Ewrin Puts on photo philosophy

[anthony_brookes5]

If Erwin means that he gets enjoyment out of finely crafted mechanical items which need input and produce satisfying results then he is right. Most people if they can afford the best buy the best. eg. Holland & Holland, Patek Philipe, Leica etc. I don't think he is knocking digital but simply expressing what gives him pleasure. Thank goodness we don't all think the same way. I am in agreement with those who think film images are 'different' from electronic images but I use both. Both a Rolex and a Timex tell the same time.

[marc_bergman1]

I still can't figure what is wrong in being a "happy snapper".

 

Photography is like other hobbies. Talk to a woodworker about chisels. Ask them what country makes the best chisels. Ask them about the steel used. And if you have a free afternoon, ask them about various sharpening methods.

 

You will find that the more they talk about equipment, the less work they produce and the further they are from elevating their craft.

 

Not that there is anything wrong with that, if you are so inclined.

[david j.lee]

what's your point, anyway?

[Tony Rowlett]

I changed the title of this thread. I think it is bad form to attack somebody within the very title of a thread, i.e. "nonsensical," If you're going to attack, please do so politely and not within the title of a thread where it will remain public, indexed, and searchable forever.

[vic_.]

Well... If you spell Erwin Puts' name as Ewrin Putts, it doesn't matter what you put after it!

 

By the way, Marke is a great fellow. A small bunch of us photo.netters had dinner in Michigan a while ago.

 

[Misspelling corrected. -tr]

[john_boyle3]

Erwin has done some very interesting work on Leica lenses which many of us find useful, but that does not make him an authority on all things related to photography. All we can do is appreciate the good, overlook the rest, and get on with our own photographic interests.

[harvey_edelstein1]

The 10mp M8 is nowhere near the resolution of the M lenses capabilities.

This is a waste of all that money and Erwins pointing out how good these lenses are has led many M8 users to overpay for gear that the camera cannot fully utilize.

 

PS can correct such defects as CA, geometric distortion, and other lens related shortcommings if they are noticeable. Erwin is a mechanical not a digital guru and we are really in a digital paradigm shift today.

[Troll]

"Erwin is a mechanical not a digital guru and we are really in a digital paradigm shift today."<P>I've been told that he's actually a banker or a stockbroker (or something of that nature), and photography is his hobby.

[neal_martin]

"The 10mp M8 is nowhere near the resolution of the M lenses capabilities."

 

Well, that sounds like a pretty definitive and sweeping indictment of those "many M8 users" who overpay. Foolish are we. (And I can't even blame Erwin for my error.) OTOH, if maximizing the full capacity of my lenses were the metric for purchases, I'd still be shooting with my first Coolpix 990.

 

I've read nothing to indicate that Erwin isn't aware of the new paradigm and reasonably humble when expressing his opinion.

[mike dixon]

<i> Reading Erwin's article set off a cascade effect of irritation in my head this morning, sorry you guys have to get the brunt of it. </i><P>

 

That brings to mind a very old joke:<P>

 

A guy goes to the doctor's office and says, "Doctor! Doctor! It hurts when I do this." The man flaps his right arm in the air.<P>

 

The doctor looks at the man's arm, nods sagely, and replies, "Don't do that."

[joshua_dollins]

I don't fully agree having taken some brilliant photos and seen some brilliant photos taken with digital cameras. IN fact I've never really used film cameras (I'm only 19!) however I am now getting into leica and film cameras partly because I like mechanical things (watches are another and manual transmissions) and also because I dunno it just seems like it would fit me more, something about using a computer for hours to manipulate the photos taken with digicams to look great sucks.

[ray .]

Reading Erwin Putts is the perfect cure for insomnia!

[derek_stanton2]

Why do we read Puts or care what he has to say? Especially on any matter 'philosophical?'

 

It's like a lecture by a paint brush inspector. If Puts were known for the significance of his

photographs, maybe his opinions might have more value.

[peteradownunder]

People are innately prejudiced and seek certainty and confirmation in an uncertain world by testing their prejudices amongst their peers and groups.<p> I have never understood the prejudice for or against film this or digital with that - except in that context.

[terry_rory]

I always thought Erwin Puts was a golf manual until Jonathan serialised his life and thoughts.

 

A golf manual would have been better.

[michael s.]

Trevor :-)

[paul_neuthaler]

Rest, Erwin. Rest.

[anthony_brookes5]

Trevor - Are you sure he is a golfer ?<div></div>

[Allen Herbert]

Trevor - Are you sure he is a golfer ?

 

No, he's a proper man of craftmanship.<div></div>

[Allen Herbert]

Marke Gilbert, Oct 23, 2007; 01:19 p.m.

 

Classy image, Marke.

[carbon_dragon]

I also find that it's often too easy, too seductive to allow a camera with a lot of automatic options to make the decisions for you. Sometimes you need that when things are happening fast. But often when I'm using a Leica M2 and there's absolutely no automation it helps force me to think more about what I'm doing. I think that's a perfectly valid viewpoint. It doesn't mean I don't use automated cameras (like the Canon 5D), it just means I think there's value in pulling out the manual camera once in a while.

[Allen Herbert]

too seductive to allow a camera with a lot of automatic options to make the decisions for you

 

Why be seduced, you don't have to use the auto everything. But I agree it's nice to use a manual cam from time to time. The m2 is a good choice...not that I'm biased because I own two;)

[steve_swinehart]

I'll say it again here. My problem with Erwin is he never gets to a point. He rambles aimlessly about, bouncing between technical issues and psuedo-Freudian analysis through over generalizations of society - always comparing little slices of "then" versus "now" carefully chosen out of context to prove....something...that never quite seems to appear.

 

He's only missing the use of the phrase, "Back in the day..."

[laurentvuillard]

He's only missing the use of the phrase, "Back in the day..."

 

You've nailed it Steve, I add one more comment of the same calibre: "since Technical Pan is no longer on the market, it is no longer possible to do a proper 35mm photo"