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The Evolution of Lenses

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The Evolution of Lenses 10 2/2008 TECHNOLOGY LENSES THE EVOLUTION OF LENSES BY MICHAEL J. HUSSMANN C-type and HC lenses are separated by a turn of the millennium, changes electronically. HC lenses support PHOTOS: JÜRGEN automatic as well as manual focus: HOLZENLEUCHTER in the way lenses are designed, and shifting requirements to comply with rather than transmitting the torque modern camera designs. Still, a great 20th century lens design makes for a from a focusing motor in the body through to the lens using a clutch; fine lens even today, so what are the differences between C-type and HC the focusing motor is integrated into lenses, and how do comparable lenses fare head-to-head? the lens itself. The interface between the focusing motor in the lens and the auto-focus system in the body is Over the decades, Hasselblad has lenses is equal, if not superior to that tured to Hasselblad’s specifications, electrical, but a complex system of worked with a number of highly of the C-type lenses; seeing is believ- but their engineers played no part in gears allows for a manual override skilled partners for manufacturing ing – with an H System body, a pair the actual lens development. While – the photographer can intervene at lenses: Fujinon, Kodak, Rodenstock of old and new lenses, and the CF previously Carl Zeiss engineered any time without having to switch and Schneider. But if any lens manu- adapter, anyone can copy the test. everything including the shutter, from auto-focus to manual focus facturer is specifically associated with lens design today is a collaborative mode first. Hasselblad, it is certainly Carl Zeiss. THE DIVISION effort between Hasselblad and Fuji- Auto-focus isn’t just a matter The V System’s Zeiss lenses contrib- OF LABOR non, with Hasselblad gradually of convenience or focusing speed; uted a great deal toward establishing assuming a larger role. For example, with HC lenses it is a prerequisite Hasselblad’s fame and reputation. With the current arrangement work on the latest addition to the HC for leveraging Hasselblad’s intimate Indeed, they continue to be popular between Hasselblad and Fujinon, lens portfolio, the HCD 4/28, started knowledge about the performance with many photographers today. In Hasselblad is much more in charge of out in Gothenburg, Sweden. Using of their lenses to achieve higher 2002, when Hasselblad launched the lens design and manufacturing than powerful software for optical design, focusing accuracy than possible with H System, it came with a new and they have ever been. The V System the characteristics of the new lens either manual focus or auto-focus growing set of lenses manufactured lenses were designed and manufac- could be explored in great detail well alone. The methods for improving by Fujinon, a subsidiary of Fujifilm before any glass was ground. Fujinon auto-focus accuracy are subsumed in Japan. While Fujinon is a respected in Saitama City, Japan, then took up under the label Ultra-Focus. lens manufacturer meeting the high- SYNOPSIS the task of refining the lens design est standards, the brand name didn’t • The CF lenses made by Carl and building a prototype series that FOCUSING have quite the reputation as Carl Zeiss did contribute a great deal was put through its paces at Fujinon’s ACCURACY REVISITED Zeiss. Photographers who bought and Hasselblad’s lab. to the Hasselblad V System’s into the modern H System retained This division of labor also extends Photographers might wonder why fame, and they can still be used a preference for the tried and proven to the manufacturing stage. The cen- Hasselblad is investing resources into with today’s H System cameras. Zeiss lenses they had been using, and tral shutter and the iris diaphragm achieving minute improvements in • With the HC lenses jointly de- even some newcomers to Hasselblad are built and assembled in Gothen- focusing accuracy. After all, there veloped with Fujinon, Hasselblad cameras felt they had missed out by burg, then sent to Fujinon where wasn’t anything wrong with focusing is more in control of lens design joining too late in the game. the lenses are ground and the final accuracy in the past – or was there? and manufacturing than ever. Before we delve into the various assembly of the optical, mechanical, Auto-focus systems based on phase issues around designing, manufactur- • Digital photography requires and electronic parts takes place. detection, the technology used in all ing and evaluating lenses; it