Pro Member
- Followers
- 1
- Following
- 0
- Joined
- Jul 22, 2023
- Posts
- 224
- Likes Received
- 143
- Name
- AJ
I have started shooting with a few older generation lenses. I find them to produce some very nice images. My favorites are the SMC Pentax-M 50mm f1.4, SMC Pentax DA* 16-50 SDM, and Canon EF 16-35 F2.8 L II USM. The colors seem to richer, more contrasty, and the images seem to have a certain ‘je ne sais quoi’ to them. When edited in a slightly retro look the aesthetics really pop.
Unfortunately I can’t always say the same about some of the modern RF lenses. To me, after shooting with the RF consumer level lenses, specifically 24-105 STM, 50 & 85 STM, I find those lenses to sometimes provide a very clinical, sterile if you will, image. That’s not to say I haven’t produced some lovely images with them. I surely have. I’ve done some great work with them, and yes, the files edit just fine. However, sometimes I come away from them feeling like something in the image is missing, especially after I’ve been shooting with one of my older lenses (The Canon EF 16-35 lives on my R6MkII.)
The RF 70-200 F4 L does render very nice images and I really love that lens. I don’t think it has the same clinical and sterile qualities as the aforementioned STM lenses. The files are malleable, the images clean, very clean, maybe….too clean?
My photographic journey started as self therapy. It has evolved into a side business. What started as my search for the technically superior, optically perfect, best of the best, I find my tastes have circled around to the vintage. There’s something about an old lens. Heck, sometimes a DSLR just hits the spot. This itch for the imperfect has me searching for Pentax and Canon film cameras, just so I can stick 50s on them and capture the world.
Perhaps imperfection is where the art lies. The unrealistically vibrant colors. The dreamy imperfect bokeh, slightly soft image created by a 50+ year old lens. Or even the coatings and manufacturing processes of even the previous generation of lenses. Sometimes I wonder if the optically perfect lenses of today are making the art of photography too sterile, too sharp, too perfect. Does anyone else share these sentiments?
Unfortunately I can’t always say the same about some of the modern RF lenses. To me, after shooting with the RF consumer level lenses, specifically 24-105 STM, 50 & 85 STM, I find those lenses to sometimes provide a very clinical, sterile if you will, image. That’s not to say I haven’t produced some lovely images with them. I surely have. I’ve done some great work with them, and yes, the files edit just fine. However, sometimes I come away from them feeling like something in the image is missing, especially after I’ve been shooting with one of my older lenses (The Canon EF 16-35 lives on my R6MkII.)
The RF 70-200 F4 L does render very nice images and I really love that lens. I don’t think it has the same clinical and sterile qualities as the aforementioned STM lenses. The files are malleable, the images clean, very clean, maybe….too clean?
My photographic journey started as self therapy. It has evolved into a side business. What started as my search for the technically superior, optically perfect, best of the best, I find my tastes have circled around to the vintage. There’s something about an old lens. Heck, sometimes a DSLR just hits the spot. This itch for the imperfect has me searching for Pentax and Canon film cameras, just so I can stick 50s on them and capture the world.
Perhaps imperfection is where the art lies. The unrealistically vibrant colors. The dreamy imperfect bokeh, slightly soft image created by a 50+ year old lens. Or even the coatings and manufacturing processes of even the previous generation of lenses. Sometimes I wonder if the optically perfect lenses of today are making the art of photography too sterile, too sharp, too perfect. Does anyone else share these sentiments?
Last edited:
