Major upset to see that luminous landscape is down due to abuse (although they no longer state the reason on the banner page). What abuse was this, and how serious was it? Will they be back soon?
Anyway, glad that we had the links to Mike J's other host for his Sunday stuff listed on here recently, which meant I could still get my fix this week! http://www.steves-digicams.com/smp/smp_index.html And what a surprise! I am famous at last! "Perhaps predictably, one fellow, affably and perhaps not terribly seriously, said 'You can never have too many.'" said Mike - that wuz me!!! Nice to see the Pentax biggie shown there! I am not sure I totally agree with the paragraph: "Any kind of specialist photographer will immediately recoil from the suggestion that photographers could benefit from having only one or two lenses. Lenses can allow access - to tiny things or to far-away things, and to exotic angles of view. More lenses are usually needed for more specialized work or for different kinds of specialties, which is why pros tend to own the most." Surely pros and specialists are more likely that amateurs to only need a small number of focal lengths as their requirements tend to be more clearly defined. Whereas an amateur shoots all manner of subjects and specialities and thus wants a lens for EVERY purpose? As an amateur I photograph motorsports and wildlife, landscapes, portraits, macros and everything in between. A pro is more likely to focus on a small number of core areas surely? This would lead me to believe that actually amateurs tend to own the most? Mike does actually seem to agree with this himself to a degree and I am not sure if he actually contradicts his earlier statement when he says: "Anyone who uses a view camera or a rangefinder Leica almost by definition uses only a few focal lengths, although as wealthy hobbyists have invaded the domain more and more people are found amassing large collections of lenses even for those devices. The principle seems straightforward: the more lenses you have, the better equipped you will be to handle any situation you encounter; and, he who has the most toys, wins." I wholeheartedly agree when he says: "the exercise of picking one prime lens and shooting with it exclusively until you've forgotten what other lenses feel like is a learning experience that you will carry with you for the rest of your life" Though...
