Comments on: The Gear Head Pixel Peeper Quiz http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz Photo/video thoughts from the largest rental house Wed, 22 May 2013 17:33:02 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.2 By: Agent K http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2964 Agent K Mon, 09 Jan 2012 19:32:44 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2964 The correct answer to question 5 should have been: "take a test shot of my cat and post it on one of the forums" :-) The correct answer to question 5 should have been: “take a test shot of my cat and post it on one of the forums”

:-)

]]> By: Michael Ball http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2800 Michael Ball Tue, 27 Dec 2011 21:28:17 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2800 Hmm. I'm not sure exactly what I scored. I'm in between on too many items. Do I get multiple +2's of I've taken pictures of multiple lenses before song them? One of those was your fault Roger when I got my 10-22 from you guys. :) I'm definitely a gear head though I definitely do a bit of everything but I'm sad I didn't score 15. Hmm. I’m not sure exactly what I scored. I’m in between on too many items. Do I get multiple +2′s of I’ve taken pictures of multiple lenses before song them? One of those was your fault Roger when I got my 10-22 from you guys. :)
I’m definitely a gear head though I definitely do a bit of everything but I’m sad I didn’t score 15.

]]> By: Thorne http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2791 Thorne Mon, 26 Dec 2011 19:57:09 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2791 I would fault only your conclusion. I have fabulous gearhead *potential*, I just don't succumb to it. I'm proud to have scored a perfect zero. :-) Though slightly less proud of blowing coffee out my nose at question 9. ;-) I would fault only your conclusion. I have fabulous gearhead *potential*, I just don’t succumb to it. I’m proud to have scored a perfect zero. :-)

Though slightly less proud of blowing coffee out my nose at question 9. ;-)

]]> By: » Interesting Links for December 22nd, 2011 – Occasional Drivel http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2768 » Interesting Links for December 22nd, 2011 – Occasional Drivel Fri, 23 Dec 2011 01:05:54 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2768 [...] The Photography Gear Head Pixel Peeper QuizApparently I'm not even remotely an official gear head. But I did actually understand every question, and that must say something! [...] [...] The Photography Gear Head Pixel Peeper QuizApparently I'm not even remotely an official gear head. But I did actually understand every question, and that must say something! [...]

]]> By: Kenji S http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2675 Kenji S Wed, 14 Dec 2011 15:51:10 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2675 I scored 7...which is...shockingly low given the amount of flak i receive sometimes for the large number of lenses I've owned (Needs/wants change....So do lenses, Thankfully they hold their value well!) That said, I also enjoy sharing my experience with people and trying to help out on forums when people ask "Should I buy x or y" and I've even written up a few real-world types of reviews and that to help folks out (i think the most famous is my review of the Canon 15-85 because I think i was one of the very first folks to own one...) I scored 7…which is…shockingly low given the amount of flak i receive sometimes for the large number of lenses I’ve owned (Needs/wants change….So do lenses, Thankfully they hold their value well!)

That said, I also enjoy sharing my experience with people and trying to help out on forums when people ask “Should I buy x or y” and I’ve even written up a few real-world types of reviews and that to help folks out (i think the most famous is my review of the Canon 15-85 because I think i was one of the very first folks to own one…)

]]> By: Carl http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2671 Carl Tue, 13 Dec 2011 04:26:35 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2671 I scored a 4, and only Roger or some millionaire could answer #3 on question 5...And yea it's odd that question 11 is missing...it must be some inside joke. I consider myself a pixel peeper, but also a good photographer (maybe I'm not world class, but so what? Annie Liebowitz supposedly is, and I'm pretty sure I don't want to do what she does). So I guess like most tests, I score somewhere off of them...I had more than one answer for several of the questions...and I would have probably asked different questions to begin with. Regarding dust...well...I have seen dust in my photographs, from the lens' internal elements...even on one I rented from LR...my FAVORITE...the Canon 200 f/2. I saw it when photographing a mountain that had sky in the image...the de-focused spots were clearly visible (especially after some extreme exposure/contrast tweaking in ACR with its grad-filter). Of course, this was with the lens closed down to the extreme, to f/29 if I remember correctly (I wanted to include some foreground wildflowers). It looks like that lens was only purchased by Roger about a month before I rented it, and I know I didn't expose it to any excessive dust environment...My theory is some dust gets in there during the manufacturing process. Given it was relatively new and "weather sealed", I can't conclude much else. I doubt this is something Roger looks for, though. It certainly doesn't show in normal conditions / shots. I first saw similar dust spots via one of my own lenses...then when I installed a 2x teleconverter, on it and took shoots of sky while closed down to f/64, the dust showed up very sharply focused. Now I'm beginning to realize MOST lenses have such dust internally...so I guess if you want to avoid seeing it, don't shoot sky (or other brightly diffuse backgrounds) while fully closed down on a telephoto lens... I am fairly meticulous about dust, and also it's not like I live in a desert. So I really don't think the dust was my own fault. Regarding 200 f/2's...even though I don't have test equipment, I can definitely attest to the sharpness very slowly falling off somewhere above f/4, although I was surprised that even at f/29, everything still looked fairly sharp and contrasty, much more than my own smaller L series telephoto appears when closed down that far. For a shot at f/2, taken at infinity focus, I could turn the sharpness slider up fairly high at .5 radius in ACR, and turn the detail slider up as well...and the detail just kept coming, with no apparent artifacts. So I saved as a TIFF, scaled the image up to like 10,000 x 6500, and only then did I find the limitation of the image. Of course it was more a limitation of Photoshop's ability to scale an image that started out with all the quirks digital sensors have (aliasing, etc), than it was a lack of resolution from that super AWESOME Canon lens! Santa, I want a 200 f/2 for Christmas!! I scored a 4, and only Roger or some millionaire could answer #3 on question 5…And yea it’s odd that question 11 is missing…it must be some inside joke.

