Am I not worthy - I am not worthy...of stellar lenses
So, I attended a couple of photowalks at a local store last week, grabbing the chance to try some gear on a continent where gear rentals aren't easy.
One of those walks was with a Leica SL3s with new the 50mm APO f/2 lens.
Upon uploading the images onto my computer and checking them out, I didn't notice anything special and didn't give it any thought, since I had already decided that the SL3 is still too large and heavy for me. Only later did I realize that I had used what some say is the absolute summum of 50mm lenses. So, I went back to my computer and looked at the files again.
And I still didn't notice anything special, as in special beyond it being a good lens.
Granted, I hadn't given this lens a thorough workout. Still, I see the difference between a so-so lens and a good lens and I highly value the rendering of Zeiss lenses and other top glass, compared to run-of-the-mill lenses. And I do mostly have lenses that are considered very good to excellent.
So, this left me wondering where I fall on the spectrum of lens aficionados. Is this like HIFI, where some audiophiles apparently can tell the difference between $10,000 and $20,000 speakers, but I probably would be lost completely above $1,000? Is there a threshold where a person just doesn't see 'it' anymore?
Note: this is separate from whether something is a good image or not. That can be taken with any lens. Kirk Turk, for example, owns the above lens and when he still published his blog, he constantly praised this lens, while sharing his usual images of mannequins and street scenes in Austin, TX, not that different from my shots in Vienna (sans the mannequins).
Jun 01, 2026 at 01:49 PM
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