Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2001/05/14

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Subject: [Leica] snoregate
From: "Robert Appleby Personal" <rob@robertappleby.com>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:01:35 +0200

>>>
but some people like thinking
for themselves, rather than blinding following a "lens expert" who
apparently
has  no degrees in the subject, nor professional experience working for a
lens
maker designing testing lenses.
>>>

So would the same independent thinkers people prefer to blindly follow an
expert with 20 years experience?

There's a Professor Laithwaite at London University, with many years
experience as an engineer/physicist (can't remember which) who passionately
espouses the old chestnut of gyroscopes producing an anti-gravity effect.
He's wrong. Gyroscopes are effectively dealt with and archived at A-level in
perfectly normal classical dynamics. There is no mystery.

On the other hand there's someone like Erwin who, possibly with no formal
qualifications, is capable of turning a hobby (lens testing) into a true
expertise. He evidently likes thinking for himself.

It is _so_ futile worrying about qualifications.

Reading all these angry mails about lens resolution and Konica mount
tolerances, I've finally come to the conclusion that the only thing that
counts is what the slide/scan/print looks like. And in my case, since I only
ever hand hold at lowish shutter speeds, I'm sure that a Voigtlander lens on
a Konica body will do just as nicely as a Leica lens on an M6.

I don't think I'll ever have a 16x20 print of one of my snaps made, and if I
did it would be for my retrospective at MOMA at which time the resolution of
the lens will not be the deciding factor. If HCB could build a career on out
of focus muddy prints, I'm sure I can too.

But please, keep on arguing! I wouldn't have missed John's "zzzz" or Joe's
monkeys and typewriters quip for the world.

Rob.

Replies: Reply from "Ted Grant" <tedgrant@home.com> (Re: [Leica] snoregate)