Why Are Old Lenses better than New Ones?

chuasam · Dec 25, 2014

“Sharpness is a bourgeois concept” - Henri Cartier-Bresson

jaomul · Dec 28, 2014

I'd prefer though to have a sharp shot and have to reduce sharpness that try to sharpen a soft shot. Most times it's easier to take away than add

Logician · Dec 28, 2014

I am not very familiar with Nikon lenses but as a Sony owner, I can say this is usually not true for Sony/Minolta lenses.

Yes there are a lot of good old, sharp Minolta lenses around but in general newer lenses are much better. Maybe they are not getting any sharper but they are definetely better in many other things like CA, flare control and distortion. They are also sharper at least in wide open apertures.

Feddyll · Dec 31, 2021

Microbois said:
I also suspect a some blind nostalgia and denial in this case...

Blind nostalgia because for some people, what has been manufactured in the past will always be the best stuff that was ever made, period... Speaking of lenses, I had some legacy MF lenses that were reputed to be the best in their category, but couple years later, I couldn't beleive my eyes when I saw some of my pictures shot with newer, but much less expensive lenses that didn't have any reputation yet. Even the plastic vs metal lens bodies can spark some heated debates once and a while in terms of which one is better...

Denial because if some happen to owe the previous version of a lens, and the new version is much better, then the resale value of that lenses goes down dramatically. It seems to be an habit among some photographers, to dismiss anything that came after what they have purchased.

All that being said, and like others have already mentioned, it also happens that older lenses are better than the new ones coming out though. In my case, I have purchased 3 different generation of lenses, most of them being wide-angles, portrait/macro, and medium telephotos, and in all cases, all my newer lenses always performed much better than the previous generation.

Feddyll · Dec 31, 2021

480sparky said:
As a general rule, newer lenses are sharper than their ancestors. But this is not an absolute. There are older lenses that are sharper than their modern counterparts. These lenses are sometimes referred to as cult or legacy lenses.

When designing a lens, the manufacturer must take in many factors. Of course, sharpness is one of them. However, size, weight, speed and even the target market may affect the overall sharpness of the finished product.

Some sharpness may be sacrificed to meet the size & weight requirements. Some may be lost to make a lens faster. And some will be surrendered in order to make a lens affordable to the target market. Remember, not everyone can afford top-end glass.

In some cases, I much prefer my older glass due to it's smaller size, weight and even 52mm filter sizes. These lenses pre-date the VR/AF-motor era. Some of these lenses are sharper, or at least as sharp, as the newer lenses in my stable.

Feddyll · Dec 31, 2021

The new lenses are really so much better with their newer optics. But the old glass also has a certain characteristic look to them too. The new lenses also being so sharp, i wonder if sometimes they really are good for portraiture. Whereas if a subject has skin that may not be the best. I believe that is where the older lenses come into play. I use a Nikon 85 1.8d, and it is a very sharp lens. The beauty of it, is softening the skin tones, before you post process. Everything has a place in the photography world. And having third party manufact. helps a lot with buying newer lenses. And the other thing is they are affordable in the used market. As the new lenses do have their place. Be well everybody. And hopefully 2022, will finally have some kind of resolution to the pandemic that is going around. Just stay positive and keep shooting.

MitchP · Jan 7, 2022

astroNikon said:
the 85mm/1.4 AF-D lens has a cult status.

That's nice to know. I have that lens and always loved it. I never thought it was that desirable, though.

Lez325 · Jan 7, 2022

Logician said:
I am not very familiar with Nikon lenses but as a Sony owner, I can say this is usually not true for Sony/Minolta lenses.

Yes there are a lot of good old, sharp Minolta lenses around but in general newer lenses are much better. Maybe they are not getting any sharper but they are definetely better in many other things like CA, flare control and distortion. They are also sharper at least in wide open apertures.

I agree my Sony a9 twinned with my Sony 600mm f4 is the sharpest combo I have ever used and they are both relatively new and at f4 I see a sharp image - not so with older kit

Les