanished like a corporate ad man’s soul. Even mediocre full frame film lenses became respectable performers when mounted on a digital SLR. The sun came out and birds began to sing.

    But like Freddie cruising Elm Street the ad man is back telling us about the marvels of DX lenses; “Smaller, lighter, designed specifically for digital.” Yes they are all that, but they also bring back to life the torment of vignetting, light fall-off, soft edges/corners, and edge distortion that we thought were gone forever. Frankly, I’d rather put-up with the inconsequential short-comings of non-digital film lenses than have to confront vignetting and its irritating friends again.

    Now, I will not deny there is a role for DX lenses. The very nature of our APS-C sensor cameras makes wide angle photography a challenge. The 12-24mm DX zoom lens is a god send. It is virtually an essential lens in any serious digital photographer’s camera bag. But, above a focal length of 18mm to 24mm I’d rather have the sweet center of a full frame lens. The disheartening aspect is that manufacturers appear to be putting all their technology into the DX lines while allowing full frame lenses to languish. They load their DX lines with VR/IS, super AF, and all that marvelous technology to distract us from what could have been. It appears that we are once again to be subjected to the dilemmas of photography past.

    But, why worry? In a few years those silver tongued devils in the ad department will have us all brainwashed into believing that the latest DX VR IS super lens is the greatest boon to mankind since daguerreotype

  2. #2
    Member danag42's Avatar
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    Re: DX Lenses: A step backwards?

    I think I'll start a magazine called "BIGGER, FASTER,LOUDER".

    I'm sure it would sell like hotcakes.

    We all think we need more megapixels, more amps, bigger HDTV screens, etc.

    We don't, but we all think we do!

    I'm sure that lens development will only improve as time goes on. Then you can go out and buy bigger and faster lenses (and if they're autofocus, louder)!

    I'd be happy to take all those obsolete lenses and other equipment off your hands. I'll give it a good home! *SNICKER*

  3. #3
    Member Jumpseat's Avatar
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    Re: DX Lenses: A step backwards?

    I couldn’t agree more, danag42. But you still don’t get my collection of Nikkor MF lenses!

    Happy New Year -Bill

  4. #4
    Be serious Franglais's Avatar
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    Huh?

    Quote Originally Posted by Jumpseat
    Sometimes progress is an illusion created by the hype of a sales brochure. Bigger, better, and more as represented by the propagandists of the marketing department often has no bearing on reality. In the days of 35mm, full frame film camera lenses made some tremendous advances. However, there have always been shortcomings which presented themselves in one form or another. We became accustom to the aggravation of dealing with vignetting, light fall-off, soft edges/corners, edge distortion, and so on. Then someone invented the APS-C digital sensor and stuck it in an SLR camera capable of using all of those not quite perfect lenses. And … something wonderful happened! Because the APS-C (and similar size) sensor only used a smaller central portion of the lens’s image circle the vast majority of those edge problems vanished like a corporate ad man’s soul. Even mediocre full frame film lenses became respectable performers when mounted on a digital SLR. The sun came out and birds began to sing.

    But like Freddie cruising Elm Street the ad man is back telling us about the marvels of DX lenses; “Smaller, lighter, designed specifically for digital.” Yes they are all that, but they also bring back to life the torment of vignetting, light fall-off, soft edges/corners, and edge distortion that we thought were gone forever. Frankly, I’d rather put-up with the inconsequential short-comings of non-digital film lenses than have to confront vignetting and its irritating friends again.

    Now, I will not deny there is a role for DX lenses. The very nature of our APS-C sensor cameras makes wide angle photography a challenge. The 12-24mm DX zoom lens is a god send. It is virtually an essential lens in any serious digital photographer’s camera bag. But, above a focal length of 18mm to 24mm I’d rather have the sweet center of a full frame lens. The disheartening aspect is that manufacturers appear to be putting all their technology into the DX lines while allowing full frame lenses to languish. They load their DX lines with VR/IS, super AF, and all that marvelous technology to distract us from what could have been. It appears that we are once again to be subjected to the dilemmas of photography past.

