In a message dated 8/7/01 9:04:33 PM Eastern Daylight Time,
tscales@xxxxxxxxxxxxx writes:
>
> Roger,
>
> Most of us are not professional photographers. Clearly, most of my pictures
> are taken with primes, but I find enormous value in zooms. I'd rather have
> a camera with me with the 35-70/3.5-4.5 zoom on it, to capture that once in
> a lifetime shot, then either not have the camera or have the wrong lens
> mounted.
>
> For my daughter's sports, for example, anything other than a zoom would be
> pretty much useless. I'm trying to capture my daughter's lives, not sell the
> print, and if there are compromises involved, so be it.
>
> You should also consider that not everyone can afford a complete set of
> primes. I am fortunate to own a significant collection, but I still
> recognize the value of a dollar. I went twenty years with a Quantary
> 28/2.8, a Zuiko 50/1.8 and a Vivitar 70-150 and never once felt like I
> should just chuck it all and stop taking pictures.
>
> I would also challenge that the lowliest zoom still produces better, more
> enlargeable, images than even the best of the digital cameras. E-10 and D1
> included.
>
> Under your argument, we should all just buy disposable cameras and be done
> with it, if we don't always use primes.
>
> Tom
>
>
>
>
> :
Please do not think that I am an elitist with cameras and lenses. Your
beginning outfit 28, 50, and 75-150 is more than adequate for anyone, even a
professional such as myself. Most of the shooting I do is with the equivalent
of a 50...portraits with an 85, wide angle with a 28.
Prime lenses are easier to focus and use IMHO. The only prime I would
add to the above "beginning" list is an 85 or 100. We just aren't talking
about a huge dollar investment to have usable image making equipment. Do we
love equipment or photography? No one pays me for my equipment, only the
pictures. Yes, I do have a few fancy things...but they certainly are not used
as much as the regular stuff that pays the freight.
I don't know where you came up with the argument about disposable
cameras. I am not condemning you for using zooms...I have a 35-70 and a
75-150. Both are nice, both are seldom used. The most used Zuiko for me is a
40mm and an 85mm.
I use OM1's and manual flash...as most of you who have read my responses over
the years know, I distrust automatic flash and cameras. However, if all I had
was a disposable, I would bring back professional pictures. It is me, the
photographer, not the camera...although Oly is the easiest and best IMHO. I
also use Leica M3,4,&5. I do not need lens tests to tell me that the old
lenses work fine. They may not bench test that well, but they do produce
20x30 enlargements, and so does my OLY 50 3.5 which is my camera of choice in
a bag for shots from my kayak...also 20x30.
It was and has been observed that the zooms are not as sharp as the
prime lenses. If your commitment is to critical sharpness, then complaining
about the zoom is a waste of good breath. That's all I said. I would suspect
that your choices of film and processing have much to do with the quality of
what you receive. Pay for professional processing and you will get what you
pay for. Use the minilabs, and you will get minilab quality (I am not saying
this is bad...it just isn't professional quality on professional paper.)
Good shooting
|