Why are we so concerned about sharpness? in Large Format Posted January 16, 2002 Wow, thaks to all for so many answers! However, my question was lazily written and therefore not clear enough. I meant that weird kind of satisfaction that makes us (please understand by us or we = some photographers including myself)happy and proud when the whole picture, or the part that is intended to be, is tack tack tack .... SHARP. I do not say that because I have problems with sharpness of my photographs. After nearly twenty ears of LF I know how to make sharp or unsharp pictures depending on the purpose. The answers posted are mostly wise and technically and politically correct. But where are all the people who compare MTF curves before changing a Schneider for a Rodestock in the very hope that their photographs will be even sharper? (Yes, I know there are also the contrast, color rendition, etc., but...)And all those getting so close and even closer to exhibited prints to control whether they are REAL sharp? I more hoped for some answers from the guts about that strange value that the sharpness represents (for some photographers including me...)than for perfectly correct but perhaps somewhat impersonal statements like that the sharpness is a tool or an element of the composition. Just an example from the real life, and the only one that I can give (sorry, Paul): Paul Schilliger answered the question in his very nice and poetic style but no word about the excitement that we both can feel when we are spending excellent moments around his or my light table and transparencies, using lupes with still greater magnifying power, and then saying: Well, this one is REAL SHARP. It is real EXCELLENT. Even with the Peak 10x! I could put it also in a more complicated way - that my intent was to discuss about sharpness as an introjected cultural value or driver and related gratification, but never mind.... Frankly, should I believe that I am the only (even if not always) obsessed fool on today's LF scene?
Why are we so concerned about sharpness?
in Large Format
Posted
Wow, thaks to all for so many answers! However, my question was
lazily written and therefore not clear enough. I meant that weird
kind of satisfaction that makes us (please understand by us or we =
some photographers including myself)happy and proud when the whole
picture, or the part that is intended to be, is tack tack tack ....
SHARP. I do not say that because I have problems with sharpness of my
photographs. After nearly twenty ears of LF I know how to make sharp
or unsharp pictures depending on the purpose. The answers posted are
mostly wise and technically and politically correct. But where are
all the people who compare MTF curves before changing a Schneider for
a Rodestock in the very hope that their photographs will be even
sharper? (Yes, I know there are also the contrast, color rendition,
etc., but...)And all those getting so close and even closer to
exhibited prints to control whether they are REAL sharp? I more hoped
for some answers from the guts about that strange value that the
sharpness represents (for some photographers including me...)than for
perfectly correct but perhaps somewhat impersonal statements like
that the sharpness is a tool or an element of the composition.
Just an example from the real life, and the only one that I can give
(sorry, Paul): Paul Schilliger answered the question in his very nice
and poetic style but no word about the excitement that we both can
feel when we are spending excellent moments around his or my light
table and transparencies, using lupes with still greater magnifying
power, and then saying: Well, this one is REAL SHARP. It is real
EXCELLENT. Even with the Peak 10x! I could put it also in a more
complicated way - that my intent was to discuss about sharpness as an
introjected cultural value or driver and related gratification, but
never mind.... Frankly, should I believe that I am the only (even if
not always) obsessed fool on today's LF scene?