Lens quality & MP rating

[Deren]

Will there really be an perceptible quality difference between a lens rated at 16MP vs 10MP?

I'm trying to get the highest "zoom" lens - really the narrowest field of view - for taking photos (not video).

I know, I know, backbone, adapter, lens, etc. Not willing to fork over that kind of $.

There are 12mm lenses available from our favorite Chinese sites but they are rated at 10MP. It claims an HFOV of 34deg. Peau has an 8.25mm lens, rated at 16MP, with a 41deg HFOV.

So...what sort of quality difference should I expect between a lens rated at 16MP vs 10MP?

Peau also has a 16mm 3MP and a 25mm 5MP, would you expect the resulting photos of those to be junk?

 

[RichWest]

Interesting question, I had no clue. Peau answers that question in the comments in the linked video below.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bmu2RheGVVA

Viewer: What's the point of putting a 16mp lens on a 12mp camera ? does it increase the video quality ?

Peau: The MP rating just talks about the quality/sharpness of the optics. If you install a lens that's sharper than the sensor then you are not gaining any pixels but quality may be subjectively increased.

 

[KenMc]

I don't have a technically exact answer - but I can tell you that lenses make all the difference in the world.

Back when camera's used film I bought a Pentax 35mm from a department store. It was a great camera set - 3 lenses, body - etc.
The pictures it took were good - but gradually I noticed that they just were just good - not great. (Keeping in mind that Ansel Adams could take better pictures with a Brownie than most of us with a lot of expensive equipment.)

Anyway - I finally broke down and bought a brand name lens - probably cost as much as the original set.

Same body - same film - and same photographer - but the pictures were substantially better in clarity and focus.

Even today film makers rent lenses - because they can't afford to buy them.

I'm not suggesting that price = quality - but a good lens won't come cheap.

Hope these comments are useful.

 

[David Boulanger]

Will there really be an perceptible quality difference between a lens rated at 16MP vs 10MP?

I'm trying to get the highest "zoom" lens - really the narrowest field of view - for taking photos (not video).

I know, I know, backbone, adapter, lens, etc. Not willing to fork over that kind of $.

There are 12mm lenses available from our favorite Chinese sites but they are rated at 10MP. It claims an HFOV of 34deg. Peau has an 8.25mm lens, rated at 16MP, with a 41deg HFOV.

So...what sort of quality difference should I expect between a lens rated at 16MP vs 10MP?

Peau also has a 16mm 3MP and a 25mm 5MP, would you expect the resulting photos of those to be junk?

Keep in mind the higher the mm lens you use is going to magnify the vibrations. Even for still photos. A 5MP lens on a sensor size of a Gopro doesn't sound like a good combination. A Gopro for still photos is challenged enough without adding a bad lens.

 

[lyxlens]

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[xlntpix]

Generally, the wider the angle lens the less apparent vibration and apparent, or resolution sharpness (function of CoC - Circle of Confusion). Most lenses for Gopros are fixed at an f2.8, which is a challenge for most any economy lens (optimal aperture being around 4-5.6). The stock Gopro lens (fisheye distorted) is around a 2.9mm, or equivalent to an 8 or 9mm fisheye in super 35mm format. I replaced mine with a 3.8mm f2.8 Chinese lens, which is rectilinear (no barrel distortion), and around a 14mm equivalent in super 35mm format (the cinema standard). It is about as "long" as I would want to go on a Gopro/Solo drone combo. Possibly up to a 4.3mm rectilinear lens (which is around an 18mm in super 35mm format). The Solo has remarkable stability in flight with a super-wide lens, but look more closely, and with a longer lens, and you will see quite a bit of vibration, even with stabilization. Take that image and blow it up to a large projected screen and you will gasp - "Where did all that vibration come from?" This is why most DPs would use a heavier payload drone with a higher rez camera/lens combo. Weight adds a great deal to stability. For these type of rigs (Solo/Gopro) I would stick with the super-wide look and not really venture too much longer or narrower in FOV lenses.

 

[xlntpix]

Incidentally, the gentleman who posted for Liling LYX Electronics is a good source for lenses on Gopros (good optical quality, good focal length range, etc), and they make a superb hyper-wide 280º lens for full frame 35mm cameras that are terrific optics for shooting VR (called the "Entaniya" lens). I do not work for them, nor "lobby" for them, merely an observer in the film industry.