Get To Know The Optical Aberrations Present In Your Image

A modulation transfer function (MTF) plot does not provide all the information necessary to choose a lens or to diagnose problems with an image. While the MTF plot/data take into account the cumulative effect of all optical aberrations present, the end user cannot distinguish individual aberrations using only the MTF plot. To maximize optical performance, it is critical to understand how those aberrations may or may not influence the imagery the lens is attempting to capture.

Ray plots indicate which aberrations are present and their magnitude. Any lens manufacturer has a complete data package for every lens it has produced, which includes lens design values, curvature, glass types, distortion values, and ray plots. All optical tolerances (e.g., thickness of each glass element) are listed in that package, too, to help ensure mechanical engineers are able to design mechanical components that mimic the same tolerances.

But is the manufacturer sharing this information with you?