Sounds silly to me. It looks to me as though you are failing to include how important that 20% difference might be to the individual doing the valuation. For example, 80% of my minimum daily oxygen intake, regardless of how cheaply supplied, is not enough. I'm willing to fork over whatever it would take to get the 20% increase. Some things can't be undervalued by overly simplistic math--what those things are are different for different people.
Lens value for me is determined by how much I want it -- which depends on a) how much I am willing to give up for it b) how hard it would be for me to part with it once I have it (which is heavily dependent on how easily it is reacquired (see "a")) Dan Scott [EMAIL PROTECTED] Paul wrote: >By conventional thinking, a lens that is 80 percent as good as another at >50 percent of the price is a better value. I propose an alternative >definition of value: cost per photograph taken. By this definition, the >cheapest lens nearly always must win. > >Say I'm choosing a 400mm telephoto lens from three candidates. One costs >$250; the second, $400, the third $2000. On a scale of 1 to 10, the $250 >lens rates a 5 ($50 per point), the $400 lens, a 9 ($44.44 per point), the >$2000 lens, a 10 ($200 per point). Logic, common sense, and greed would >suggest that I go for the $400 lens. > >But I'll probably use a 400mm lens for maybe 15 shots a year. At that rate, >the cost per photo will be astronomical at any price, and perhaps I should >settle for a $200 specimen. Or a teleconverter, which would spare me the >need to buy yet another protective filter and carry yet another big lens. > >It seems unfair that frequency of use must dictate the quality that it is >prudent to buy, but I can't escape the math. > >It would certainly seem that a well-built lens is an extravagance for >someone who will probably not see rugged use. So a lens that has a >reputation for being optically excellent but mechanically mediocre would be >a good candidate for the infrequent user. > >Comments? - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
