01-20-2018, 10:37 PM
Hi toni-a,
The resolution of the glass is not the limiting factor, actually, the sensor is, from different viewpoints, i.e, actual resolution and signal depth. IOW, no different from film in the past.
The theoretical limit for a lens is the diffraction limit, which only very few lenses achieve, or get close to it, at specific apertures. Considering the diffraction limit at say F/4, using Rayleigh criteria (, which for all intents and purposes works for photography, you get 400 lp/mm. Even an MFT sensor gets at best 150 lp/mm (that is the 20 MP sensor), and considering a really good lens may go up to 250 lp/mm easily, I don't see how lenses are the limiting factor. They never have been.
The thing is, however, that the system resolution of a lens plus camera is always lower than the lowest resolution of the two.
For the above example, sensor capable of 150 lp/mm in an ideal case, lens capable of 250 lp/mm, you do get 94 lp/mm as a resulting system resolution.
Do note that with MTF-50 you get lower resolution, but then, that is not a realistic way of shooting (either black or white). At MTF-50 the resulting system resolution is 82 lp/mm. For green light, BTW; it is slightly higher for blue light, and less for red.
Now, based on my experience, you get the same resolution with an MFT camera as with a FF camera, roughly speaking, if the sensors have a more or less equal MP count.
BTW, if you do like Canon and the way Canon's lenses render, I am sure you will also like Olympus.
HTH, kind regards, Wim
The resolution of the glass is not the limiting factor, actually, the sensor is, from different viewpoints, i.e, actual resolution and signal depth. IOW, no different from film in the past.
The theoretical limit for a lens is the diffraction limit, which only very few lenses achieve, or get close to it, at specific apertures. Considering the diffraction limit at say F/4, using Rayleigh criteria (, which for all intents and purposes works for photography, you get 400 lp/mm. Even an MFT sensor gets at best 150 lp/mm (that is the 20 MP sensor), and considering a really good lens may go up to 250 lp/mm easily, I don't see how lenses are the limiting factor. They never have been.
The thing is, however, that the system resolution of a lens plus camera is always lower than the lowest resolution of the two.
For the above example, sensor capable of 150 lp/mm in an ideal case, lens capable of 250 lp/mm, you do get 94 lp/mm as a resulting system resolution.
Do note that with MTF-50 you get lower resolution, but then, that is not a realistic way of shooting (either black or white). At MTF-50 the resulting system resolution is 82 lp/mm. For green light, BTW; it is slightly higher for blue light, and less for red.
Now, based on my experience, you get the same resolution with an MFT camera as with a FF camera, roughly speaking, if the sensors have a more or less equal MP count.
BTW, if you do like Canon and the way Canon's lenses render, I am sure you will also like Olympus.
HTH, kind regards, Wim
Gear: Canon EOS R with 3 primes and 2 zooms, 4 EF-R adapters, Canon EOS 5 (analog), 9 Canon EF primes, a lone Canon EF zoom, 2 extenders, 2 converters, tubes; Olympus OM-D 1 Mk II & Pen F with 12 primes, 6 zooms, and 3 Metabones EF-MFT adapters ....