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In audio we debate about evaluating speakers based on objective measurements and subjective impressions. Often the speakers which sound good dont measure well and vice versa. The argument is, subjective measurements are based on pure sine waves which we never listen to.

Found this quote in the first page of a book about Leica lenses.

This probably true about any two dissimilar genres you can pick

Some said “if it measures good and sounds bad, you measured the wrong thing”

The similarities are that in both cases our impressions are not the result of the sensors. We do not see with our eyes or hear with our ears. The actual seeing and hearing begins when the brain processes the signals from the very imperfect sensors and then decides what we want to see or hear.

And they both result in endless debates over analog vs digital

Roscoe

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I can explain it to you, but I can’t understand it for you.

Amen to that

While I agree your analogy applies to Audio but photography is completely a different beast. Photography goes beyond the standard eye-brain relationship limitation, and resorts to "unnatural" images to attract our attention.

The author is emphasizing the importance of looking beyond standardized tests. For example, the resolution charts help evaluate image sharpness among other things. A major complaint we hear in the review sites is the lens is soft on the corners until it is stopped down. For a macro, portrait or wild life photographer, edge sharpness is not an issue as they always crop the images.

There are many visual aspects of a photo which contribute to its esthetic value. A good bokeh (rendering of out of focus areas) is as essential to good photography as the rendition of the subject in focus. Bokeh separates the subject from the background, emphasizing the subject and deemphasizing the background in a visually pleasing manner. Many lenses present the bokeh harsh and busy. Human eye works like iPhone camera, everything is in focus all the time. In the photographs, we look to create out of focus areas (which is impossible for a naked eye). Bokeh's unnatural and yet artistic rendition of image is one of the qualities which make a lens special. There are no objective tests to evaluate the quality of bokey of a lens. The picture below is a good example of a quality bokey, taken with 90mm Leica Summicron (no my photo).

The point is, testing alone in audio or photography is not sufficient to evaluate the quality of the product.

I thought that is what I said. Once in the mind there is no testing.

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Walt

Or in my case, bourbon.

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I have too much stuff - https://www.pleasebuymystuff.com

What's your favorite single malt?
Few years ago, I discovered Total Wines and More has their own brand (dont recall the name). It is Balvenie single malt. Very smooth.