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The anti-modernism rant- controversy warning!


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Now that Rangefinders seem to be on the upswing I have gotten to thinking about the return to the basics that implies, and I came up with a few disservices the Industry did to serious photography:

1. Autofocus. This may be a practical tool for the journalistic side of photograpy, and don't get me wrong, it takes a lot of photographic talent to take a gripping newsphoto, but those are meant to convey a record of reality.It is also useful for the great unwashed of mediocre photographers, as it makes it feasable to have a photograph of Aunty Minnie and her poodle where one can actually distinguish the two by their respective facial expessions, but in many cases it either compromises one of the most potent symbols i.e. the plane of focus by putting it in the wrong place through automation, or alternately, composition by keeping one of the AF fields in the right spot. Especially, I might add, in situations where focus tracking is needed. It is a guarantee the right focus will be in the wrong place or the wrong focus in the right place. Or both.

It is interesting to note that Leica was one of the first to develop the technology, and then decided not to use it.

2. And,- this is linked to AF-, motordrives and high FPS numbers. Again, there are "jounalistic" (in the broadest sense) exceptions, and a winder enabling one to keep the camera smoothly to the eye is a good thing, still it makes one miss the decisive moment more often than that it manages to capture it. Put simply, if you are taking a cr*p photograph it will help you to take a large number of them, if you a taking a brilliant shot, you need only one of those.

3. To a lesser extent, Autoexposure. True, it can be corrected more or less in the (digital) darkroom, but with things like judging highlights, accomodating for the dynamic range of the subject or generally setting the mood of the photograph it only gets in the way. Manual is the only real option there. It also puts an end to exposure compensation complaints ;)

And the combination of the lot, Autobracketing, is of course the nadir of it all.

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1. Autofocus. This may be a practical tool for the journalistic side of photograpy, and don't get me wrong, it takes a lot of photographic talent to take a gripping newsphoto, but those are meant to convey a record of reality.It is also useful for the great unwashed of mediocre photographers

 

Auto focus is used all the time my 99.99% of photographers around the world - because without it their P&S would be useless to them. Their P&S is just as muc about keeping a record as the journalist is, and their photography is never meant to be an art form. Is a 'memories' device, nothing more, nothing less.

 

2. And this is linked to AF, motordrives and high FPS numbers. Again, there are "jounalistic" (in the broadest sense) exceptions, and a winder enabling one to keep the camera smoothly to the eye is a good thing, still it makes one miss the decisive moment more often than that it manages to capture it. Put simply, if you are taking a cr*p photograph it will help you to take a large number of them, if you a taking a brilliant shot, you need only one of those.

 

Again, for families, these can help catch memories. For 'art' photography, they don't have much use.

 

3. To a lesser extent, Autoexposure. True, it can be corrected to a certain extent in the (digital) darkroom, but with things like judging highlights, accomodating for the dynamic range of the subject or generally setting the mood of the photograph it only gets in the way. Manual is the only real option there. It also puts an end to exposure compensation complaints ;)

And the combination of the lot, Autobracketing, is of course the nadir of it all.

 

Well, it sounds to me like you would like to remove the ability of most of the population to use a camera for quick memory shots of their friends, family, pets, holidays etc ! :D

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While I agree in general with your rant, not everything clicks in place in your post. For example, you criticise that with AF you have to place a focus sensor over the area you want to be in focus. This is a compromise, but with the M, we have to place the *middle* over the area we want to be in focus. I would kill for an M with a matte focusing screen like the SL.

 

Another example: you said "if you are taking a cr*p photograph it will help you to take a large number of them, if you a taking a brilliant shot, you need only one of those". There are counter-examples to both implications here, ie. taking a large number of crap shots doesn't necessarily produce a winner, but taking a series around a winning shot can help you get the perfect moment. I suppose this is why the 1D2/1D3 exist.

 

I would conclude by saying that I expect that for most kinds of photography, the M8 would be perfect, given the user's willingness and ability to learn how to use it properly. The DSLR is a much nastier contraption than most people need. It is somewhat sad that history allotted the 'victory' to this type of camera.

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The DSLR is a much nastier contraption than most people need. It is somewhat sad that history allotted the 'victory' to this type of camera.

