Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2000/10/21

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Subject: [Leica] Re: late night musings
From: "David Kieltyka" <daverk@email.msn.com>
Date: Sat, 21 Oct 2000 19:24:12 -0400

Robert Appleby <robert.appleby@tin.it> wrote (edited):

> I've never been able to get the idea that somehow older,
> less "sharp" lenses with the "glow" (which is presumably
> just veiling flare) are better or more interesting than
> modern ones. In practical terms, that is.

IMO it's strictly a matter of personal taste. Is maximum sharpness always
desirable? Is flare always evil? By whose standards? There are no absolute
standards for photographic excellence. This is part of what makes it all so
much fun. My old LTM 50 Summar may not be a particularly practical lens for
general shooting but its softness works well for portraiture or whenever
else I want soft images. The photographer should drive the technology, not
vice versa. The lens that does the job you want it to do is always the right
one...new, old, ASPH, uncoated, whatever.

- -Dave-