    But, why worry? In a few years those silver tongued devils in the ad department will have us all brainwashed into believing that the latest DX VR IS super lens is the greatest boon to mankind since daguerreotype
    I must say I'm puzzled by this post. I have the 18-70DX and the 18-200DX and I'm always struck by how consistent they are across the frame, at all apertures and focal lengths. It seems like Nikon has been broken the rules with the new format and produce lenses that perform all in all circumstances.

    I also have Tamron 11-18mm, designed for the APS-C sensor. With this one it's back to the situation you describe - I can sometimes see a loss in definition away from the center of the image plus some chromatic aberration but it only cost me 600$. Must write a review of it one day.

    BTW I have a large collection of film format lenses. Only the very best (f2.8 constant zoom) lenses are good enough for digital.

    Charles

  5. #5
    Member gryphonslair99's Avatar
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    Re: DX Lenses: A step backwards?

    This has to be the same discussion our predecessors had when 35mm film was developed and the first 35mm cameras and lenses were being developed. "Those crappy little lens wont work on my 8X10, I get vigenetting, It can't take good pictures."

    Many of todays major camera manufactures are looking at getting out of film completely. With the exception of Canon, crop sensors are all that are offered by most of the rest of the manufactures. DX lenses have a ‘short back focus’. This describes the system that allows for a smaller image circle and positioning of the rear lens element closer than normal to the camera’s mage sensor. It is just matching the lens to the sensor size.

    "BTW I have a large collection of film format lenses. Only the very best (f2.8 constant zoom) lenses are good enough for digital."

    I guess that means that I wasted $7200.00 on my Canon Telephoto EF 600mm f/4.0L IS Image Stabilizer USM Autofocus Lens then.

  6. #6
    Member Jumpseat's Avatar
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    Re: DX Lenses: A step backwards?

    You are right Charles. There are no absolutes and even in what I have noticed over the past 5 or 6 years in the photo review publications (print and web) is mostly personal interpretation. My personal experience aside (because I am not a technically demanding photographer), there seems to be a shift in attitude by those who review on a highly technical basis and some with a more subjective approach. In the earlier days we read a lot of articles rating full frame lens at one point when mounted on a film camera and at a higher point when mount on digital. The under-current complaint of full frame lenses on APS-C cameras concerned minutia such as circle of confusion and sensor reflection. It seemed that the joy was all over the significant reduction in image edge and corner problems. Then with the ground swell of DX lenses there became a rising concern over those problems once more.

    I couldn’t agree with you more concerning Nikon’s 18-70mm and 18-200mm DX zooms. I love both. But even here, again, the technical reviews are much more critical concerning edge/corner problems. Bjorn Rorslett, one of the more prolific and well trusted reviewers, makes these statements concerning the 18-200mm DX zoom:

    “Geometric distortion is complex, going from strong barrel at 18 mm, almost none at 24 mm, to end up with pincushion at the longer focal lengths. There are higher-order components involved too, so the curvature is non-linear and this is seen towards the periphery of the image.”

    “A fair amount of light fall-off into the corners of the image is seen towards the long end …”

    “The very long lens barrel could be instrumental in giving this effect, acting like a mechanical vignette.”

    Imagine how much better images produced with this lens would be if you only used the central portion of the image circle avoiding much of what Mr. Rorslett describes.

    Between you and me, Charles, I am not that exacting a photographer and will readily put up with these problems to obtain the other great aspects of that lens. But then, that’s what I was getting at; Lenses with larger image circles tend to produce fewer edge and corner problems but the manufacturers have opted to go DX with smaller diameter optics. Then, they add VR, extended focal ranges, G, AF-S and so on to the sales hype in an effort to convince us that it doesn't get any better. All I'm saying is, "Yes it could and in some aspects, it was."

    Thanks for the reply.-Bill
    Last edited by Jumpseat; 01-01-2007 at 01:35 PM.

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