How much sharpness do you really need?

[TonyB65]

The older I get the less I care about sharpness, focus, proper exposure, etc and the more I care about just getting an image that I really like, which seems lately to be more a matter of framing and timing.

+1000

 

[guangong]

Ditto ( with reservations).

 

[MattKing]

I'm entertained by the fact that this thread is in the "Photographers" sub-forum.

 

[E. von Hoegh]

And when?

I always wanted supersharp images and when i got my Hexar AF and shot BW film, i felt like they were too sharp, which changed the overall look and dynamic. On the other hand, when shooting color, i totally enjoyed the look it delivered. Am i alone with this? Seems odd, doesnt it?

I want all the sharpness I can get - sharpness being a combination of resolution and contrast. I test a new/strange lens by focussing on newsprint, at say 20x the focal length of said lens, if all the print is sharp (without fringing) I call the lens good. Very few lenses fail this test.

 

[darkosaric]

I don't need anything sharper than old LTM Elmar 5cm/f3.5.