Putora Sharpness Indicator Test Charts

"The Putora Sharpness Indicator is considered to be
the finest test chart in the world."
-- Bill White, president of William F. White International, presenting the Canadian Society of Cinematographer's 2003 Bill Hilson Award to Ivan Putora for Oustanding Service in the Development of the Motion Picture Industry.

Perfect for videographers, cinematographers and photographers to accurately evaluate the sharpness and resolution of all types of motion picture, video, and still cameras.

Instantly determine the resolution of any lens/Camera System.

Bag 1

Camera 1
Camera 2
Camera 3

Set critical focus at any distance.

Set or check back focus on any lens/camera system.

Compare resolution between various film and video formats.

Bag 2

Camera 4
Camera 5
Camera 6

Guide to Putora Sharpness Indicator Test Charts Click on the charts below to see photos and details of each chart available
Chart	Description / Primary Use	Price US$
7A9	10” x 10” field chart, critical focus, backfocus, setup. Perfectly sized for field use. Use for testing film (still and motion) and video formats.	$ 55
Gray Scale	10.5" x 13.25" chart provides extremely accurate 5-stop, 11-step gray scale that can be used as a base for colorimetric or exponometric evaluation.	$ 225
HDTV	18” x 23” HD and 2/3” TV Chart. Suitable for 2/3" HD or standard definition video.	Please call for current pricing

What Makes These Test Charts So Special?

The Sharpness Indicators are made up of test-targets with concentric circles at various frequencies printed on a Reference Field Level background. The gray background has the same reflectance as the average reflectance of the targets. When a target appears to disappear and blend with the background, it indicates that the target is beyond the sharpness of the system being tested.

Because the targets 'pop' into focus, this system is far superior to standard Air Force bar-type charts. The readings are repeatable and objective. The circle targets are numbered from 1 to 9 covering resolutions of 10, 13.3, 18, 23.5, 31.3, 42, 55.5, 74 and 97 lines per millimeter respectively.

The Sharpness Indicator is an optical tool. The manual included with the charts goes into great detail on how to use and evaluate what the Sharpness Indicator charts provide. Click here for Inventor, Ivan Putora’s detailed technical discussion.

The Many Uses of the Charts

Among the Sharpness Indicator's uses are the ability to instantly determine the resolution of any lens/camera system, set critical focus at any distance, set or check back-focus of any lens/camera system, and, compare resolution between various film and video formats.