wordfool wrote:
I think the manufacturers have perhaps become obsessed with ever more expensive lenses
More likely is that manufacturing technology has moved forward enough to make faster lenses much more feasible than they once were, and faster, more expensive lenses are probably more profitable. Plus, the demand must be there. I doubt companies make a lens just because they can. I bet photographers of 30+ years ago would have loved more f/1.2 options, but they just didn't exist.
I think there’s some truth to that. Not only has manufacturing technology improved, but right now there may be a greater market of people with enough cash to buy such things.
However, there’s a cloud on the horizon for the mainstream manufacturers of the very expensive lenses. The Chinese camera/optical companies are becoming very, very good and are producing some fine lenses are significantly lower prices. I don’t think it will not* be that long before there’s an effective Chinese competitor to Sony, Canon, and Nikon, producing lenses of equal quality at lower prices.
*EDIT: I left out the critics word “not” when I posted this! Yikes! Fixed now…
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chez wrote:
I never said one was right and one was wrong. I said my preference is to take primes for travel and I stated my reasons. Please refrain from making an essay on something I did not say or even imply.
So you agree with me, Chez? ;-)
And I didn’t say that you said that — I was making that point for folks reading the diverse perspectives in the thread and trying to make sense of them.
I also agree with your personal preference for mostly shooting primes for street/travel. That’s my usual personal preference, too.
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ThatGuy wrote:
They'd figure out (on their own, no less, no help needed from internet dunces),,,
wordfool wrote:
I think the manufacturers have perhaps become obsessed with ever more expensive lenses
More likely is that manufacturing technology has moved forward enough to make faster lenses much more feasible than they once were, and faster, more expensive lenses are probably more profitable. Plus, the demand must be there. I doubt companies make a lens just because they can. I bet photographers of 30+ years ago would have loved more f/1.2 options, but they just didn't exist.
I think there’s some truth to that. Not only has manufacturing technology improved, but right now there may be a greater market of people with enough cash to buy such things.
However, there’s a cloud on the horizon for the mainstream manufacturers of the very expensive lenses. The Chinese camera/optical companies are becoming very, very good and are producing some fine lenses are significantly lower prices. I don’t think it will be that long before there’s an effective Chinese competitor to Sony, Canon, and Nikon, producing lenses of equal quality at lower prices.
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chez wrote:
I never said one was right and one was wrong. I said my preference is to take primes for travel and I stated my reasons. Please refrain from making an essay on something I did not say or even imply.
So you agree with me, Chez? ;-)
And I didn’t say that you said that — I was making that point for folks reading the diverse perspectives in the thread and trying to make sense of them.
I also agree with your personal preference for mostly shooting primes for street/travel. That’s my usual personal preference, too.
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ThatGuy wrote:
They'd figure out (on their own, no less, no help needed from internet dunces),,,
There you go, putting yourself down again… ;-)
Mar 02, 2026 at 03:57 PM
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