Digital Camera Resolution WAS: Warning of major NHS IT overspend

[Brian Gladman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>]

Brian Morrison wrote:

> On Tue, 02 Nov 2004 16:46:44 +0000 in [EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Brian Gladman <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
>
>
> > High end digital compact cameras do not have such small sensors. The
> > one I use has a 16mm square sensor with 8 Mpixels.  This works out at
> > about 1/3 the area of a 35mm frame and provides a resolution of about
> > 170 pixels/mm.
> >
> > I suspect that this is a significantly higher than the resolution of
> > the (mostly zoom) lenses that are typically fitted on such cameras.
>
> About 15 years or so ago the typical resolution obtainable on film of
> the period with standard camera lenses and independent manufacturers'
> zoom lenses was between 100 and 150 line pairs per mm. Some did a little
> better, but not a great deal. I don't expect the state of the art for
> the consumer market has improved a lot in that time.

While I agree that a few lenses could get above 100 line pairs per mm at 
small aperture in their centre of field, I measured my high quality 
fixed focal length lenses at full aperture and corner to corner and 
never got close to an average of 100 line pairs per mm across their full 
field of view.  And the zoom lenses did a fair bit worse than the fixed 
focal length ones.

This was 20 years ago so I honestly don't know what line pairs per mm 
modern zoom lenses can achieve.  Does anyone know if it is sensors or 
lenses that limit the resolution of modern digital compact cameras?

   Brian Gladman