The Lens Education of the Noob

[goamules]

...I'll say it again. I've run blind tests and persons skilled in the art have almost always been unable to match a shot to the lens used to take it. ...

A challenge, great! How about if someone has, say, a 300mm petzval against a 300mm rectilinear and see if anyone can tell? Oh...that already happened when Jim got his notes on his Euryscope portrait mixed up in another post. Several of us saw the picture and said to ourself, "self - that thar's a petzval, not a Euryscop."

What about a taste test challenge? You provide a 300mm Cooke or Heliar, and another person provides a 300mm Tessar (or whatever "same focal length" you want that are different types) to a 3rd party photographer. Identical photos are made and posted. If the subject that provided the Tessar correctly guesses it's results, you trade the "better" lens for the Tessar. Let's see...I need to look around for my Tessar....

[lilmsmaggie]

Um, Maggie, your ex-father-in-law led you astray. One of the dark secrets that lens accumulators don't let out is that all lenses of the same focal length shoot pretty much the same at the same aperture as long as they're not used on formats larger than they're intended to cover. Most of the noises people make about lens' signatures are exactly parallel to the noises audiophiles make when trying to explain differences between similar pieces of high end audio equipment. They go all mystical, objective measurements vanish, and sometimes they lose tempers and hurl insults.

I'll say it again. I've run blind tests and persons skilled in the art have almost always been unable to match a shot to the lens used to take it. The big exception: people who know that I use a 38 Biogon on 2x3 can pick shots taken with it from shots taken with any of my other wide lenses because they know its the only lens I use that doesn't cover 2x3. I can tell shots taken with my little 1.75"/2.8 Elcan from similar ones taken with the Biogon because the Elcan goes to hell near its coverage limits and the Biogon doesn't. That's why I don't use the Elcan.

I'm a cellist as well as an amateur photographer and accumulator. Lenses are in no way like musical instruments. They're industrial products and generally quite uniform. Much more peas in pods than string instruments or bows.

Not only am I an accumulator, I try the damned things out. They divide handily into good enough to use and not good enough to use. Differences between the lousy ones aren't interesting, between the good ones don't matter.

So you will know, I've been certified as an ignorant barbarian by Andre Oldani of Alpa for pointing out that what can be done with a 38 Biogon on a very expensive Alpa 12 can be done as well on a much less costly Century Graphic. I think my friend Mr. Galli will agree that I just don't understand what's truly important. Comes from eating too much goat.

Jim's advice that you buy a copy of the VM and look at the catalogs on Seth's site is good, but remember that catalogs are sales tools and not always correct. The advice that you read Kingslake's history is also good, but be aware that his use of English is a little idiosyncratic and that he slights some of his juniors, e.g., the legendary G. H. Cook. Whatever you do, maintain a healthy skepticism. And if you ever get any lenses, ask them what they can do for you.

Good luck, have fun,

Dan

Dan - I didn't need help from him to go astray. I was well on my way already

I will confess to being considered an "audiophile," however, I don't go mystical. Whatever equipment I listen to is compared to a "live" performance of that instrument or that ensemble. I'm sure you'll agree that most musicians are not audiophiles and vice versa. I have a very good ear for nuances. Heck, what can I say. I'm just dang inquisitve! I like to know what and why -- but only if I'm REALLY interested. I delve too deeply in minutia for my own good

My ex father-in-law was the same way: He had to know what made it do what it did --and why.

As far as being an accumulator: The only things I really accumulate are: Books, music, foreign & U.S. coins and paper money. My cello and all my bows had to go bye-bye because of the divorce although I still have all my sheet music.

Oh yeah, I collected cello bows too - but lets not go there

Esssentially, I was describing my tendency to examine. I wasn't making a comparison.

Please don't give me any ideas. The last thing I need to do is start collecting lenses and cameras

[Dan Fromm]

Dan,

Look up 1Sam. 15:14 jg

Sounds like goats to me. Thinking of which, its time for supper.