"otzi" wrote

Just wondered why so much was invested for so little gain.

The law of diminishing returns. When something is close to
perfection the cost of even a miniscule gain becomes
astronomical.

There is a universal "80/20 rule": you can get 80% of the
performance for 20% of the cost.

The most cost-effective approach to improving photography
is to buy a used Tessar-formula enlarging lens and spend the
savings on something worthwhile that will make a noticeable
and unequivocal improvement: a trip to someplace photogenic,
a workshop, a really good timer ...

--
Nicholas O. Lindan, Cleveland, Ohio
Darkroom Automation: F-Stop Timers, Enlarging Meters
http://www.darkroomautomation.com/index2.htm
n o lindan at ix dot netcom dot com