Originally posted by Ronald Oakes ..... recently I began using FA and DFA lenses and wonder what Decade (or century) Ive been hiding in for the last twenty years or so ?
Have I just been kidding myself over vintage Legacy Glass being Soooo Good...….for way too long ?
Does shooting Only Legacy glass somehow make me a more traditional Photographer ?
How badly have I limited myself by using only Legacy Glass ?
Does being a Legacy Prime Purist benefit me in ANY way ?
Somehow, I've just come upon this thread, and many of your thoughts have echoed in my mind now and then, although my Pentax journey has been shorter than yours.
I would like to work thru the thread and address points in your posts as they come, but the quote above makes me wonder what it is you want from photography? What are you trying to photograph, or maybe even more fundamental, why are you taking photographs? Everyone has their reasons... documentation of family or events, hobbyist, profession, specializations in specific genre. Are you shooting in order to perceive yourself, or be perceived as a "traditional photographer," and is that ultimately what's important? I don't mean to be/sound flippant, but we're all friends here and I'm curious. I have my reasons that I guarantee you are probably pretty stupid in the minds of many, but they are important to me for some reason (in case that makes you feel any better).
---------- Post added 19th Apr 2019 at 10:26 AM ----------
Originally posted by Ronald Oakes ...Does anyone really enjoy swapping out Primes continually ? Im getting Tired of it !
Im the one always saying....."Hold On"....."Wait"....."give me a second to change lenses"...… "now Don't Move"...…..its UGLY !
One solution is to get a second (or third) body. Another solution is to dedicate yourself to one focal length and "make it work." I feel that's an important way that a photographer can grow.
And you are not the only one saying "Hang on a sec..." I do this all the time when taking portraits. So I don't take many portraits! I try to shoot candids if I shoot people at all. I do hate it that when the wife and I are out/about, and I spot a photo I want to take, she has the body language of "Oh no not again. Please hurry the hell up!" even though she swears that's not what she's saying on the inside.
---------- Post added 19th Apr 2019 at 10:37 AM ----------
Originally posted by Ronald Oakes Somehow I keep thinking that what I started out trying to "BE".... and had idealized myself as being a Manual Mode Purist.....has in reality been mixed in with a healthy dosage of Vintage Glass LBA , and vintage Prime Lens buying OCD. Ultimately......I have limited myself and not grown at all !
I resisted "change" for so long.....and I don't know why ?
15 years behind the rest of you on digital bodies ?
10 years behind on PP and photoshop ?
5 years refusal to use modern coatings and lenses ?
This hasn't helped at all , and has really hindered me...…..until now !
So, now what do you want to "BE?" Have you stayed with vintage bodies and processing techniques too, or just lenses, because you're talking about lenses. If you're really 15 years behind on bodies and PP technique, then maybe that's the real bottleneck?
Originally posted by Ronald Oakes Adam..... was the one that did a Review of the DFA 28-105 lens and got me started on this "Change" Im going through.
And a simple purchase on E-Bay of a DA 20-40 limited 2 days later did the rest , all this was what got me to actually think about lens choices !
What do you feel you gained with the new lenses?
Originally posted by Ronald Oakes Its very Painful in one way freeing myself from LBA , and Vintage Glass Prime addiction...….but in another way its quite "liberating" and I wonder why I didn't do this at least a decade ago ? Has anyone else had to go through the growing pains like this at an older age ? The "Pain" of selling a SMC-K 50mm f1.2 and a SMC-A 50mm f1.2 lens was the absolute hardest to handle.....However I think it was worth it...….I DONT Need either (never did). The rest is easy from here on out.
I hear ya on the LBA addiction. It was actually quite fun trying to collect everything I wanted (but, please note, did not need.. I don't need any of it). Has this new era eliminated the decisional paralysis and whatever blockades you were experiencing in the old way? Did you get a new camera too, and upgrade to a modern PP technique as you alluded to earlier?