Do you ever buy a lens just because it looks good?

Ha!, Solares, I sold my 90mm Elmar for the same reason. (that, and I wanted a 2.8.)

I have never bought a lens just because it looks good, but it definitely figures in to the equation. I like using stuff that I consider beautiful...it makes me happy to pick it up.
 
kxl said:
No, I wouldn't buy a lens based on its good looks. But I would buy and have bought a lens based on looking at images taken by that lens.
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Silly me!
I always thought that was the only reason to buy a lens; because it produced quality images.
Now I find out there is a "cool factor" to be considered.
What a schmuck I've been all these years!
 
Live and learn, eh, rbsinto? :D I don't recall ever getting a lens just because it looks good, but OTOH, looking good is not a bad thing. Similarly, looking bad is not a good thing...
 
I never understood why people with expensive gear feel the need to convince everybody else that it was some technical necessity that made them buy it and they had to have the best of something for some complicated reason related to elaborate results. Why cant people say I bought it coz I wanted it? Is it a macho thing? Real men dont need nice things? Yeah right.

The way I see it for the amateur photographer everything matters. The result matters a lot, but also the experience and the joy of the process. If its important for somebody that the lens looks good or the camera sounds and feels good I'm not gonna criticise it. For many people photography is their break from work and they want to enjoy everything about it.
 
Konica Hexanon 50/2.4
Looks cool. Rather impractical. I have better, faster lenses that are smaller than this is when collapsed.
 
On a number of occasionsI have decieed on a bad looking lens when in the market for one. I shoot street and prefer using gear then thats looking harmless, old and abused
 
I buy ALL my photo gear because its good looking :D! And when I walk around in the streets it really suits me and I look good too! Too bad, that my pictures don't look as good as my lenses do :eek:!
 
Well, all my film cameras got female alias, no doubt that they must look good ;) I've sold them recently but Zuiko lenses and OM-1 were bought to be beautiful.
 
jbielikowski said:
Well, all my film cameras got female alias, no doubt that they must look good ;) I've sold them recently but Zuiko lenses and OM-1 were bought to be beautiful.
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Your mentioning this reminds me of what an ex (a Japanese photog) said when I first hunted for an Olympus Pen F(V). She said they were well known as the "girl's camera" because of the nice looks. :eek:

Well, she's gone, but I still have the FV.
 
Nope. Its an interesting concept. I have always found the company of beautiful women infinitely more pleasurable. My cameras are for taking photographs!
 
Yes and no. I´ve a VC 35f/1.2 on loan, and I can´t bring myself to put it on the R-D1. The R-D1 isn´t the smallest of RFs, but that lens is a monster, I use the VC 35/f1.4 instead. The 28/f1.9 is nearly as big as the bigger 35, but just small enough to handle well on the camera.

When looking for a compact 90 in the f2-4 range I ended up with the Konica M-Hexanon 90/f2.8 as a result of good write-ups, but also due to its good looks and compact good build.
 
I have never bought a lens for its looks.
I have been interested in some women over the years because of their looks.
I married my wife because of who she was.

I agree with the SWC choice ....
 
if it weren't for the fact that I ALSO like the way it performs and that its small size is very handy, I might lump my 35/3.5 Summaron in this category.

It's smaller than the Kobalux VF on the M8 in the background.

4455256674_52176f2c22_o.jpg


Lousy image courtesy a 10-yr old Leica/Fuji Digizoom.
 
Hmm. I did just recently buy a 40 summicron because I wanted a small lens to plop on my M8 when I want to travel light.
Of course, I wouldn't have purchased it if I weren't also convinced that it is a great lens.
 
I fortunately never considered buying a lens just because it looked good. And I consider myself very-very lucky to have that line of thought.
 
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