On 2 Nov 2002 at 11:02, Robert Soames Wetmore wrote: > Why is the 57mm normal a thing of the past? Does anyone know? All fast > normals now seem to be 50mm on the nose, whereas once so many were 57mm. I > rather like the 57mm focal length, and it makes a nice compliment with a 40mm > (also not so popular any more). I once recall someone (maybe Mike Johnston - > I'm not sure) posting about how it was easier, or once easier, to make fast 57mm > lenses as compared to fast 50's. (I may have gotten that all wrong. I've gotta > get more organized about saving and cataloguing old posts.)
Hi Rob, I expect (like Mike) that normal lenses around 50mm were easier to fabricate as a fast prime in the past, I suspect that this would be the case since they are near symmetrical in their AOV and AOP (angle of projection). It appears that fixed lens cameras have migrated from 50-55mm down to 35-38mm over the last 30 years. Maybe this was a function of advances in lens fabrication technology or maybe the fact that a slightly wide lens may lends its self to a wider array of general subjects? In any case wide lenses now offer high image quality and high speed and now satisfy my preference for a "standard" lens, the Pentax 31mm LTD being my first choice. > To keep this on topic, I was thinking about doing a shoot out between my > Hexanon 57mm f/1.2 (for Konica Autoreflex) and the Pentax SMCP-A 50mm f/1.2. > I have a feeling the Hexanon is superior but would be interested to test the > performance differences. Would anyone be interested in the results? It would be an interesting test however I would advise not just considering resolution but also the chromatic distortion and flare/contrast between the pair. I have a Minolta 58mm f1.2 and whilst it's a nice piece of glass I don't believe that it holds up against my Pentax 50mm f1.2 lenses however I've not ever executed a side by side comparison. Cheers, Rob Studdert HURSTVILLE AUSTRALIA Tel +61-2-9554-4110 UTC(GMT) +10 Hours [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://members.ozemail.com.au/~distudio/publications.html
