Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/12/01
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Hi Let me introduce myself. first. My name is Rod Fleming, and I am a freelance photographer and journalist in Scotland. My first camera was a Leica 111, and I've always had one somewhere. That gets that out of the way. As for the Canon/Nikon thing, someone wrote > Nikon's biggest blunder - when it comes to executive decisions - was > designing the auto-focus system around the old mount in order to make new > bodies compatible with the manual lenses. I'd just like to say that, speaking as a pro who has done a lot of action work, including over 15 seasons of Premier League soccer, including night work (hey, you think using a 300mm F2.8 wide open at 125th on 3200 iso in pouring rain is so easy...?) not to mention just about every other sport they do here, I for one am very glad that Nikon did not change their mount. Believe me, both as a newspaper Picture Editor and in running my own agency I have commissioned enough work from other sports photogs to be highly sceptical of the benefits of AF- and I mean Canon AF, 'cos no-one in their right minds would rely on Nikon's efforts, at least for moving subjects. Last year I went out with a friend who is a well known wildlife photog because we were doing contrasting "Day in the Life" features for a UK mag (Photo Technique). My friend was using a Nikon F5 with the latest 300 & 500 lenses, yet when snapping (sorry, since Dunblane I have a thing about the term "shooting" when applied to cameras) seabirds in flight, I, using an F4 and manual lenses, had better results. You should try photographing wheeling seagulls with a tele from the top of a 300-ft cliff, BTW. It's enlightening. That is because the process of making pictures involves the interaction of hand, eye and brain, and for me, the best brain is the one between my lugs, not the microprocessor in the black box I'm holding. My brain has 30 years experience taking pictures, and there's no digital substitute for that. Can an AF system predict which way a footballer will kick the ball? Or which way a seabird will jink? I think not. Call me a luddite if you like, but Nikon got it just right. I can still use my excellent MF lenses, and yet when working in total darkness with a flash I have the IR autofocus to back up my guesstimate- which is reassuring, trust me...... What got Nikon was fashion, not real-world ability. Thanks for a very interesting group Best Rod