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[OM] Reviewing an old thread

Subject: [OM] Reviewing an old thread
From: "Per Nordenberg" <per.nordenberg@xxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 24 Jul 1999 13:10:23 +0200
After having experienced a monitor breakdown as well as a stroke of lightning 
(and not
simultaneously!) which wrecked both my modem and my AC adaptor I can finally 
report
that the July issue of Pop Photo has arrived here in Sweden (maybe it travelled 
by
boat, who knows), and indeed they give the new IS-30 a high rating as a P & S. 
One
sentence does make me puzzled though. A year or two ago there was a first 
discussion
in this list on the flash system of the IS cameras, with largely inconclusive 
results
since we could not agree whether these cameras use a TTL flash system like most 
of the
OM cameras or just an old flashmatic system. Thanks to people like Ken Norton 
and Hans
van Veluwen however I think we now can reasonably agree that IS cameras use an
intelligent variant of the old flashmatic system where flash output (of the 
smaller
flash tube for wide angle only?) is determined by several sensors incl. 
distance by
the AF system, and unlike the TTL (OTF) flash system of most OM cameras is 
largely
unaffected by bright areas in the background. Then I read this (in the Pop Photo
review):

-quote-
"Flash exposure accuracy: The IS-30 uses through-the-lens exposure reading for 
flash
shots, too, so flash pictures tend to be better exposed than with the simple
flashmatic system used on regular point-and shoots."
-unquote-

Do they mean that IS-30 use TTL flash or what? Here's what is said on the 
IS-300 info
page at Olympus Japan:

-quote-
"The Intelligent Variable-Power Flash System uses data from several sensors to
determine the appropriate illumination. It fires automatically in both dim 
light and
backlit situations - for example, when sunlight is filtered through trees. The 
system
also minimises over-exposure, while the Auto Colour-Balancing Flash detects the
wavelength of fluorescent or other artificial lighting. The result is lifelike
pictures that have an ideal colour balance free from an unnatural cast. There 
is also
a flashmatic control system that optimises the illumination. Based on the 
distance to
the subject, the appropriate flash intensity and aperture are set 
automatically."
-unquote-

Looks like they screwed up at Pop Photo, doesn't it? It also looks as if the 
person
who wrote this article (Dan Richards) is not identical to the photographer that 
tested
the continous focus of the camera. Strange, one person who writes and another 
who
takes photos?

Per Nordenberg
Kolmården, Sweden




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