Comments on: Reflections on Reflections. Coatings: The Most Important Part of Your Lens. http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens Photo/video thoughts from the largest rental house Wed, 22 May 2013 17:33:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Roger Cicala http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-3135 Roger Cicala Fri, 20 Jan 2012 21:22:00 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-3135 Coating a couple of surfaces would help, but since they have to take the lens apart to coat the elements, it shouldn't be any more difficult to coat them all. Coating a couple of surfaces would help, but since they have to take the lens apart to coat the elements, it shouldn’t be any more difficult to coat them all.

]]> By: B. Wright http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-3115 B. Wright Thu, 19 Jan 2012 06:22:50 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-3115 Great read Roger! Thanks! I for one have an old Xenon lens that is beautiful but lacks any coating. I have been looking into having the elements coated but have been told different things about what this would accomplish. I would mostly just want to see more contrast overall and possibly less ghosting in specific situations. One person told me I would need to coat 80% of the surfaces to have an impact on picture quality and another said just coating front element would make a significant difference. Would coating one or two surfaces make an impact on my lens? If so how do I know which surface(s)! Thanks! Great read Roger! Thanks! I for one have an old Xenon lens that is beautiful but lacks any coating. I have been looking into having the elements coated but have been told different things about what this would accomplish. I would mostly just want to see more contrast overall and possibly less ghosting in specific situations. One person told me I would need to coat 80% of the surfaces to have an impact on picture quality and another said just coating front element would make a significant difference.

Would coating one or two surfaces make an impact on my lens? If so how do I know which surface(s)!

Thanks!

]]> By: Heru Anggono http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2842 Heru Anggono Sat, 31 Dec 2011 19:19:47 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2842 I guess it's time to consider the ultimate lens filter, which is no filter at all. Less is more. I guess it’s time to consider the ultimate lens filter, which is no filter at all. Less is more.

]]> By: Roger Cicala http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2797 Roger Cicala Tue, 27 Dec 2011 18:27:55 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2797 WildBill, It definitely is cost. But I'll also add the nanocoatings seem soft - we've had two lenses come back from repair ruined because a tech tried to clean the nanocoatings. I'm not sure if that's universal or not (and I'm not going to experiment to find out). Roger WildBill,

It definitely is cost. But I’ll also add the nanocoatings seem soft – we’ve had two lenses come back from repair ruined because a tech tried to clean the nanocoatings. I’m not sure if that’s universal or not (and I’m not going to experiment to find out).

Roger

]]> By: WildBill http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2796 WildBill Tue, 27 Dec 2011 17:45:17 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2796 Hi Roger, Thank you for the very informative and interesting article. I first read it on the Canon Rumors site. After reading the article I have a question. You state that nano-coatings can only be used on one or two lens elements, but you don't explain what the restriction is that limits it's use. My guess would be cost but since you didn't explicitly tell us, I figured I would ask. Is it a cost factor or is there so physical interaction between multiple nano-coated layers that make it impractical. Thanks again for the excellent article. WildBill Hi Roger,
Thank you for the very informative and interesting article. I first read it on the Canon Rumors site.
After reading the article I have a question. You state that nano-coatings can only be used on one or two lens elements, but you don’t explain what the restriction is that limits it’s use. My guess would be cost but since you didn’t explicitly tell us, I figured I would ask. Is it a cost factor or is there so physical interaction between multiple nano-coated layers that make it impractical.
Thanks again for the excellent article.
WildBill

]]> By: David Hudson http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2732 David Hudson Tue, 20 Dec 2011 15:15:50 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2732 Just want to say thanks for all the great info you pass along to the community. Great job. Just want to say thanks for all the great info you pass along to the community. Great job.

]]> By: Roger Cicala http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2725 Roger Cicala Mon, 19 Dec 2011 23:07:43 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2725 Nicholas, I think coatings are certainly part of what you and I have noticed in old lenses, but design counts some too, especially in wider aperture lenses. Spherical aberrations are common in older designs, for example. The resolve quite well, those older lenses, but without the accutance (contrast) we are use to. Nicholas,

I think coatings are certainly part of what you and I have noticed in old lenses, but design counts some too, especially in wider aperture lenses. Spherical aberrations are common in older designs, for example. The resolve quite well, those older lenses, but without the accutance (contrast) we are use to.

]]> By: Hoof http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2723 Hoof Mon, 19 Dec 2011 22:29:21 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2723 Another aspect of coatings is that coatings are one of the major factors in the "look" of an image (for example, the "Zeiss" look), as least the "look" of the photos made with the lens. This has to do with the fact that different coatings work on different light frequencies differently. Coatings from the 1970's, for example, tended to yield a yellow "cast" onto pictures, because they were less effective on the non-yellow colors. The better lenses tend to have better transmission curves across the frequency spectrum, primarily due to the coatings. So not only is this important for glare, reflections, etc, but in the "color tint" of the lens, as well as being the major factor in the "look" of the images made with the lens. Another aspect of coatings is that coatings are one of the major factors in the “look” of an image (for example, the “Zeiss” look), as least the “look” of the photos made with the lens. This has to do with the fact that different coatings work on different light frequencies differently. Coatings from the 1970′s, for example, tended to yield a yellow “cast” onto pictures, because they were less effective on the non-yellow colors. The better lenses tend to have better transmission curves across the frequency spectrum, primarily due to the coatings. So not only is this important for glare, reflections, etc, but in the “color tint” of the lens, as well as being the major factor in the “look” of the images made with the lens.

]]> By: Nicholas Condon http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2722 Nicholas Condon Mon, 19 Dec 2011 20:29:24 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2722 This was a very nice article about a terribly underappreciated aspect of lenses. I particularly liked some of your intuitive descriptions of the coatings. I have mucked around with older lenses (from roughly 1955-1980) on adapters a bit, and I found many of them to be severely wanting for contrast compared to modern lenses; my tendency is to blame this on the coatings, since coating technology has advanced a great deal over the past few decades. You have a great deal more knowledge of old lenses than I do; is this your impression as well? Although it's less relevant to photography, I'll note that thin film coatings can also be used to make mirrors of various sorts, including those that are highly reflective at one wavelength and highly transmissive at another; such mirrors are absolutely critical for constructing and working with lasers. This was a very nice article about a terribly underappreciated aspect of lenses. I particularly liked some of your intuitive descriptions of the coatings.

I have mucked around with older lenses (from roughly 1955-1980) on adapters a bit, and I found many of them to be severely wanting for contrast compared to modern lenses; my tendency is to blame this on the coatings, since coating technology has advanced a great deal over the past few decades. You have a great deal more knowledge of old lenses than I do; is this your impression as well?

Although it’s less relevant to photography, I’ll note that thin film coatings can also be used to make mirrors of various sorts, including those that are highly reflective at one wavelength and highly transmissive at another; such mirrors are absolutely critical for constructing and working with lasers.

]]> By: Ken Owen http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/reflections-on-reflections-the-most-important-part-of-your-lens/comment-page-1#comment-2718 Ken Owen Mon, 19 Dec 2011 11:08:06 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4615#comment-2718 Fab! Your writings are a valuable resource. Fab! Your writings are a valuable resource.

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