"Danny" wrote in message
...
everyone seems to want 'fast glass' - f/2.8, 1.7, 1.4, etc, but I'm left
wondering 'why' As most people know, lenses are not at their sharpest
wide open - usually requiring f/7 - 9 (ish) before they attain their
maximum potential.

1. There are cases when they are used in low light.
2. You can say: "My lens is better than your lens"


perhaps people don't realise that you're just not going to get the same
image quality out of wide open lens and are mistaking 'softness' for focus
issues. Just a thought.

Sure they do. Read #2 above I have a 1.8 lens on my OM-2. I can't think a
single time that I really would have been better of with a 1.4. But I have
used it wide open.
--
Ed
http://pages.cthome.net/edhome/