Lens Testing

[Mike Farley]

I have found this over at Thom Hogan's website in which he debunks the test approach of many reviewers. He makes the point that it is necessary to use a lens extensively in different conditions in order to evaluate its performance and not rely just on the results from shooting test charts. I suspect that most people just get a review sample for a few days before it has to be returned, which is not nearly long enough. Authors are also under financial pressure to get their evaluations published as quickly as possible, which leads to compromises. While Hogan is primarily discussing Nikon lenses, the more general considerations apply to other manufacturers.

http://www.dslrbodies.com/newsviews/abo ... pdate.html

[Mike Farley]

I was in two minds about posting to this link about lens sharpness, mainly due to its length, but then thought "what the heck". Rather than start a new thread, I have put it in with the other link to Hogan's site as the two seem to go together. It's fair to say that he is not impressed by DxOMark.

http://www.dslrbodies.com/lenses/lens-a ... pness.html

Based on this and the other article, the best advice when choosing a lens is to read as many reviews as possible and look at as many samples you can. But then you do that already, don't you? I think I would be tempted to try a few test shots myself before making a final decision, although quite often I have not done that last one myself.