Spoken like a true wedding photographer, Bruce. <g> On the street and shooting in poor light, fast glass is good because it allows one to hand-hold the camera at a faster shutter speeds in low light. F1.4 v F2.0 is a stop, and means the difference between 1/8sec and 1/15sec, which may mean the difference between a blurred or soft image and one that's noticeably sharper.
Many people point out that faster glass allows one to see and focus better, and while that's true, that's an SLR thing. With rangefinders you can be using an f/6.3 lens and see just as well to focus as with an f1.0 lens, but you won't be able to hand hold the 6.3 in many situations <g>. And then there's the creative control. Shooting wide open, or close to it, allows for better selective focus, which may be an important consideration in some situations. And it can allow for slower film without the need for ND filters and/or high shutter speeds, which often means finer grain or, again, different or more creative possibilities. How much is a stop worth? Well, that depends. In terms of money it's a very personal thing. But if a money shot depends on having fast glass, then it could be worth almost anything you pay for it ... hundreds of dollars. As for the cost in weight and size, well, again, if you need the speed, then you put up with the size and weight. However, many - not all, maybe not even most - people who use fast glass also have slower, smaller, lighter lenses available to them in the same focal length. So, in the end, it's a very personal thing. IAC, don't negate the value of fast glass ... even 1/2 stop can have a value sometimes. Bruce Dayton wrote: > > Mishka, > > Many times the stop extra is more for viewfinder usage - focusing, > composing, etc. Try shooting a wedding in dim light on moving targets > trying to keep them in focus when you can see well enough. Or try > focusing an f4 wide angle on a nearby group in dim light. It's hard > to focus when things are bright. So more speed there would help even > though the shot may be taken at F8 or 11. That's when the speed is > really worth it. -- Shel Belinkoff mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] http://home.earthlink.net/~belinkoff/ "When a man's best friend is his dog, that dog has a problem." --Edward Abbey - 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 .
