NavList:

Jared you wrote:

"Post-processing to generate sharpness in
excess of the image sensor's ability is standard today. We know the job can
be done in software.
So, why shouldn't a processor like the human brain also be able to run a
similar program?"

 

Yes, sure. Definitely. An interesting point for your analogy: our brains don't have to download that software. It's been crafted by evolution over millions of years. But apparently it takes some time for the software to boot up. They say that infants don't have hyperacuity (make up your own joke about how they're tested --I've previousy contributed mine <g>). An indication that this is a software or "brain" task is the fact that it apparently works just as well among people with poor vision.

 

By the way, you would agree, I am sure, that increasing sharpness doesn't increase resolution (although it may make some patterns clearer). For example, if you have a photo of the Full Moon, and you sharpen it, you don't see craters that were previously invisible.