Lens making is very mathematical, 55-58mm lens' are the most simple to design, aperture design is also very mathematical, simple economics of design state that an f4 lens design allows a much reduced front element design (also simplifying imternal design), by widening the aperture you increase size of elements increasing manufacturing cost, making an f4 a lot more cost effective than a slightly wider lens, this is also the reason behind pricing differences between wide zooms and your cheaper standard zooms.
Edit:
Saved in my events I have a photo contest from oct 2011 hosted by zex, that had 10 entries only and the forum was much more active. I usually log on here most days but there's not a lot here of interest any more. But I would be up for a contest if some one made it with clear defined rules, and a panel of judges to determine if the photo fits the subject matter, then to be voted upon by the photo section
Edit 2:
Photo contest matter should be object based rather than a style, something excess-able to everyone eg:
Bubblegum
Water
Cheese
Trees
Bench
Etc.
It would open up a lot more creativity than doing contest on night photography, portraits, bokeh, macro etc.
Entries should be scored on technical difficulty, lighting, aesthetics, unusualness, mood and of course personal taste.
This post was edited by wezman on Aug 28 2013 12:55pm