[Leica] Leica-Users List Digest V2 #172

[ted grant <75501.3002@compuserve.com>]

Mike Johnston wrote:

<<<<I have no idea, except that the gods are imps!  So my "test" was
meaningless and I never repeated it. It "proved" I could do something I
can't! >>>>>>

Hi Mike,

I don't advocate shooting slow shutter speeds as a religion, as it truly is
impractical for a high rate of successful photographs, no matter how good
one thinks they are.

But what puts me off are the "know it all's" who say it can't be done and
rock steady tripods etc etc adnauseam. And go on like we who know we have
done it, can on a very good day and the Gods are with us, shoot tack sharp
images at 1/4 ___"on occasion"___ and on lots of occasions at 1/15th!

It's when you have done it umpteen dozen times and someone comes back with
a bunch of hypothetical clap trap about their "tack sharp" and what we or I
know is tack sharp it really pee's me off!

What some of them equate to tack sharp is effected by what the subject is
and the very small aperture, which in turn creates a greater depth of
field,  making the image look to a greater degree, "tack sharp" on an
overall basis.

Of course it's tack sharp, but it just looks that way more so, simply
because of the depth in field.

But when you shoot something at f.1, 1.4 or even f.2 and where you focused
is "Tack Sharp", but the depth of field is diddly squat, then of course
it's easy to declare the image not "tack sharp!"  And to say that, is BS!
Simply because where you focus and you have been "rock steady in hand" it's
absolutely sharp! 

<<<take a big piece of cardboard and punch small holes in it with a
pencil, then put a bright light behind it, so the effect was like a "field
of  stars.">>>>>

By the way I recall that test from many years ago, even punched holes in a
card to try it, but I was so shaky in those days it was a bad......test!:)

<<<Carl Weese, was an Olympic-level archer in his youth, and claims he can
handhold to 1/8th using breath-control techniques he learned in archery.>>

Of course and anyone who has taken sniper training or target shooting
learns the art of breathing and squeezing. It's one of the good sides of
weapons training for a photographer. :)

Damn I hope I've made this understandable to a few of these folks! It's
either that or I'll have to take a writing course to explain it more
clearly! :) Sure don't need any lectures on what's sharp and what isn't! :)


ted