Lens Quality Progress
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beano500

Original Poster:

20,854 posts

293 months

Sunday 30th October 2005
quotequote all
On the same theme as "Quality of Cheap Lenses" (but didn't want to hijack that thought-process), how do fellow PHers think the quality of lenses has changed over time.

For example, my lenses are mostly about ten years old. Two are "D" spec, so are the same as the latest ones out of the factory I would presume. One is "Pre-D" but the optical design probably is the same as the latest factory output.

(My "newest" lens, still secondhand, is only a few years old but is derived from a '60s design, IIRC!)

But have independent lens designs improved markedly over all that time? Would an independent lens of latest design be as good, perhaps, as the older design?

Or would a ten year old own-brand, top quality lens still be better as a secondhand purchase that a new independent?