Can computer design such an optic if we ask to create 32 steps grey chart out of 16 ?

Come on , I will not go in to pee fight , buy nikon , leica whatever , who cares ? Important thing how it is inspired you and drive in to research.
Hobby is not for making the same thing for 40 years with same mind , it is for improving yourself. Taking photographs is not important , who cares what you did ? Come write an article why is nikon better than leica , let everybody learn , other wise stop attacking my posts like a bandit , this is art forum and big portion is nice people.

Wouldn't the recording medium rather than the lens determine the # of steps resolved?

There were rumors that St. Ansel could differentiate around 10,000 shades of gray*. I suppose that would have been with the more antiquated technology available at that time.

*Wonder if that would have been more popular than 50(Shades of Gray)? And that's still 18 more than you're looking for.