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Nikon SWD 75 4.5 or Nikon SWD 90 4.5 Pro's and Con's Which would you choose?

ComicDom1

Subscriber Member
Is there any compelling reason to keep both these lenses?

If you consider prior to existence of digital and the event of computers photographers (many still do today) worked very hard to get the exposure and composition correct right out of the camera. Techniques like bracketing were very important in an effort to create and capture the best negative possible. After creating our negatives the other options were related to how we would choose to develop the negative in the soup and of course techniques like dodging and burning during the enlarging and printing process. We simply did not have all the controls we now have in photo shop and nor did we have the other developing and enhancing software programs or the ability to use them to attempt to save or make the image we captured better. I think its important to keep this all in perspective.

For photographers like me, the process is changing somewhat. I no longer work in a wet darkroom. My development technique consists of using a Yankee tank for 4x5 negatives and a metal tank and reel to develop my 120 roll negatives. My development time is dependent on the brand of developer I choose to use, the temp of the water and chemical mixture, brand and speed of film, and any special considerations of that film like age. After Development I Scan the negatives into my computer and use the computer as my modern day darkroom. I can either print my images on my Photo Printer or I can send them out to be printed traditionally.

Today of course is a different story. Cropping has become second nature to many photographers. My point is that now that we have the software tools and computers available where we can zoom in and enhance an image, how important is it for us today, to have lenses that are close together in focal length? Are we just as well off to buy lenses which are further apart in focal lengths and cropping the images in order to emulate the focal length perspectives that we would get with the other lenses?

Jason
 
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Jan Brittenson

Senior Subscriber Member
Cropping a 75 slightly is no problem at all. People often shoot to all sorts of aspect ratios as well, keeping only a portion of the frame, like the center 6x12, or a square, or whatever else is practical. You can always crop, but you can't make a lens wider, so IMO it's better to err slightly on the wide side. In other words, if you think you need a 90, get a 75. If you think you need a 75, get a 65. If a 50 feels normal on 35mm, get a 135 instead of a 150.
 
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