 

Has it really? How many DSLRs are there compare to P&S cameras? I would think that P&S is be far the biggest winner of the photographic numbers game.

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I meant in decent cameras. There have always been snapshot cameras around, at least during the battle for supremacy of the RF and SLR.

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While I agree in general with your rant, not everything clicks in place in your post. For example, you criticise that with AF you have to place a focus sensor over the area you want to be in focus. This is a compromise, but with the M, we have to place the *middle* over the area we want to be in focus. I would kill for an M with a matte focusing screen like the SL.

 

I cannot but agree, I ruined quite some shots by this. Ah-yes a digital SL2 would be heaven.

 

Another example: you said "if you are taking a cr*p photograph it will help you to take a large number of them, if you a taking a brilliant shot, you need only one of those". There are counter-examples to both implications here, ie. taking a large number of crap shots doesn't necessarily produce a winner, but taking a series around a winning shot can help you get the perfect moment. I suppose this is why the 1D2/1D3 exist.

 

Quoting Ansel Adams from memory: "In a series of photographs there is always one that is better than the others - but this does not make it a fine photographh"

 

I would conclude by saying that I expect that for most kinds of photography, the M8 would be perfect, given the user's willingness and ability to learn how to use it properly. The DSLR is a much nastier contraption than most people need. It is somewhat sad that history allotted the 'victory' to this type of camera.

 

Of course the DSLR and P&S live by "given the users willingness and ability to learn how to use it properly"

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Sorry but the original post is holier-than-thou hogwash.

Why don't you resort to painting instead. Photography is just an evil shortcut that allows everybody and their uncle to take pictures. Such a disgrace. ;)

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... it all smacks of elisitistism.................... unless it is just problems of a mediocre photographer, with ego problems,,,,,,,,,

 

 

Of course it is elitist. What is wrong with elitism?:confused: Without it life is just a bland bowl of porridge...

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Sorry but the original post is holier-than-thou hogwash.

Why don't you resort to painting instead. Photography is just an evil shortcut that allows everybody and their uncle to take pictures. Such a disgrace. ;)

 

Last time I heard this one was in 1919 :p

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Guest stnami

so it is really a rant of a mediocre photographer, with ego problems,,,,,,,,, not a elitist snob................???? What no images to back your great expertise? How sad but not unexpected............ on your merry way and enjoy your smug smug.............

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Reading problems? I said it was elitist...And I'm certainly a snob...... Even mediocre photographers have their day....Go wash............

 

 

 

so it is really a rant of a mediocre photographer, with ego problems,,,,,,,,, not a elitist snob................???? What no images to back your great expertise? How sad but not unexpected,

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Imants, I find it mildy amusing that you are complaining about other people's ego and ability, since you are without question the member of this forum with the largest ego:ability ratio.

 

Don't you have some students or photos to mutilate or something? Why don't you clean the . key on your keyboard, it seems to get stuck with alarming regularity.

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1. Add me to the 'unwashed of mediocre photographers'..Worse..I have the best Nikon makes and worser still I am going to get an MP and another M8 and the best Leica has to offer to capture Aunt and her Camel and

 

2. Take a lot of crap shots

 

3. I use autobraketing all the time

 

and hope to capture one award winning image of the desolate, war-torn, poverty stricken

dead or dying diseased and decaying bodies that the past and current leica tooting

magnum photjounalists and self appointed champions of ' see I care ' cadre of

image takers from the so called enlightened hemispheres that choose to enlighten the

the ' unwashed mediocre photographers ' around the world.

 

Is it not disgusting that the unknowledgeable and illiterate can even afford to purchase

equipment that only the high priests are entitled to handle?

 

 

:

 

snip..

 

1. Autofocus. It is also useful for the great unwashed of mediocre photographers, as it makes it feasable to have a photograph of Aunty Minnie and her poodle where one can actually distinguish the two by their respective facial expessions...

 

snip..

 

2. snip.. Put simply, if you are taking a cr*p photograph it will help you to take a large number of them, if you a taking a brilliant shot, you need only one of those.

 

snip..

 

And the combination of the lot, Autobracketing, is of course the nadir of it all.

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