Lens Sharpness and Post Processing

[Raybo]

Has anyone done real life experiments where you use a good quality (but not pro level) lens like a 24-120 f4 VR, take the picture, then using a program like Photoshop, tweak sharpness etc. and then compare it to what you get with a pro level lens like the 24-70 f2.8? And if so, at what size of enlargement do you see the difference? I would think that for enlargements up to 8x10 or so the differences are harder to see.

 

[MReid]

If you shoot at the lenses optimum f stops, generally 5.6 to 11,the difference is minimal. When you shoot at the largest f stops the difference will potentially be very noticeable, of course depending on the particular lens and taking into account individual lens variations.

There are some very good third party, and/or non-pro lenses out there. But none of the ones I have personally tested have come close to my pro quality lenses for sharpness wide open.

Yes for the most part, the smaller the viewing size the more you can get away with less than optimal sharpness.