should higher focusing accuracy than current DSLRs, are working as well as analog photography. Auto-focus be stressed that as far as Hasselblad WHAT’s IN A LENS ever; however, the change from sil- is concerned, Zeiss lenses aren’t just systems need to be augmented ver halide film to electronic sensors a legacy of the past, but continue to by measures ensuring optimum The C-type lenses are purely opto- also changed the rules of the game. be an asset today. Not only is the V sharpness under any conditions. mechanical devices made up of 1 When an image is opened in an System (for which Zeiss lenses were • Whereas CF lenses were lenses, tubes, helical mounts, and a image editing application such as designed) still a viable camera system optimized for infinity, HC lenses mechanical shutter. A modern HC Photoshop, the first preview is of the in its own right; these C-type lenses are optimized for more typical lens is a more complex design: the image displayed at 100 percent; each can also be used on the latest H Sys- subject distances, and yield a mechanical shutter is replaced by image pixel is mapped to exactly one The CF 3.5/100 by Carl Zeiss, used tem cameras, thanks to the optional superior result overall. an electronically controlled shutter display pixel, whatever the number for the image shown on the left, CF lens adapter. With the adapter fit- • A truly fine lens needs to for added precision and reproduc- of pixels. The greater the resolution, had once set a standard for len- ting between the lens and the body, deliver crisp and sharp detail tibility (see page 32). In a Zeiss lens, measured in megapixels, the greater ses to be measured against. The metering is done at full aperture and and at the same time, a good focusing is manual and it only con- the magnification at 100 percent image on the right was taken with manual focusing is assisted by the bokeh; a pleasing rendition of cerns the lens itself – there is no – on a typical 96 ppi display, an the H-system’s HC 2.2/100 which camera’s AF system providing focus out-of-focus detail. communication between body and image taken with an H3DII-39 would not just meets and partly exceeds confirmation. Cocking the shutter lens regarding the focus distance. measure about 1.9 x 1.4 meters if those standards, but offers all the takes a flick of the wrist, tossing a lever The H System components, on the one could see it in its entirety. The amenities one has come to expect on the adapter. While we are going to other hand, are tightly integrated, high magnification factors so read- from a modern autofocus lens show how the quality of the new HC with lens and body exchanging data ily available in digital image editing ONLINE 3/2009 11 TECHNOLOGY LENSES CF100 f/8 1:10 HC 100 f/8 1:10 CF100 f/3.5 1:10 HC 100 f/3.5 1:10 CF 3.5/100 f8 1.2 m HC 2.2/100 f8 1.2 m CF 3.5/100 f3.5 1.2 m HC 2.2/100 f3.5 1.2 m 100 100 100 100 80 80 80 80 60 60 60 60 40 40 40 40 20 20 20 20 0 0 0 0 0102030 0102030 0102030 0102030 Tangential contrast drops fast; The HC lens shows good con- At 1.2 m from the subject and fully Even at f3.5, the sagittal con- only sagittal contrast profits from trast over most of the image circle, open, the CF lens only shows good trast of the HC lens shows next to stopping down slightly improved by DAC contrast near the center no drop off towards the edges Diverging values for sagittal and The sagittal and tangential con- The curves for sagittal and tan- At the corners, tangential con- tangential contrast can create dis- trast curves stay close together; gential contrast begin to diverge trast drops, but rises again thanks tortions in the corners only at 40 lp/mm do they diverge about 5 mm from the center to the digital correction At the very center of the image, At the center, contrast would drop Within a small central area the In the center part of the image, the CF lens still performs great due to focus shift, but Ultra-Focus CF lens shows excellent contrast the HC lens performs almost as – even at short distances compensates for this effect even at 1.2 m from the subject well as its CF counterpart At distances typical for studio software have created a distorted is slightly off, this previously went The five aperture blades of the The octogonal blur disks of the work, the HC 2.2/100 comes into perception of image quality. Previ- unnoticed, but it won’t escape the CF 3.5/100 turn out-of-focus spe- HC 2.2/100 have a faint lining indi- its own; here, the CF 3.5/100 ously, photographers had to deal attention of a Photoshop user today.
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