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Thread: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

  1. #1

    Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    A friend and I were having a cup of Joe and curious about photographers and their lens choices... is consistency really a thing? We were curious if photographers selected a suite of plasmats vs dagors vs triplets and maintained those designs through their FL’s to maintain a look. We were even curious if mixing German and Japanese etc really matters.

    Do you find yourself matching or mixing? Do you think it’s a tangible difference or just something we do for the sake of doing?



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  2. #2
    Tracy Storer's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    Back in the days of only film, pros shooting chrome, and lots of labs, it was common for pros doing tabletop or architecture to standardize on one brand of lenses for consistency in coatings for color consistency. (test sheets and "clip tests" resulting in 1/6-1/3 stop pushes/pulls were de rigueur... )
    On the fine art front, I know MIchael A. Smith used both Dagors and Artars, so, with so many lenses and so many workers to choose from, YMMV.
    I use Dagors for some work, G-Clarons for other work, and Heliars for still other bodies (pun intended, pictures of bodies (and portraits) !) of work.
    Tracy Storer
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    ic-racer's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    I stop down my lenses so they don't have a 'look.' I prefer the lens to be a transparent part of the reproduction cycle.

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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    Quote Originally Posted by ic-racer View Post
    I stop down my lenses so they don't have a 'look.' I prefer the lens to be a transparent part of the reproduction cycle.
    And how would that effect color, contrast, distortion, resolution, flare, bokah?

  5. #5
    Foamer
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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    I tend to like using a variety of lenses so I have a variety of presentations to choose from. But yes, those who need the consistency generally did stick with one brand and one type of lens. I'm thinking here of people who shoot color catalog images such as for clothing and also wedding photographers.


    Kent in SD
    In contento ed allegria
    Notte e di vogliam passar!

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    ic-racer's Avatar
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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    Quote Originally Posted by Bob Salomon View Post
    And how would that effect color, contrast, distortion, resolution, flare, bokah?
    Color, not visible in B&W
    Contrast at maximum
    Distortion unaffected by aperture
    Resolution at maxium
    Flare at minimum
    Bokah, not a word I have ever heard from anyone viewing my work.

  7. #7

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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    When I buy a lens, I'm just happy if I can afford it!
    "I would feel more optimistic about a bright future for man if he spent less time proving that he can outwit Nature and more time tasting her sweetness and respecting her seniority"---EB White

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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    Quote Originally Posted by ic-racer View Post
    Color, not visible in B&W
    Contrast at maximum
    Distortion unaffected by aperture
    Resolution at maxium
    Flare at minimum
    Bokah, not a word I have ever heard from anyone viewing my work.
    You should check out some manufacturer’s curves to see what changes aperture makes to color, distortion, fall off and lastly, diffraction.

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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    Quote Originally Posted by John Kasaian View Post
    When I buy a lens, I'm just happy if I can afford it!

    That is exactly my way of thinking

    But recently, I bought a Fujinon lens and I let down my Schneider because I prefered the sharpness of the Japan lens over the German lens.

    But in my opinion, every lenses have their "soul", depending of its construction and its origin.

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    Re: Lens Advice / Opinion: Consistent Look (or that’s not real)

    During my life I have had the privilege of knowing several well known fie art photographers including Ansel, Al Weber, Brett and Cole Weston, Richard Garrod,Phillip Hyde and others. Although each had their favorites, they had a variety of lenses to apply to different situations. At one time at least one of them bought a full set, 7 lenses, by a single manufacturer to replace those of another company. The next trip I took with him he used some from both groups,plus a couple of other lenses. When I load up to go on a photographic excursion,even for a single day. I generally carry lenses from at least 3 companies.

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