Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/05/14
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]"Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" wrote: > > This is being said politely, so please do not read any more into this than > is intended. I will even add some smiley faces as everyone has taught me. > :-) > > I believe that Alfred Eisenstadt, the legendary LIFE Magazine photographer, > had indicated that he didn't believe in other people's lens tests. He > tested his own new lenses by using them. If he liked it, he kept it. He > succeeded in helping to define photography during this century becuase he > was busy taking pictures and did not care about what someone else thought > about his lenses. ;-) > > So if one is happy with a lens, use it. If not, try another. In the end, > it is the image, not the resolution that will capture the attention of those > who see it. :-) Peter, A) This (above) has nothing to do with Erwin's qualifications. B) Good for Eisenstadt. I'm glad for him and his contributions. Just because it was good for him, however, doesn't mean it was right for everyone. This is not THE method I choose to use to select lenses. C) If lens performance has no bearing on the image, then we all should be using Holgas and concentrating only on the image. But photography is a technical as well as aesthetic exercise. The materials and processes we employ profoundly effect the images we capture. This cause and effect is not subtle. Until such time as all of our materials and processes perform equally, I will continue to seek to advance both my technical and aesthetic advantage. This involves the accumulation of a scientific consensus concerning the performance of lenses, of which Erwin's views are a part. His reports are not gospel, but they are generated by a fine mind whose scientific results often mirror my own practical, real-world experience. Erwin helps. This is his contribution. It is substantial and appreciated. David W. Almy Annapolis Leica photos online at http://www.nasm.edu/GALLERIES/GAL104/bwings/bwswph.html