Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/22
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]>>>>> Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 19:24:12 -0400 From: "David Kieltyka" <daverk@email.msn.com> Subject: [Leica] Re: late night musings Message-ID: <000401c03bb6$0668ec00$221e2a3f@telecaster> References: Robert Appleby <robert.appleby@tin.it> wrote (edited): > I've never been able to get the idea that somehow older, > less "sharp" lenses with the "glow" (which is presumably > just veiling flare) are better or more interesting than > modern ones. In practical terms, that is. IMO it's strictly a matter of personal taste. Is maximum sharpness always desirable? Is flare always evil? By whose standards? There are no absolute standards for photographic excellence. This is part of what makes it all so much fun. My old LTM 50 Summar may not be a particularly practical lens for general shooting but its softness works well for portraiture or whenever else I want soft images. The photographer should drive the technology, not vice versa. The lens that does the job you want it to do is always the right one...new, old, ASPH, uncoated, whatever. - - -Dave- <<<<<< Well, Dave, if your question isn't just rhetorical, then I have to say that "sharpness" (in quotes because I know Erwin doesn't like the word) is good, yes. Just as having a lightmeter in the camera is good. What's the point of spending loads of money on stuff that doesn't have the bare minimum or gives mediocre results? What if Leica came out with a lens which had pronounced flare designed in on purpose? They'd be a laughing stock. Flare is bad, sharpness is good. And when you're shooting lots of slide, a TTL lightmeter is good. I'm not talking about getting "interesting" results, just the best results optically I can afford. I can't see why there's even any discussion around this subject. What do we like about Leica, and what has it built its rep around? The best optics money can buy and fast focussing, convenient to use bodies. That's all there is to it. My curmudgeonly 2 lire worth (not much!). Rob. As for photographic excellence... Robert Appleby V. Bellentani 36 41100 MO Italy tel. (+39) 059 303436 mob. (+39) 0348 336 7990