Tom2572

Not sure as I didn't take notes, but you can tell from the relatively small amount of blur in the background that it certainly wasn't wide open, probably at least f/5.6 or smaller.

None taken as outside of getting these lenses and shooting them I know hardly anything about Leica :) So, out of curiosity, what makes something Leica-ness and what are you not seeing here?

Yep, no question. It's a 50 year old lens. I could of course crank up the contrast to make it look punchy and crisp like a modern coated lens, but part of the charm of using old lenses is to live...

Eric, What did you think about the finish? I ask because, while the older 19 that I have is unabashedly plastic, it doesn't bother me because it also seems like it can take some abuse if need be....

It's hard to explain, but something magical happens with the 24-85 when you shoot photos with it outside in bright sunshine. The brighter and more vibrant the color, the more they just leap off the...

Uncalled for Mel and I certainly don't like the things you are inferring when you call us "monkeys" and "sub species" and tell me to go eat a banana. I'll be civil though and leave it at that.

Bokeh is the peel and we're the silly monkeys who like it?

I had to take a one shot break from my self-imposed limit of only using the Sigma 19 for a thread like this :) Here's a quick one with a lens I inherited but haven't had much of a chance to use...

Well, I'll agree with you regarding this specific example because they are shot wide open. Where things get interesting is when you start comparing bokeh on stopped down lenses. A lens with a...

While I won't argue that you see what you think you see, I do think you are overreacting a bit because the quality of bokeh can and does have an effect on shots where bokeh is a key element of the...

It does, because to finish my thought which I inexplicably didn't do before, not having to go as wide means you should be able to remove some of the elements as well as use less expensive elements....

According to your logic both the 18-55 and 55-210 are redundant themselves since there are 2 different 18-200 lenses to choose from. :) Seriously though, mid-range zooms make a lot of sense because...

A recent few. Like I said, lots to learn with this focal length...:)

Thanks all for the responses, going to go with the Sigma 19 for a while and see what happens. I've done a lot of reading on this, and I definitely fall into the group who over-thinks things when...

It's also a little counter-intuitive, but in many cases you will also need to push exposure compensation up a stop in harsh sunlight to keep the camera from underexposing no matter which metering...

Do you even know what xenophobe means?

Wow, played the "anyone who doesn't agree with me is a xenophobe" card. That's sure to win you lots of fans......

+1 Physics don't care about popularity contests or soothing feelings of insecurity over camera purchases. Physics just is :) I wonder if the OP realizes that if he took his hypothesis and thought...

I am thinking about taking a sabbatical from all my lenses except one and shoot it backwards and forwards until I master that focal length. I'm guessing there's a majority out there who will think...

Thanks for that critique. I was looking for that same juxtaposition with the first shot. At first glance it's just another bag lady in NYC, but the you notice First Baptist in the background which...