Why is performance wide open important? (2024)

as for tests, imo it makes sense to focus on the wide open performance. If somebody forges out the additional money for a faster lens he will want to know wide open performance and also use it wide open. However better it also be compared to slower lenses at shared apertures.

curious to hear more from more experienced photographers!

But what amazes me is that there can be a lens which is the best in the world stopped down to f2 but some photographers won't buy that lens because they only shoot wide open. They would rather buy the best f2 lens just because it can be used wide open at f2, which the first lens (with fantastic IQ) can't since it is stopped down. This doesn't make any sense to me.

make sense to me if, which most likely will be the case, the f2 lens is cheaper and smaller in physical size, there are also the mentioned round oof highlights

Last edited by Pontus on Sat Oct 31, 2015 9:30 am; edited 1 time in total

than I am with you and most likely rather would take the faster lens

now only I understand the very good point that you are making!

The whole issue seems too people-y to me, but maybe you can turn your argument around:

If I wouldn't need to shoot at 2.8 I would go for the 3.5 lens instead, which has been optimised for 3.5. (It may or may not be better than 2.8 stopped down, but physics work in its favour) Thus, performance at 2.8 is important. It's the USP of a fast lens.

My Flickr https://www.flickr.com/photos/mudplugga/

My ipernity -

http://www.ipernity.com/home/294337

I can tell you why. It is an internet fad that has been persistent for quite some time. Shoot a mediocre subject with the lens wide open to make the bokeh the subject of the photograph. Hundreds of examples abound on this very forum, They are snapshots taken by people who like to play with toys, not photographs made by a talented person who has some artistic sense.

Pontus, I figured out that some M42 lenses without A/M switch do not operate on several M42 adapters. E.g. there is no adapter for M42 to Minolta AF or (at least I didn't find any up to now) to Leica-M (for my Ricoh GXR-M). My M42 to Nex adapter covers the aperture pin so there it works with every lens.
As a logical consequence I can use M42 lenses on the mentioned cameras only either fully open or after modification of the lens itself. I have e.g. used super glue to fix the aperture pin on a Voigtländer lens but on a Fujinon one this didn't work. I might have to open the lens to fix it.
So that might be a justification or reason why some folks use some of their adapted lenses only fully open. At least it would make some sense.

Manual focus lenses mainly from Minolta, Pentax, Voigtlaender, Leitz, Topcon and from Russia (too many to be listed here).

David, I do it exactly like you. Furthermore most lenses are simply best as from F5.6 and I really prefer the better picture quality. However, for certain circ*mstances it's clearly necessary to use the lens rather open but I never had any valid reason to use a lens at F1.2 for instance (although I have some of these super fast lenses). F2 is in most cases far better.

Manual focus lenses mainly from Minolta, Pentax, Voigtlaender, Leitz, Topcon and from Russia (too many to be listed here).

What is not talked about, but varies to a great degree is f/11 performance. Equally critical to me as full aperture.

But we live in the age of fast glass, fuzzy noses and missed eyes.

Last edited by Attila on Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:17 pm; edited 1 time in total

https://www.instagram.com/_lens_fever/

The best lens is the one you have with you.

*I guess it makes a difference what aperture AND focal lenght we are talking about (f1.2 lens stopped down to f2? or f4?, if the lens is poor-there is no other option)

*In my photography it depends what I am shooting-e.g when I approach a subject I already know- yeah this will be f2.8 as you generally imagine your Depth of Field and shoot accordingly

* the wider open you are the higher ISO you can use and also shutter speed is in your favor to hand held the shot in some circ*mstances (as mentioned above not a huge issue with current modern cameras]

*the question is -if your eyesight and your camera [e.g magnification and peaking] actually allows you to focus ultra-shallow-DoF

*the more I shoot the more I stop down [when staring eith MF lenses all I wanted to shoot is WO!)

Cheers,
Rado

Well, depends on your own definition of really high quality and sharpness. Ultimate sharp pictures are IMHO only possible at extremely short exposure times and high ISO is in any case degrading picture quality to a certain extent. So from my experience I prefer to use in such cases a tripod or alike and stick rather to the lowest possible ISO setting. However, for not so critical photography you are right IF the lens is able to deliver the expected quality wide open at all and no larger DOF is required. For critical light situations I always have a little tripod with me to cope with such situations much better in favor of the picture quality (at least a pocket-able small one).

Manual focus lenses mainly from Minolta, Pentax, Voigtlaender, Leitz, Topcon and from Russia (too many to be listed here).

There has to be a connection there.

No, I'm not saying who I'm talking about.

Because the sun goes down, and I hate artificial light?

There is a huge but subtle learning curve in photography, some find it easy and understand the theory and apply it accordingly, and some find out by reason of the use of a lens over a period of time.

So why shoot WO,to learn about the lens of course, what it does how it's best used.

I shoot a fast lens at WO to see what it can do, purely to "test" it out (I confess I do look at what is happening in the background,the blur of colours,the shapes and try to make it interesting,for me first then whoever elses looks at it ).

I have managed to pick up and use two fast lenses the Nikon SC 1.2/55 (now in Scotland) and the Canon FL 1.2/58 for reasonable prices. Why? because I wanted to see what the fuss is all about and to use a lens at 1.2.

What you are now discussing is where I am at,I find it better to stop down to F2 or F4 (slowly working my way through the F stops). If I had read this discussion before I bought my 1.2 lenses, would I have my current level of understanding...I don't think so. We have so much to learn when it comes to each and every lens we use. To have fun and enjoy,and learn something new is why I am here.

"The person who always says 'I only shoot wide open' is also the worst photographer I have seen."
Ian what do you mean by this? Surely there are talented wo photographers who are not bad,but have mastered that style.