Olaf;
Olaf Greve wrote:
>
> Now, from previous discussion I seem to remember that the 21/3.5 performs
> better than the 21/2. Here, Gary's tests slightly imply this to indeed be
> the case (it's a pity that these two lenses were testes with different
> bodies - the 4T vs. the 1, so a 1-on-1 comparison is a bit difficult).
>
Yes, it is a pity the 21/3.5 was tested with an OM-1. That's before Gary
realized and reported the performance loss with the -1. But I think
with a 21mm, there would be very little difference anyway.
I guess I'd like to caution about your stating that the test implies
that the 21/3.5 outperforms the 21/2 If you look at the tests, you'll
see that they are virtually identical from f/5.6 to f/16. Differences
are mostly 1/3 grade with two 2/3 grade diff. As Gary says, if grades
are not determined in a side-by-side comparison, it is difficult to
definitively say that an A- graded a month ago is actually exactly 1/3
grade better than a B+ detemined yesterday. Also, 2 different cameras
were used and even 2 different test humans (as opposed to test
dummies!). So, subtle differences will contribute to the tests not being
totally scientific. Having been one of the test humans, I know how
important the test setup/technique are and how results can vary a lot
because of a small variance in test procedure.
I'm not discounting the tests at all, I value them highly and refer to
them often. I'm just saying there are limits as to how they can be
interpreted.
All that said, I want to also point out that the 21/2 performs very well
indeed below f/5.6, one of the better fast lens performances in the
tests. In fact, at F/4 it is a full grade better than the 3.5 at 3.5 and
is even capable of B+ performance wide open. I'd say the 21/2 is a
great performing lens (look at the contrast data too). In fact, they
both are top quality lenses. The main diffrences are price and speed.
If your budget is limited, get the 21/3.5 It's a great lens and has a
very high price-performance ratio. If you can afford a bit more and
want/need the extra 1 2/3 stops of speed, get the 21/2 and know it'll
perform very well indeed at wide apertures and stopped-down.
george
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