Re: [Leica] Photos on the Web

[Alan Ball/LUNA<AlanBall@csi.com>]

Tom Shea wrote:
> Some people seem to think that they can demonstrate the quality of a lens 
by
> photos posted on the Internet.  While one may be able to tell the 
difference
> between a disposable camera and a current generation Summicron 50 2.0, it 
is
> simply not possible to distinguish between higher quality lenses by this
> method.This is not to say that it is not interesting to see posted 
photos.  Such
> photos are often very interesting and can tell a lot about the style of 
the
> photographer and the subject.  Such photos, however cannot distinguish 
between
> a current generation Leica lens and a 30 year old Minolta consumer grade 
lens.
> Both will look the same. 

Hi. For once, I would like to support your point of view. I also believe 
that with 'normal' size JPEGs, as the ones we are usually invited to 
'admire' on the Web, there is hardly any trace of the technical qualities 
of the neg, the slide or even the print they come from. Everything is 
degraded due to the process itself. Furthermore the colour images will be 
seen with thousands of different renditions depending on the observer's 
system. It is complete nonsense to use the Web as a demonstration means of 
optical quality. It is not even obvious that in all cases one would 
recognise the disposable camera's image from the Hasselblad one.

But, nevertheless, what is left by the Web gives a pretty good idea of the 
essence of the image: its relevance, its originality, its emotions, its 
message, whatever. In other words its usefulness. Unfortunately, and this 
tells a tale, 90 pct of what is published on the Web sums up to middle of 
the road 'nice' images that belong to the family photo album or on the 
photographer's desk at work. There is nothing more vain and useless than 
pages advertised as 'proving' the quality of hardware or emulsion and that 
end up in a bland series of back garden snaps. It is counter-productive to 
link these images to debates on Leica quality.

The 10 pct of interesting images remain interesting even after passing 
through the JPEG and Web destruction. This also tells a tale. It is also 
counter-productive to link these images to our mystical debates on the 
optical Graal of Leica quality.

There are ways  of illustrating optical quality debates on the Web. This 
requires high res high quality scans from which you cut out a small area. 
Depending on the enlargement ratio of that area, you are able to show such 
things as resolution or grain. That small area can be published on the Web 
as a link to a downloadable TIF file. Very boring.

Alan
Brussels-Belgium