Warm and cold lenses, matched lens sets and the like.

[Mike S. M.]

With production going mostly digital these days, should there still be a concern about matched lens sets, warm and cold lenses and the like? I mean, isn't this much less of a concern with digital since once you white balance you are basically matching the lenses and it's going all neutral anyway, at least in theory? But you still see people debating such things. What's your opinion?

 

[Mike Lary]

I mean, isn't this much less of a concern with digital since once you white balance you are basically matching the lenses and it's going all neutral anyway, at least in theory?

If you're recording raw your white balance adjustment is just a metadata setting that will be applied in post. It does not affect the image being recorded, so any concerns about lens behavior are still relevant.

 

[Timur Civan]

Matched lenses save money in the DI.

 

[Nick Morrison]

Matched lenses save money in the DI.

Exactly.

 

[Jimmy Gilmore]

Coatings look very, very different and it's not just color balance, it's the way they gather the light. If you're shooting different scenes with different lenses it's less of a deal. But if you punch in to a close up from one brand to the next, it's likely to be a PITA to match it perfectly. It's why many of us obsessively watch eBay and Keh for that next lens in our matched set.

There are other properties to lenses that can look very different too like bokeh.