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Re: [OM] I came clean....and feel better for it.

Subject: Re: [OM] I came clean....and feel better for it.
From: "John A. Lind" <jlind@xxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 21 Jan 2001 15:48:01 +0000
At 19:56 1/21/01, Gary Reese wrote:
When I said it was a $600 lens I got this strange round of laughter,
like it was too hard for anyone to believe. But to me it was utter
reality. That is a moment when one will feel like a Zuikoholic!

Gary Reese
Las Vegas, NV

I think we sometimes forget . . .
Most of the Zuiko's we are dealing with, along with the single-digit bodies, are professional class bodies and lenses. At the very least I would call them "prosumer." Most amateurs and snapshooters are accustomed to consumer grade bodies and lenses in the class of the 35-70/3.5~4.8 "Cosina" so recently denigrated on this list.

In a photo class a couple years ago I passed around a Contax IIIa with a 50/1.5 Sonnar on it. Since this is a very old RF with the focus helical on the body (not the lens), the lens is about half the size of the 50/1.4 Zuiko! Someone mentioned how puny the lens looked, questioning whether it could do much. That stopped when a few images were shown that were produced with it. Yet another example of the consumer mentality of size, weight, and current brand name identification.

We should be thankful the 50/1.2 Zuiko costs as little as it does used, and goes for $480 new. It's not the half-stop of speed, it's the sheer resolving power and contrast this lens has that makes it a bargain. A 50/1.2 AIS Nikkor (manual focus) is $550 new, and the price of the Canon 50/1.0 EF "L" makes these pale.

They would have gagged on their munchies at the cost of a used lens equivalent to your 18/3.5 for a Bronica 6x6 or Mamiya M645 (don't even mention the ones for a Hassy or Rollei)!

-- John


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