With the increasing interest in manual cameras, I think the OM system
will be around for some time! Paul.
William Sommerwerck wrote:
>
> "But please don't tell me that the OM system is not going to last just
> because there's no autofocus."
>
> Unfortunately, the marketplace has a tendency to make the wrong choices.
>
> Advances in technology have a way of dragging along existing products,
> whether or not it's a good idea. Autofocus has become so commonplace
> that we expect to see it in virtually every camera -- even ones that
> don't really "need" it.
>
> Autofocus has een begun to invade medium-format cameras. But one of the
> reasons people switch to a larger format is (as pointed out in the 4x5
> article in this month's Popular Photography) that it forces you to slow
> down and think more about what you're doing. I doubt that most medium-
> format users really _need_ autofocus, but it's an excuse to advertise --
> and buy -- a new camera.
>
> I sincerely hope the OM system will be around for many years. But unless
> Olympus aggressively markets it -- to the serious photographer, not just
> the "nuts" -- and tries to keep the price down, it will almost certainly
> die.
>
> It's also possible for a camera to be too conservative -- eg, Leica. I
> remember an ad for the M4, stating that the Leica would "never have a
> built-in meter until creativity could be automated."
>
> Uh-huh. I guess the introduction of the M5 also marked the introduction
> of automated creativity (though Leica was strangely silent on the
> subject).
>
> This was one of the stupidest photo ads of all time. (Wanna hear some
> more?) It's obvious that the (or at least _an_) exposure meter should be
> built into a camera, and coupled with the controls. As OM-4 owners know,
> the multi-spot meter gives a degree of control that is not available
> from most hand-held meters. (I'm tempted to say _any_. Very few meters
> can average multiple readings. My Sekonic L-508 can average only three.)
>
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