>I find throwing a lens against a brick wall is a quick way to check it >out.
Upon first reading, I found myself wondering how many lenses showed excellent optical quality after this particular test! <G> >Of course I only have two ratings for lenses: professionally acceptable, >and >unacceptable. If it will make a decent 11x17 (double page magazine >spread) it is >acceptable. If not... There certainly is some validity in this. I find for myself that knowing how two lenses stack up optically can be useful in deciding whether a lens is worth the cost or size to me, knowing what aperture ranges the lenses are viable in, etc. >BTW, I have only had a couple of individual Pentax lenses that were not >acceptable. They both clearly had something wrong with them though it was >not >something you could tell by looking at the lenses which both looked mint. I had a 28-80 (?) Takumar A that was unacceptable, plus some lenses in Nikon mount that I'd consider borderline unacceptable. I've had some lenses that were just adequate but I now feel like an idiot for using because there was a much better alternative to be had. DJE
