Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/08/08
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Can´t you read? I do not think that even Erwin means that flare (or veiling glare) does not diminish contrast - because that´s what it does. Muddy - yes, that´s what a low contrast image looks like. Ant low contrast means that the contrast range between shadows and highlights decreases - or vice versa if you like. Do you wish to put Ansel Adams in the closet, too, with Bruce Davidson and Ed Meyers. Nonsense, you say? Weird? Maybe but it is a simple optical fact. Many times those who do not really know speak the loudest. All the best! Raimo photos at http://personal.inet.fi/private/raimo.korhonen - -----Alkuperäinen viesti----- Lähettäjä: ralph fuerbringer <rof@mac.com> Vastaanottaja: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> Päivä: 08. elokuuta 2000 19:16 Aihe: Re: [Leica] Performers and flare >ed meyers goes into the closet! he started automatic flarefill nonsense >with uncoated lenses,slow film, outside in the hot sun w/bruce davidson. now >he's passing himself off as a low-lite fast-film photographer using inside >flare for fill. in support of his weird theories he uses quotes from > Erwin Puts (below) to confirm a flare prone lens just makes dark areas >muddy. could anyone but an editor so succinctly disprove his own case? he >called me weird. i can't decide what to call him now. I like inside-outside >ed, but muddy meyers sounds so good.then there's always editor. ralph > > >> From: Edward Meyers <aghalide@panix.com> >> Reply-To: leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us >> Date: Tue, 8 Aug 2000 09:19:09 -0400 (EDT) >> To: L U G <leica-users@mejac.palo-alto.ca.us> >> Subject: Re: [Leica] Performers and flare >> >> If only low-light photographers could use a 100 ISO speed film >> and make meaningful images with slow speeds and a tripod... >> It is not the case, however. So we do what we can with high-speed >> films. Filling in deep shadows in high-contrast low-light >> situations, without a flash (hopefully), if helped by flare, >> then the photograph might look better. If only this were a >> perfect world... Ed >> >> On Tue, 8 Aug 2000, Erwin Puts wrote: >> >>> It was noted: "Once you get past Erwin's bench tests, is there really a >>> "bad" version of >>> the Summicron 35?...I've owned various versions over the years - I assume, >>> as I've purchased them all used at widely different period of my life - and >>> they've all be terrific performers." >>> >>> If this really is what the poster assumes, I can only add: if your >>> definition of "terrific performers" is modest enough, he is absolutely >>> right. Most Leica photographers I know however see very discernable >>> differences. The performance you can extract from a lens is tightly coupled >>> to technical expertise and the level of your demands and your type of >>> picture taking. Without this background info any statement about good >>> performance is void. >>> The flare issue. Flare is defined as unwanted stray light, that will be >>> uniformly distributed over the whole image area. If we have a scene from >>> black to white, we will have a range of figures that indicate relative >>> contrast, we have a rnage of 100 to 0.25 lux, indicating light and dark >>> areas, which is a contrast of 400:1. Add a uniform flare level of 0.25 lux >>> and we now have 100.25 and 0.5, giving a contrast of 200:1. The effect on >>> the dark areas is big and on the lighter areas to be neglected. This example >>> shows two things: flare does simply give greater negative density in the >>> thin parts of the negative (the black areas), and will give a dark grey >>> instead of a black, suggesting detail, which is not there. >>> The old story that you can use a low contrast and/or flare prone lens to >>> compensate for high contrast in the scene is not correct. The highlights are >>> not affected and the dark areas just become muddy. >>> The best proposal: buy a high contrast lens, use a 100ISO BW film that gives >>> good toe density and expose and develop to get the maximum contrast your >>> print paper can handle. >>> >>> >>> Erwin >>> >>> >> >