Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2004/02/23
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Sam just nailed a major reason why many of us prefer Leicas and other classic manual cameras. With classic cameras, you have a direct, tactile connection with the controls. You feel the detents of the f-stop ring and shutter speed dial. You feel the film wind (hopefully!) The more advanced a camera gets, the more "stuff" there is between you and the controls. On the later film SLRs and the prosumer digital cameras, you are no longer controlling the camera. You are programming a computer to make certain sets of choices, biased in a certain way, and you hope that these choices are the ones you would make if you were in control. Yes, you can switch the camera to manual. But you are still "flying by wire." Often the way you "fly" is dictated by a user interface designed by spiritual descendants of the engineer who invented the VCRs that nobody can program. It uses carousel menus that program a single control to do eighteen things so said engineer's bosses can tell their bosses how much they're controlling costs. They sell gadget freakery and being "au courant," not photography, and a lot of people bite. Now don't get me wrong--sometimes the automation is a godsend. It will get you shots that you might not get otherwise. It can allow you to shoot fast when you need to. But there's a price. When you want to be in control, it's often more awkward than the older gear. And as Sam says, the classic stuff is more fun. All this is why I find the design of the Digilux II and announcement of the Epson "digital Bessa" very encouraging. Somebody in the digital world is actually paying attention to why we *enjoy* the mechanics of taking pictures. - --Peter Klein Seattle, WA At 04:19 PM 2/23/04 -0800, Sam S. wrote: >. . .love the experience of a film camera that >requires manual manipulation. It's not a matter of process over result, >but of fun over not much fun. - -- To unsubscribe, see http://mejac.palo-alto.ca.us/leica-users/unsub.html