I consider myself a pixel peeper, but also a good photographer (maybe I’m not world class, but so what? Annie Liebowitz supposedly is, and I’m pretty sure I don’t want to do what she does). So I guess like most tests, I score somewhere off of them…I had more than one answer for several of the questions…and I would have probably asked different questions to begin with.

Regarding dust…well…I have seen dust in my photographs, from the lens’ internal elements…even on one I rented from LR…my FAVORITE…the Canon 200 f/2. I saw it when photographing a mountain that had sky in the image…the de-focused spots were clearly visible (especially after some extreme exposure/contrast tweaking in ACR with its grad-filter).

Of course, this was with the lens closed down to the extreme, to f/29 if I remember correctly (I wanted to include some foreground wildflowers). It looks like that lens was only purchased by Roger about a month before I rented it, and I know I didn’t expose it to any excessive dust environment…My theory is some dust gets in there during the manufacturing process. Given it was relatively new and “weather sealed”, I can’t conclude much else. I doubt this is something Roger looks for, though. It certainly doesn’t show in normal conditions / shots.

I first saw similar dust spots via one of my own lenses…then when I installed a 2x teleconverter, on it and took shoots of sky while closed down to f/64, the dust showed up very sharply focused. Now I’m beginning to realize MOST lenses have such dust internally…so I guess if you want to avoid seeing it, don’t shoot sky (or other brightly diffuse backgrounds) while fully closed down on a telephoto lens…

I am fairly meticulous about dust, and also it’s not like I live in a desert. So I really don’t think the dust was my own fault.

Regarding 200 f/2′s…even though I don’t have test equipment, I can definitely attest to the sharpness very slowly falling off somewhere above f/4, although I was surprised that even at f/29, everything still looked fairly sharp and contrasty, much more than my own smaller L series telephoto appears when closed down that far.

For a shot at f/2, taken at infinity focus, I could turn the sharpness slider up fairly high at .5 radius in ACR, and turn the detail slider up as well…and the detail just kept coming, with no apparent artifacts. So I saved as a TIFF, scaled the image up to like 10,000 x 6500, and only then did I find the limitation of the image. Of course it was more a limitation of Photoshop’s ability to scale an image that started out with all the quirks digital sensors have (aliasing, etc), than it was a lack of resolution from that super AWESOME Canon lens!

Santa, I want a 200 f/2 for Christmas!!

]]> By: Todd http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2668 Todd Mon, 12 Dec 2011 21:40:02 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2668 Any bonus points for noticing question 11 is missing? If not - only one point. Love the blog! Todd Any bonus points for noticing question 11 is missing? If not – only one point.

Love the blog!

Todd

]]> By: Ken Owen http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2664 Ken Owen Mon, 12 Dec 2011 16:09:50 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2664 "Bonus points: + 1 if you own your own ISO-12233 test chart" LOL!!! I'm definitely a gearhead because I follow LensRentals' blog - I mean that in a good way, of course. “Bonus points: + 1 if you own your own ISO-12233 test chart” LOL!!!
I’m definitely a gearhead because I follow LensRentals’ blog – I mean that in a good way, of course.

]]> By: Roger Cicala http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2656 Roger Cicala Mon, 12 Dec 2011 03:10:29 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2656 Thank you, Zig. You've exposed the shortcomings of my little quize quite effectively. Obviously it's too blunt a tool. But I'll be waiting for your resume. Or at least for you to guest blog a post or two :-) Thank you, Zig. You’ve exposed the shortcomings of my little quize quite effectively. Obviously it’s too blunt a tool. But I’ll be waiting for your resume. Or at least for you to guest blog a post or two :-)

]]> By: Siegfried http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/2011/12/the-gear-head-pixel-peeper-quiz/comment-page-1#comment-2654 Siegfried Sun, 11 Dec 2011 21:45:48 +0000 http://www.lensrentals.com/blog/?p=4592#comment-2654 Roger, Excellent quiz, thanks a lot. Please advise whether I get any extra points if I've dismantled 25 lenses (13 of which were surgeried for 98% curiosity just to see what they're made of; and I was lucky to put 24 of those 25 back on) If not then I'm 2.5 only, since moire interference technique doesn't count here then I kinda need to get some Lensalign - gonna try my luck on fleebay. Lemme know if overseas applicants are permitted to challenge for that position Cheers, Zig Roger,
Excellent quiz, thanks a lot. Please advise whether I get any extra points if I’ve dismantled 25 lenses (13 of which were surgeried for 98% curiosity just to see what they’re made of; and I was lucky to put 24 of those 25 back on) If not then I’m 2.5 only, since moire interference technique doesn’t count here then I kinda need to get some Lensalign – gonna try my luck on fleebay.
Lemme know if overseas applicants are permitted to challenge for that position

Cheers,
Zig

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