Talk:Rephotography

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[edit] Old lenses versus new

We read: Older lenses were softer than their modern equivalents, and usually of a larger aperture,....

I'm very surprised.

First, yes, older lenses of focal length X for frame (negative, slide) size Y and of aperture Z were in general softer than the modern equivalent for X Y and Z. But I think this is simplistic given that a lot (not all!) of what is rephotographed was first done in medium or even large format and is redone in small format. Even a first-rate modern lens for 35mm (or CCD) has trouble competing with an old one for 4×5.

Secondly, something here seems plain wrong: lenses of focal length X for frame size Y are not slower than they used to be, and if you consider lenses commonly used for good images of a certain viewing angle irrespective of frame size, the maximum aperture is now usually larger. The Inos II (early 1930s) had an f4.5 105mm lens (though it would have been stopped down if at all possible); the Fujica G690 (1968) had an f3.5 100mm lens (ditto); both of these cameras are "6×9" (i.e. 56×84 or whatever); 100mm at the actual frame size for "6×9" is the same angle of view as 43mm on 24×36; the recent Pentax 43mm lens is a much faster f1.9. -- Hoary 08:49, 26 November 2006 (UTC)