Is there an online chart or database showing the sharpness sweet spot of Canon lenses?
Asked 8/28/2013
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I’m looking for an online resource that helps identify the sharpest aperture (“sweet spot”) for Canon lenses. Ideally this would cover a range of Canon EOS lenses and show how sharpness changes with aperture, either as charts, field maps, or test data.
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
12y ago
2 Answers
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You can use a database, such as DxO Mark, to get close. The database contains every currently available lens in the Canon EOS system as well as several that are no longer available. Here is a link to the EF 50mm f/1.8 II lens. Click on the 'Measurements' tab, then 'Sharpness' on the line below, 'field maps' and/or 'profiles', and finally a specific aperture to see the tested results. Note that in general only whole stops are tested, plus the lens' maximum aperture wherever it may fall. The 'global maps" can also be helpful with zoom lenses. You can even compare the same lens' performance when tested on different bodies.
Originally by user15871. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user15871
12y ago
0
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There isn’t a single simple chart covering every Canon lens, but there are good test databases that let you find each lens’s likely sweet spot.
A commonly recommended option is DxOMark. For a given Canon lens, open its test page and check the Measurements/Sharpness section, then view field maps, profiles, or global maps by aperture. This can help you see where sharpness peaks, though tests are often shown at whole-stop apertures plus the maximum aperture.
Photozone is another useful source. Its lens reviews include sharpness/MTF results by aperture, which some people find easier to read than full graphs.
Keep in mind that a lens’s “sweet spot” is not always a single exact f-stop for every situation. It can vary depending on whether you care most about center sharpness, edge sharpness, zoom setting, and even the camera body used for testing.
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