Camera Labs

Gordon , I have a question.

In august or whenever the 40D comes out i'm flying to New York to buy one along with a 50 f1.4 and maybe a 70-200 f4 . Now I live in Belgium so I have to field test the equipment there for possible flaws so I can get another copy.

So now the question : How do I test the camera and lense for flaws ?
Now for the camera I don't think there's not much testing to it , just take a couple pictures (view them on the laptop that i'll have with me) and see if they're allright. But for the lense , how do I know if I have a sharp copy ? How can I test it ?

Thx.

Bart.

p.s. I'd love to know what (personal) camera equipment you're using ? And maybe a link to you're flickr page or something ? Just like to see some other shots than you're test shots.

Hi Bart, if you don't have long to test a lens, nor access to any charts, I'd simply photograph areas of very fine detail at every aperture, and make sure there's detail right up to the corners. Make sure there's also a mix of shots at different focusing distances.

Brick walls are great as they can reveal a wide variety of problems. So try standing square onto a brick wall and taking shots at every aperture - look out for uneven softening at the corners. All lenses will soften (and darken) in the corners, but you may not be satisfied by the degree to which your copy does - or indeed that particular lens design.

As for my own equipment, these days I tend to use whatever I'm testing to maximise my time with it!

Gordon