Olympus-OM
[Top] [All Lists]

Re: [OM] Oly Shutter Speed Control

Subject: Re: [OM] Oly Shutter Speed Control
From: Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Sun, 29 Aug 1999 16:50:43 -0700 (PDT)
For all the people who made the argument for for the shutter control around
the lens as being "logical" because the other controls are there for the
same hand, I have to disagree. That is why I thought it had to be for
reasons of mechanical design in a small camera.

Here is my argument.  When you are shooting with manual exposure you are
adjusting aperture and speed to get the picture you want, not only for
exposure, but adjusting for depth of field and reasonable hand holding
speeds. Presumably you have already focussed.  Most of you know what
happens.  You adjust for  exposure on the light meter. Look at the camera.
Whoops. 1/30 th of a second.  Move up to 1/125 of a second and open up two
stops. It is so much easier to adjust aperture and speed at the same time
when using both hands. I did it frequently with my cameras BO(before
Olympus). It is not ergonomic to have to adjust focus, aperture and speed
in sequence with one hand.

There are additional factors.  Olympus recognized there was a problem with
the shutter speed dial because they made it larger and easier to grasp on
the n versions of the OM 1.  However the action stayed stiff and difficult
to use(relative to most top of the camera dials.).  There were also
problems with lenses with large barrels blocking fingers from making
adjustments.  So it appears to me that OM shutter ring was an engineering
compromise that kept the camera small and reliable, which is not a bad
thing.

Does anyone one have an OM3? Is its shutter ring stiff because of
mechanical linkages like the OM1? My OM4T ring is quite smooth, but it is
after all, I think, just a switch for the electronically timed shutter.

Winsor

Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California, USA
mailto:wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx





< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Sponsored by Tako
Impressum | Datenschutz