How do I read an MTF chart in a lens specification?
Asked 12/13/2017
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I’m looking at a lens specification that includes an MTF chart/table and want to understand what it means in practical terms.
Specifically:
- What do positions like “On Axis,” “30% Field,” and “60% Field” represent?
- What do “S” and “T” mean on an MTF chart?
- How should this information be used when deciding whether a lens is suitable for a particular application?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
8y ago
2 Answers
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What does the On Axis, 30% Field, 60% Field, etc... mean?
'On Axis' means the exact center of the field of view where the optical center axis of the lens intersects the test chart.
'30% Field' means a measurement was made at 30% of the distance from the center of the field of view to the corners of the FoV. For a full frame camera the distance from center to extreme corner on the sensor is 21.633mm, so 30% field on the surface of the camera's sensor would be somewhere on a circle with a center at the center of the lens' optical axis and having a radius of 6.49mm. That is, 30% Field is measured at a point on the test chart that would fall on a point 6.49mm from the center of the sensor.
'60% Field' is similar. It means the distance from the center to the point tested is 60% of the distance from center to extreme corner. For a full frame camera this would be 12.98mm from the center of the imaging sensor.
What are the (S) and (T)?
(S) is Sagittal. That means lines drawn from the center of the field of view towards the edges. Sagittal lines look like spokes on a wheel.
(T) is Tangential. Tangential lines are lines that are perpendicular to the Sagittal lines.
Lenses often have differing acutance rendering (S) and (T) lines. The difference between the (S) and (T) is often described as a lens' degree of astigmatism.
The numbers on the third column describe resolution as percentage contrast between alternating lines of white and black lines. Perfect resolution would result in 100% contrast. A result of 0% would indicate that line pairs are imaged on the sensor as an even gray color with no distinction between the black lines and the white lines.
The numbers in the fourth column describe the pitch of the line pairs of white and black lines as they would be measured on the surface of the imaging sensor or film.
In your example, we can see that when imaging line pairs at 112 LP/mm, the lens in question has 77% contrast at the center of the field. That means that the difference between the black lines and the white lines is 77% of the difference between pure white and pure black.
At 60% field we see that with 223 LP/mm the lens is capable of 48.8% contrast on line pairs oriented in a Sagittal direction and 43.0% contrast on Tangential line pairs. This means the "spokes" of a wagon wheel imaged with the lens would have slightly more contrast than the "rim" of the wheel if the hub was placed at the center of the field of view, as shown (at a much more severe degree of astigmatism) in the center figure below.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
8y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
An MTF chart shows how well a lens preserves contrast and fine detail from the center of the image toward the edges.
- On Axis = the exact image center, where the lens’s optical axis hits the sensor.
- 30% Field, 60% Field, etc. = points measured progressively farther from the center toward the corner, expressed as a percentage of the center-to-corner distance.
- S and T usually mean sagittal and tangential measurements: detail oriented in two different directions. When those curves or values stay high and close together, the lens is generally better corrected; when they separate, it can indicate astigmatism or uneven rendering.
How to use it:
- Look for higher MTF values for better contrast/detail.
- Check whether performance stays strong across the field, not just on axis.
- If your subject matters most in the center, center performance may be enough.
- If you shoot landscapes, architecture, reproduction, or anything needing sharp corners, pay more attention to outer-field results.
MTF charts are helpful, but limited: they don’t tell the whole story about rendering, flare, autofocus, distortion, or real-world performance. Use them as one comparison tool, especially for center vs edge sharpness and consistency.
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