What is the sharpest lens of all?

[mikhail33]

I have a 50mm f1.8, and once you get to F/4 it is sharp! I imagine the f1.4 will be better though.. And for portraits i like that soft feel, not to sharp, so cannot see all the flaws in skin..

 

[Octarine]

My kit lens is soft even at f8, so, I want to buy a prime lens. Didn't know will get scolded so badly here.

Because obviously you don't bother you listen, read and think. Want spoonfeeding with a single right answer? Dream on, or better: wake up.
Sharpness of lens depends on more than a single parameter. At first: at which aperture? What is the point of having a lens being razor sharp at f/8 if you want to use it at f/2.8?
Secondly, what have you done to understand and eliminate possible human errors when using your kit lens? Sure, a kit lens is not L glass but that doesn't mean it cannot produce sharp images. Chances are good that the root cause is somewhere behind the viewfinder.
Something to read: Sharpness; Understanding Sharpness
Finally: What if the sharpest lens is a Leica lens? Going to rob a bank just to get it? Hope you get the idea...

 

[thomas123123]

i see you did not bother reading what i wrote.

100mm macro versus 50mm, these will give different perspectives, so i suspect you are caring too much about the wrong things. and you even get upset when people tell you that this is the case.

in any case, this is a waste of time. have a nice day.

so? Just walk further when using a 50mm and vice versa. I just want to which Is the sharpest...some say the 50mm is very sharp, but magazine photographers use the 100mm macro for shooting watches.

 

[iwasanimated]

Hey there,
care to show your image taken at f8?

 

[thomas123123]

Sure, later I will post

 

[thomas123123]

If sharpest lens is leica lens, I will go buy it. You cannot afford dosent mean I cannot afford. Anyway, which shop carries leicas?

 

[sabee]

If sharpest lens is leica lens, I will go buy it. You cannot afford dosent mean I cannot afford. Anyway, which shop carries leicas?

http://www.cathayphoto.com.sg/

Have fun.

 

[krazyman]

Make us drool. Post a pic once you bought it, ok?

 

[JohnZee]

the first thing that you might need to invest in, is a book that teaches you basic photography.

 

[PrimePhotog]

If sharpest lens is leica lens, I will go buy it. You cannot afford dosent mean I cannot afford. Anyway, which shop carries leicas?

Get the Leica M 90mm f2 ASPH... Should be sharp enough for you

 

[PrimePhotog]

Hi all, can share your thoughts on what is the sharpest lens? And color and contrast must be very nice too.

For Canon, get the EF 200mm f2L IS and shoot at F8 on a 5D Mk2. There isn't anything sharper from Canon. Trust me.

 

[PrimePhotog]

Get the Leica M 90mm f2 ASPH... Should be sharp enough for you

Oh and remember to adapt/hack the lens for use on the Nikon D3x.
D3x theoretical sharpness is better than that of the Leica M9

 

[thomas123123]

I just bought a 7d last week, will that do the job?

 

[Daedalus Trent]

so? Just walk further when using a 50mm and vice versa. I just want to which Is the sharpest...some say the 50mm is very sharp, but magazine photographers use the 100mm macro for shooting watches.

It's not the same. A 100mm will give a different perspective than 'walk further' with a 50mm.

 

[PrimePhotog]

I just bought a 7d last week, will that do the job?

Nope... The sensor of the 7D is too small to show the true sharpness of the 200L f2 IS. The sharpness of your images with this combo would be limited by the camera, not the lens in this case.

 

[dingaroo]

so? Just walk further when using a 50mm and vice versa. I just want to which Is the sharpest...some say the 50mm is very sharp, but magazine photographers use the 100mm macro for shooting watches.

Thomas, you are now comparing an apple to an orange ... certain lenses are made for specific purposes.

50mm is a general purpose lens, cos back in the days of film SLR, most people had a 35mm. So, if you are using an APS-C camera with a crop factor of say 1.6, like Canon, 35 X 1.6 = 56mm, or to make it easier for the manufacturer, they decided 50mm is easier as its a rounded number. I remember having an Olympus 35mm lens for my OM-10.

And the 100mm macro is for what? Of course macro. As such, if you want to compare sharpness is hard to do, as you are comparing an apple against an orange. Please understand that. If you can't see beyond it, then I don't think any seniors here answer you.

Also, since you said you can afford a Leica, why don't you try renting all the lenses you want to get at 1 go, and shoot under similar conditions and compare. Do it systematically, and only then you can determine for yourself and announce to the rest of CS, heck, rest of the photography world and tell us which is the sharpest lens! You''ll then be the first return on google for sharp lens!

Cheers!

 

[jaRv1s]

i guess if sharpness is all you want... you may change all your lenses to Zeiss... Zeiss 100mm f/2 Makro-Planer T*.... that's one of the sharpest lens i had seen based on test data (on paper)...

apart from upgrading lenses and bodies... upgrading photographer's skill is as important...

hope this helps...

 

[PrimePhotog]

oh btw... In case you haven't realised, the Canon 200mm f2L IS costs about S$9k while the Leica 90 lux costs about $6k.

 

[Inverse]

sharpest lenses ? MACRO lenses of course.

 

[krazyman]

50mm is a general purpose lens, cos back in the days of film SLR, most people had a 35mm. So, if you are using an APS-C camera with a crop factor of say 1.6, like Canon, 35 X 1.6 = 56mm, or to make it easier for the manufacturer, they decided 50mm is easier as its a rounded number. I remember having an Olympus 35mm lens for my OM-10.

Huh!

For a 35mm on a full frame, the equivalent on a 1.6 crop frame should be 35/1.6 (not multiply) to get same angle of view, isn't it?