Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/24

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Subject: [Leica] Re: JB, filters, flames, and technique
From: nbwatson@juno.com (N. B. Watson)
Date: Tue, 24 Nov 1998 16:59:39 EST

I bow to (or perhaps a better way to put it: I am at the mercy of) the
opinion of experts in their own professions: medicine, law, engineering,
computers, etc.  
I have made my living as a professional photogapher for over 40 years.
I can examine my own slides on a light table and tell if one is sharper,
contrastier or has better colour than another.  To me that's all I need
to evaluate a lens, and I don't think it smacks of arrogance for me to
trust my own ability to do so.  I rather imagine it is a prerequisite to
the profession.  
Another problem with "expert" opinions is that they often disagree
completely.  Cases in point: "Moose" Peterson is a published pro
photographer and author who is acknowledged as a Nikon expert.  He writes
that the 85/2 Nikkor is a dog.  Galen Rowell, whose reputation preceeds
him, has used that lens for an enormous body of his work, and says it is
a great lens.  Just recently, Erwin and Photodo think each other's
testing methods is unreliable.  So, what do you do?  Take the average of
three experts? Ten? Fifty?  Ultimately you're going to have to decide for
yourself if you're ever going to get on with things, so you can either
close your eyes and stick a hatpin in one of the dozens of MTF graphs
laid out before you, or shoot one blasted film in the first place and
trust your own eyes.  I choose the latter.

Regards,
Nigel


On Tue, 24 Nov 1998 13:31:35 -700 "Roger Beamon" <roger@beamon.org>
writes:
>On 24 Nov 98, N. B. Watson wrote, at least in part:
>
><snip>
>
>> I would put more stock in a single *frame*  I shot with the lens
>> than someone else's fully-executed test. 
>
>Really? Even if that someone else was an acknowledged expert in 
>testing and known to you as having credentials that are 
>impeccable? 
>
>Gees, I'm good, Nigel, but not that good!
>--
>Roger
>mailto:roger@beamon.org
>
>     Thought for the day:
>        For every action, there is
>        an equal and opposite criticism.
>     
>

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