Concentrate On the Unquantifiable

The lens I used to take this photograph was slightly decentered and suffers from strong chromatic aberration in the middle apertures. Can you tell? More importantly, do you care?

I love a good lens as much as the next photographer, but I've learned over time not to obsess too much over them. It's easy to spend more time reading reviews, soliciting other people's opinions, and testing lenses than taking real pictures. Fortunately, I've had the experience of having a close look at original photographs by some of the world's best photographers. There were optical flaws aplenty if you know what to look for--but then, what kind of idiot would point to the soft corners in a 24"x30" Ansel Adams print while ignoring the subject in the center? So when I find myself getting too caught up in test results, I remind myself that it's more important to create great photographs than to buy a "perfect" lens.