My 16/3.5 -- purchased 25 years ago for around $300 (!) -- is sitting next to
my keyboard as I write this. This lens got a lot of use when I traveled for
Bendix Field Engineering.
Its use for "getting everything in" is obvious. In scenes that don't have long
straight lines near the edge, the barrel distortion can often be "hidden." (The
jacket for the British release of the Solti Mahler 8th makes effective use of
this approach.)
If you limit yourself to figuring out how to hide the distortion, you'll miss
out on one of the best uses of a full-frame fisheye. Try to make it work with
or _against_ the object being photographed. I have fisheye shots of the big
dish antennas at Goldstone that make them look as if they've been bent back and
flattened!
Uh-oh. Here we go again. The exposure latitude of slide film _is_ three stops
or less. (For critical work, it's usually less than +/- one stop.) The tonal
range or scale of most films (negative or reversal), however, is at least seven
stops (128:1). Any film that couldn't capture at least a 100:1 brightness range
would probably be considered unsuitable for general photography.
"Latitude" and "tonal range" are NOT the same thing. Don't confuse them.
The problem with the use of "standardized adjectives" to describe photo
equipment is that they're "inflated" beyond the common meanings of the words.
For example, a "mint" camera is not necessarily in perfect condition, and an
"excellent" lens shows readily noticeable defects or wear.
I've been rooked on eBay because of this. Sellers should eschew adjectives, and
simply _describe_ the equipment's condition in as direct and accurate manner as
possible.
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