Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/04/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]2008-04-22-22:34:03 Mark Rabiner: > 5.6 is said to be the favorite f stop of cinematographers. > They just love that f stop I read are very comfortable with it. Whereas, for portraiture... A few years back (2000 or so?), I was in London and happened across a show of portraits by Jane Bown. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Bown I'd never heard of her 'til then. Presumably Brits would be more likely to know her. I was very taken with the work -- simple, un-gimmicky, but she managed to bring out something individual from her subjects. I later found out that our saloonkeeper was an established fan of hers. Anyway, somewhere in some supporting material, I read that for decades she'd been doing these pictures with her Olympus 35mm and its 50mm lens at f/2.8. Her photos make a compelling argument for a 50mm lens at f/2.8 on a 24x36mm, um, imaging sensor. I've been paying more attention to the strengths of f/2.8 ever since. So, Ted, is this an example of the "shooting from the shadow side" you've been trying to teach us all these years? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:Bown%2C_Welles.gif -Jeff M