Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/11/09

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Subject: Re: [Leica] artistic intention and lens performance
From: Mark Rabiner <mrabiner@concentric.net>
Date: Tue, 09 Nov 1999 15:09:10 -0800

"Kotsinadelis, Peter (Peter)" wrote:
> 
> Erwin,
> 
> You postulate an interesting point, but if an image is good it does not
> matter if it were shot with a Brownie or a Leica.  Shooting with the Leica
> of course will result in a sharper picture, but a good image is a good
> image.  I know I have said this before, but a famous photographer by the
> name of Alfred Eisenstaedt was once asked about how he tested lenses.
> He replied, "I take pictures with them; if I like the results, I keep them."
> 
> Lens tests only serve the audience interested in them and do not improve the
> content of the image.
> 
> Peter K
> 
><Snip> 

Some images are such that the idea of making them stronger with higher
resolution, contrast and so on is not so much the issue.
The issue is that we can see what is in the picture.
Most of the famous icon images we know and love were of course not done on the
cutting edge modern glass of the late 90's. 
But we love them anyway and we don't throw them in the garbage can because they
were shot with less sophisticated glass then what is made now. 
The split ends on Joseph Goebbels sideburns we've been able to live without.
Mark Rabiner