Yeah...along the same lines as "Hey buy this telescope--it is great because it has a big thing blocking the middle of it!" (referring to, for eg, a Cassegrain). I do agree about higher pixel counts generally. Back in the film days, the choice for high detail work and technical photography was slow, ...

Rik, I mean the tendency for some forums/blogs and most camera salespeople to get wrapped up in the allure of full frame with maximum megapixels, and to take readers/buyers along for the ride. I agree with you that the apples to apples comparison must be made to truly set expectations on what the re...

Hi Rik, I didn't bother to calculate the exact "normal" lens for each sensor, because I was already handicapped by not knowing the true pixel pitch (and I was too lazy to go find it). To calculate pixel size, I used overall sensor size and effective pixels as stated in the online specification lists...

This is a great discussion, and one that is very timely as I am trying to hone in on the right system and workflow. I used to think I didn't care about sensor size and tethering until I got a terrible neck-ache arching over my Lumix GX1 as I hand-adjusted for each image in a stack. At least with tha...

ChrisS--Thanks and yes, "utilized aperture". As I said, my brain was fried. This morning my excuse is that I'm still waking up, lol. ChrisR--Thanks for that. It is the reference cited for further reading from Goodman's Fourier Optics. Still, only several pages? How about a thesis? ;) Rik--some quick...

I went through the thread again, and hopefully picked up most of the other contributions that covered the points I touched on. Sounds like there is good agreement among several that the "mechanical" features on the metal surface play a role in creating the spectral dispersion-like effects. Check! :)...

Hi Rik, Thanks for your reply! I did see the comments about CDs and oxides...it wasn't immediately apparent to me that the leap of logic was being made from the CD grooves to microgrooves on a metal surface. I think somebody also mentioned hologram effects, and I agree that a hologram can produce si...

Hi Rik, and thanks--I skimmed through all 5 pages, tried to pick up the highlights. I am sure I'm missing detail, which is why I qualified my post!

Hi, I am new to the forum and this is my first post! This thread is very long, and I tried to glean most of the highlights. I apologize in advance if I missed something crucial that was already stated, or misinterpreted anything. I think one of the physical phenomena that has not been mentioned is t...