Lens test

M

MrToad

Member
I just bought a couple new Tokina lenses (11-16 2.8 and 50-135 2.8) and wondered if you guys have any advice for testing them out. ; They are my first third party lenses and I am worried about getting a bad copy even though the reviews for both have been great. ;

When my bank account recovers I plan on adding a Canon 17-55 to give me 11-150 at 2.8. ;
 
Well at least for focus, I always use the battery test...it's simple and cheap. ; Just line up 5 batteries (AA's work great), spaced close together in a line, then at about a 45 degree angle to that line of batteries, use center or spot focus and put the focus square on the center battery. ; Use a very large aperture for best effect. ; That'll help you determine if you have any back or front focus issues. ; I'd also pull a small aperture blank white shot, to check for anything on the lenses (don't forget to clean your sensor real well before doing this...or at least take a test shot with another camera so you can mark where your dust spots are on the sensor). ; Some standard daylight tests can help determine if the lens is sharp, lenses are aligned properly (be sure to test it at all focal ranges).

That's the basic stuff I run through when I get a new lens.
 
Thanks Justin...front and back focusing was one of my concerns! ; I am also going to take a few shots of a news paper to see how corner sharpness holds up. ; Would you mind posting your method Roger? ;
 
I taped a magazine page/newspaper page on a wall, set the camera on a tripod at the mininum focusing distance, maximum aperture, manual mode, used a remote release with mirror lockup.

I would then look at the results on the LCD screen, and perhaps mess with the focus fine tuning (the more recent prosumer and up cameras have this), and take a few more shots and determine if I need adjustment.

The ruler is better because you can see which way your lens is focusing. ; There is a device you can buy/rent to do this now. ; Lens Align.
 
Has anyone heard of or used the lens alignment test I've seen on the web which uses a test sheet similar to the Lens Align tool. It is pretty similar to just using a ruler, but has a detailed explanation of setup & testing.

Actually, I just remembered that I think I heard about it here. ; :-[
 
Thanks for the suggestions, Justin and Roger. ; I have always done some rudimentary tests whenever I get a lens, but nothing as thorough as what either of you suggested.

...Now I have an excuse to get a new lens. ; I need to test these methods!
 
"WDWFigment" said:
I have always done some rudimentary tests whenever I get a lens, but nothing as thorough as what either of you suggested.
Click to expand...

me neither!!
thanks for the tips guys!
 
That's the best test of them all - are you happy with them. ; They're passing with flying colors so far!
 
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