CGrindahl wrote:
One of the things I miss about participating on this thread is how wide ranging the conversation can be and how respectful everyone is when discussing differences. One of the things that impressed me over time was the quality of images shared on the thread. When I started this thread it was really to showcase these amazing lenses. I looked at images as means of demonstrating what the lenses are capable of doing. From that perspective it seemed fidelity was the highest value... what would the lens produce in this or that situation. Whether the image was in color or B/W was really not significant, though clearly some of us believed strong graphical features in a scene made stripping out the color a fruitful choice.
I always have felt that we're here less to critique photos than to celebrate lenses. I wouldn't be inclined to randomly assess an image unless asked to do so. When Andy posted both a color and black and white version of an image I expressed a preference. The same holds on the matter of saturation. I understand that a photographer is making myriad decisions with every shot... focal length, framing, depth of field, color. It is a consummately personal choice and certainly a creative expression. There is always room for that when the topic is photography. AND, this thread is rooted in an appreciation for manual focus lenses and the joy of turning the focusing ring. I know it is very much a personal thing... but I'm equally thrilled by Andy's photo of his three lens purchases as I am about his deeply saturated renderings of Australian scenes.
As Laura points out, I rather enjoy watching others shop for Nikon manual focus lenses. You can ALWAYS blame me...
Very nicely said, Curtis! For me, as a person who as yet has limited ability to accurately discern the specific qualities and special characteristics of each lens's rendering (I just love playing with them!), I see this thread as a place where I can both learn and demonstrate that these lenses are not limited in their functionality, and that they can do at least as good a job on my chosen subject matter as any AF lens could do in my hands. I, too, feel equally thrilled to see MFNG gear porn as I am tro see the images the lenses can be used to produce. Finally, I too enjoy watching others shop for and acquire lenses, and I love shopping for and acquiring them myself. As a matter of fact, a 200 f/4 micro Ai-s just came into my clutches today by way of FedEx from Japan!
So, here are a few celebratory infrared photos of Parksville sand sculptures, all of which are brought to you by the 24 f/2.8 NC, the IR converted Fuji X-T2, and the Lens Turbo II focal reducer.
You can ALWAYS blame me... 