P3D Re: S1 sharpness - WOW!!!

[egoldste@xxxxxx (Eric Goldstein)]

George Themelis writes:

>There is more than the lens.
>There is the entire camera system.  I mentioned using the
>Hexar handheld at 1/30 second.  I don't think many can use
>an RBT X3 or X4 in this matter and still get sharp pictures.
>Camera shake will ruin them.  Camera shake will be more of
>a problem with the heavy SLR rig than the lighter rangefinder
>camera.


I wonder if we are not confusing sharpness with contrast here...

The Hexar glass is excellent and I have shot with and seen the results from
this camera... it is truly the jem in the RBT line. But rangefinder or no,
this is still a large heavy camera and I am skeptical that anyone can
handhold it and get images which are truely free from motion blur. Any
number of tests have been done on this subject and it has been demonstrated
time and time again that even at a 1/250, you are sacrificing sharpness by
handholding...

I suspect that the images from the S1 are nice and contrasty and so still
give the appearance of great sharpness even at 1/30th, which is fine but
don't forget your tripod if sharp, sharp, sharp is what you're after...

On a similar subject, in recent posts Bob Maxey seems to believe that great
sharpness is a singularly great achievement in photography (to which I say
to each their own but I'm greatful other standards seem to prevail in the
photographic world at large)...

 I'm just curious Bob, how are you judging sharpness? Resolution? MTF?
Accutance? Or does it just have to look "sharp" to you? Do you shoot your
photographs with high resolution macro lenses regardless of how they
perform in other ways and by other measures? Is purposeful motion blur for
artistic reasons completely unsavoury or intolerable to you? Is selective
focus in stereo photography ok? How about diffusion in portraiture?

I'm genuinely curious...


Eric G.