At 20:23 5/14/03, Peter wrote:
Hi,
Since somebody mentioned f-stops (focal length/opening) and p-stops (the
actual light that comes through), I decided to do some tests.
[interesting f-stop/p-stop experiment snipped out]
I started doing this test, while reading about 50mm lenses on the
ever-interesting MF site : http://medfmt.8k.com/bronlensenvy.html. This
is a very interesting article. One of the main points is that having just
one prime forces you to look at the picture, and to optimize yourself for
the circumstances. Having noticed a certain lens envy in myself on
several occasions, including recently, I need this kind of article sometimes.
I read that article a long time ago, read your posting, went back and read
it again. Then promptly packed up my latest purchase and sent it back:
(it's a 6x6; note the focal length) ;-)
http://medfmt.8k.com/mf/kowa19bmm.jpg
The author is partially correct. My personal shooting style starts about
135mm and extends down to the 18mm. For weddings, it's 35mm to about 100mm
although I have used the 135mm a couple of times. The other, longer
lenses? I use them, but not very often. That said, when I do decide to
use one of the longer ones, I **REALLY** want to use it. That's why I have
them . . . and an OM 2X to make them even longer if need be. Same applies
to the 35/2.8 PC and the 50/4 PC for the medium format (both of which see a
reasonable amount of usage). The one lens I don't use very much is the
200/4 (the 300/4.5 sees more use), not because of lacking any vision for
something to do with it, but because of its speed. <sigh>
Now where did I see that ad for the 180/2, or was it a 250/2 ???
All that said:
A number of years ago I enrolled in an "intermediate" photography
class. Learned a few things . . . mostly little gems the instructor
dropped out along the way . . . but most of it I had already figured out,
especially the technical. It did leave me with ability to "focus" better"
on what I was doing . . . define the "vision" beforehand . . . and better
organized in my thinking about my work. When I enrolled, a friend at work
who knew I was slowly building my OM system and contemplating medium format
gear asked how many bodies and lenses this class would be used to "justify"
spending money on. My immediate reply? "Zero! In fact I could do it with
a single 50mm lens." The discussion escalated from there ending up with a
dare to do just that. Not only did I offer to belly up to the bar . . . I
would do it with a 50-year old completely manual, completely mechanical
rangefinder. One guy in the class early on made fun of the "puny" 50mm
f/1.5 lens on the front of it. He was more accustomed to SLR lenses which
must be larger to accommodate mechanical linkages between lens/body, and
with the AF's the focusing motors have to go somewhere. The wind went out
of his sails when he saw a large print that had been made with that "puny"
Carl Zeiss 50/1.5 Sonnar! Did the entire class with that one camera and
lens . . . knob winder and squinty viewfinder (compared to an SLR) without
any frame lines . . . just the edges of the viewfinder. Was it
easy? No! Some of the assignments proved to be a challenge . . . to
figure out *how* to accomplish the task with minimalist tools. A few
required some ingenuity. But that was one of the benefits. It opened my
eyes and developed a wider "vision" about what can be done to make a
photograph that can convey the desired message.
Lesson learned?
Forcing oneself occasionally to do more with less is a marvelous exercise
in learning how to see the world differently.
-- John
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