I got several emails suggesting that my preference for a shutter speed
knob on top of a camera seemed dubious, and asking why that was so,
so I thought I would clarify here, instead of answering each one
separately.
First, what I originally said was that I preferred a knob on top
of the camera for cold weather usage when gloves or mittens are
essential. I generally have not been successful at operating
an OM shutter speed ring around the lens mount with gloves or
mittens on at all.
A second thing I'll add is that the OM style shutter ring around
the mount is really convenient for handheld shooting because you
can hold the camera with 1 hand, and operate the shutter speed
selector, aperture ring, and lens focus easily with the other hand
without changing positions of that hand.
However, when the camera is on a tripod, I never find the shutter speed ring
on the lens mount very convenient. In macro situations, when the tripod
might be fairly low to the ground, it is particularly inconvenient.
This is mitigated, however, by the fact that 750f the macro shots
I take are exposed in aperture priority mode using OTF exposure metering,
sometimes with TTL flash, sometimes just natural light. But when I do work
in manual mode for macro work, there is nothing more irritating than
having spent about 15 minutes focusing with high precision, including fine
tuning with a focusing rail, only to inadvertantly bump the helicoid
ring on the lens when changing shutter speed, and having to refocus all
over again.
But there are conveniences and inconveniences in every 35mm system.
I will say one thing about Olympus, at least in the US, their
customer support is superb, the best of any of the 35mm camera
vendors hands down. I think Pentax is 2nd best in this area,
and Nikon and Canon have the worst support, in my experience.
Nikon takes the attitude that customer support is another opportunity
to milk money out of the customer, whereas Olympus provides an amazing
amount of free support, replacement manuals, replacement parts, apparently
feeling that if they foster customer loyalty, they'll sell more cameras.
Joseph Albert
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