ok, camera nuts...

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On 6/9/2019 at 11:23 PM, gmgraves said:

. But one has to keep in mind that today’s digital sensors have far more restricted dynamic range than did almost any B&W or color film. .

 

Not sure where you got that idea but it’s not true. 

 

http://www.clarkvision.com/articles/dynamicrange2/

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2 hours ago, gmgraves said:

I have owned any number of digital cameras, both Nikon and Canon. The one I have now is a Canon, and none of them have had the RECOVERABLE DR of a good reversal  film like Fujichrome Velvia, or a long tonal range B&W film like Kodak’s Panatomic X or Ilford’s C41 processed XP2. So, I don’t know where the author of the article you link to, above gets his data, but it certainly doesn’t track with my experience. 

 

This isn’t a photo forum so I will respond once leaving you the final word. A quick search for film vs. digital dynamic range turns up hundreds of hits, every single one of which disagrees with you. 

 

If personal experience is your final arbiter, mine disagrees with yours. I don’t know what your background is in photography but this is mine. I started processing Ektachrome at home more than 50 years ago using Kodak’s E2 Process. My degree in Photo Science is from the Rochester Institute of Technology and I worked in and managed commercial photo labs for more than 35 years before retiring. 

 

Your mention of sometimes exposing for the shadows also is not a description of best practice when shooting digital. The majority of distinguishable tones reside in the highlights and are very limited in the shadows. This link is to an old article but it a good description of why that is and is still relevant. 

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20150209012804/http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/expose-right.shtml

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10 hours ago, Ralf11 said:

I dropped FF and went to m43 (with Leica lenses)

 

If your camera is made by Panasonic, those lenses are licensed from Leica, not made by them. I have the 12-60 “Leica” lens for my GX8 but it’s nowhere close in price or image quality compared to an actual Leica lens. 

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11 minutes ago, Ralf11 said:

 

that is why I put Leica in italics above - AFAIK, the lenses are designed by Leica, manf. by Panny, and then checked by a Leica team inside the factory

 

if you have any lens test data, or side by side imaging comparisons on L vs. P-L lenses, I'd be interested in seeing it

 

The Leica/Panasonic collaboration goes back to the 90’s. As you said they’re manufactured by Panasonic with oversight from Leica. Panasonic describes the process as built to "Leica's lofty standards". My impression is that in the past Leica was more involved in the design than they are now. Considering how shitty my first one was I have a hard time believing Leica does any QC after manufacture. Something you should be aware of, unless something has changed in the last year, Panasonic USA doesn’t have the equipment to repair them. If it’s sent in during the warranty period they will replace it with a different one. If it’s out of warranty you can replace it yourself out of your own pocket or do without. Fortunately, mine was still under warranty. 

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2 hours ago, gmgraves said:

Ansel Adams regarded cameras as mere tools. He always talked about “using the right tool for the job.” He did use a Polaroid in his class to illustrate photographic points in his lectures, but I don’t think he used one for serious photography due to the lack of manipulativity of the image inherent in Polaroid photography. 

 

https://www.amazon.com/Polaroid-Photography-Ansel-Adams-1979-04-27/dp/B019NDPMR0/ref=sr_1_3?keywords=Angel+Adams+Polaroid&qid=1563623480&s=gateway&sr=8-3