Difference Between Cheap and Expensive Zoom Camera Lenses
What really is the difference between the cheap zoom lenses versus the Expensive one? Does it really pay buying a top-class expensive zoom lenses than buying one with approximately the same focal length range for much less?
A group of people experimented just to get answer to these questions. These experiment lasted for a month testing comparable high- and low-cost optics from Minolta, Canon, and Nikon. While they tested only a handful of lenses and can’t, therefore, generalize about all high- and low-cost zooms, our results may still surprise you. Sharpness, usually considered the single most desirable quality in a lens, varied little between the $1,000-$1,500 pro and $100-$450 entry-level zooms. In fact, based on sharpness alone, they couldn’t determine whether 11×14 test prints were made with budget or pro glass. And that’s only half the story.
At several focal lengths and apertures, some bargain zooms actually produced higher SQF numbers than pricier counterparts! We found, for example, that at the 35mm setting, Minolta’s $450 20-35mm f/3.5-4.5 outperformed the $1,500 17-35mm f/3.5 at almost every aperture for 16×20 and 20×24 print sizes.
So, if pros aren’t getting sharpness for their money, what do they get?
- Larger apertures Wider apertures (such as f/2.8 compared to f/4.5-5.6) let more light through to the film or digital sensor. This extra light permits a wider range of possible shutter speeds, framing rates, and depths of field. More light can also free you from tripods and electronic flash. Larger apertures, however, require larger lens elements, which are more difficult to make, adding to both weight and cost.
- Closer focusing distances Whether you’re shooting Mother Nature’s creepy crawlies or products for Madison Avenue, being able to move closer to your subject has obvious pictorial payoffs.
- Less distortion Zooms have linear distortion problems when vertical or horizontal lines positioned near the frame edges show a slight bowing inward (pincushion) or outward (barrel). The result of inconsistent image magnification, such curving lines are common in inexpensive zooms, and anathema to many pros, especially architectural photographers.
- Better construction Sports or travel photographers, shooting football in the rain or bouncing across the Serengeti in an SUV, need zooms that keep water out and lens elements in precise alignment. Ruggedly constructed pro-quality lenses will perform in conditions that could sink a budget-priced zoom.
If these “extras” offer no significant advantages for you, then fire away with a $100 zoom. As mentioned, the tests are a mere sampling of all the comparable lenses out there. But with the inexpensive zoom, you just might get the sharpest pictures that money can buy.
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