Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2010/09/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Yea, contrast is a light thing. I keep proper hoods on always and it helps. Here are some examples of DR images of varying contrast the only difference being the light and exposure as I use the same film and processing. http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/street_pages_2010/bs026.htm http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/street_pages_2010/bs029.htm http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/Family%20Album/Friends%20Family%20Pages/FF%20284.htm http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/Family%20Album/Friends%20Family%20Pages/FF%20274.htm Similar era Elmarit 50mm/2.8 http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/Family%20Album/Friends%20Family%20Pages/FF%20298.htm http://www.imagebrooklyn.com/Family%20Album/Friends%20Family%20Pages/FF%20297.htm At 05:54 PM 9/22/2010, you wrote: >I agree A lower contrast lens is "poorly implemented". >In most cases though its an old lens from many previous decades which people >are loving the characteristics of through the filter of their nostalgia. >The lens is just old. In many cases needs to be cleaned. >In modern terms its just a lower end lens. A lens in which less money has >been invested. In older terms a lens with no or more privative coatings and >with a more primitive optical design from what they knew then with more >privative glass choice possibilities. And no pocket calculators helping them >out. > >To make an image from a lower contrast optic means we have to jack up the >contrast in the end. Resulting in more grain or noise. We then deal with >that. > >Lower contrast optics are lovingly descried as "easier to print" but I've >always found them more difficult to print as I've said above.. And I've >seen few actually examples of these "easier to print" lenses on my screen or >in hand. > >I'm not sure if the Leica M 50/2 Dual Range Summicron is a classic example >of a lower contrast optic or not. I don't think low contrast is the defining >characteristic of this lens. I think it has a bundle of positive attributes >and may be a tad low in the contrast end. I'd love to be using one. > >-------------------- >Mark William Rabiner >Photography >mark at rabinergroup.com > > > > From: Herbert Kanner <kanner at acm.org> > > Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > > Date: Wed, 22 Sep 2010 13:29:20 -0700 > > To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > > Subject: Re: [Leica] Salgado S2 > > > > As someone who was once a physicist before I went really wrong and > > became an incompetent computer programmer (Physics Ph.D. 1951, U. of > > Chicago) I want to comment on what could make a "low contrast lens". > > A lens per se cannot manipulate contrast, it merely refracts what is > > there. But miscellaneous scattered light not coming from the image > > will reduce contrast as if the film (or sensor) had been exposed to a > > low level of miscellaneous distributed light before or after the > > actual taking of the picture. It is the same phenomenon that we try > > to avoid by using a lens hood: scattered light inside the lens. So, > > in my opinion, a "low contrast lens" is just a poorly implemented > > lens: failure to coat internal elements, shiny internal structural > > parts, whatever. > > > > Herb > > > > > > > >> If Salgato is looking for a "low contrast lens" then it would have been > >> better he took some photo courses instead of economic courses As that's > >> photo dumb stuff 101. He's thinking a "low contrast lens" will > give him more > >> latitude he's wrong. Presumptuous of me to say? Well you do hear some > >> real > >> misconceptions about basic photo craft coming from some top > level people old > >> timers or young timers. People who go to school to methodically study > >> something but when they switch to photography when they get out > they decide > >> they're just going to be self taught deal. With photography > being mainly an > >> avocation or self taught vocation there's going to be lots of wrong > >> stuff > >> floating around. And now we have the internet. > >> > >> -------------------- > >> Mark William Rabiner > >> Photography > >> mark at rabinergroup.com > >> > >> > >>> From: Richard Man <richard at imagecraft.com> > >>> Reply-To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > >>> Date: Tue, 21 Sep 2010 22:23:01 -0700 > >>> To: Leica Users Group <lug at leica-users.org> > >>> Subject: Re: [Leica] Salgado S2 > >>> > >>> Heh, my summary of the talk I attended by Mr. Salgado a couple > years which > >>> has pretty much the exact information is still my most popular blog > >>> post. > >>> People still find it and link to it... > >>> > >>> There is no evidence that he has switch to the S2... yet. He said he is > >>> looking for "low contrast" lens so I'm not sure whether the S2 lens > >>> would > >>> do... > >>> > >>> On Tue, Sep 21, 2010 at 10:15 PM, Mark Rabiner > >> <mark at rabinergroup.com>wrote: > >>> > >>>> " On a more technical front, Sebastiao Salgado spoke about film vs. > >>>> digital. > >>>> He no longer shoots with film as the reasons to go digital > mounted up.?The > >>>> silver in current medium format films, are currently at levels that > >>>> 35mm > >>>> was > >>>> 25 years ago.?The 600 rolls of 220 he carried on shoots weighed about > >>>> 60 > >>>> lbs.?After 9/11 the security checkpoint that he goes through > with exposed > >>>> film (he told us 7 on the last trip) has affected the grain and > >> contrast of > >>>> the exposed film.?Plus there was the inevitable fight at each > >> checkpoint to > >>>> hand check the film. His assistant almost quit on his last trip from > >>>> the > >>>> constant battles.?So now it's a Canon DSLR for him. 21 > megapixels strong. > >>>> But he is also looking at that new LeicaS2 with 37 megapixels.?And his > >>>> "film"? about 1.5 lbs of cards." > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >> > http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-national/sebastiao-salgado-the-genesi > >>>> > >> > s-project<http://www.examiner.com/photography-in-national/sebastiao-salgado-t>>>> > > he-genesi%0As-project> > >>>> Or > >>>> http://tinyurl.com/365nozf > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>> -- > >>> // richard <http://www.imagecraft.com/> > >>> // icc blog: <http://imagecraft.wordpress.com> > >>> // photo blog: <http://www.5pmlight.com> > >>> [ For technical support on ImageCraft products, please include > all previous > >>> replies in your msgs. ] > >>> > >>> _______________________________________________ > >>> Leica Users Group. > >>> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > >> > >> > >> > >> _______________________________________________ > >> Leica Users Group. > >> See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > > -- > > Herbert Kanner > > kanner at acm.org > > 650-326-8204 > > > > Do not meddle in the affairs of cats, > > for they are subtle and will pee > > on your computer! > > > > _______________________________________________ > > Leica Users Group. > > See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information > > > >_______________________________________________ >Leica Users Group. >See http://leica-users.org/mailman/listinfo/lug for more information Chris Saganich MS, CPH Senior Physicist, Office of Health Physics Weill Medical College of Cornell University New York Presbyterian Hospital chs2018 at med.cornell.edu http://intranet.med.cornell.edu/research/health_phys/ Ph. 212.746.6964 Fax. 212.746.4800 Office A-0049