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[OM] Electronic gismos, gimmicks, and other gotchas

Subject: [OM] Electronic gismos, gimmicks, and other gotchas
From: AG Schnozz <agschnozz@xxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 2002 12:38:22 -0700 (PDT)
I've been stewing on this for a few days and wanted to express a
thought or two regarding meters, cameras and even cellphones.

As cameras, flash meters, and other equipment get more advanced
and have more and more features to make our lives easier--they
don't.  In reality, 90-950f photography will be made under
conditions that may not warrant full, undivided attention to the
tools at our disposal.

Examples:

Sports Photographer is jockying for position, dodging stray
players and trying to get a decent shot in nearly impossible
conditions.

War Photographer is reading the action, dodging stray bullets
and trying to get a decent shot in nearly impossible conditions.

Wildlife Photographer is stalking a critter, dodging biting bugs
and trying to get a decent shot in nearly impossible conditions.

Wedding Photographer is manipulating people, dodging drunken
mother-in-law and trying to get a decent shot in nearly
impossible conditions.

Commercial Photographer is adjusting lighting and props, dodging
idiot art directors and trying to get a decent shot in nearly
impossible conditions.

Mom (or Dad) photographing a child's birthday party is laughing
hysterically at the kids, dodging cake and trying to get a
decent shot in nearly impossible conditions.

What do all of the above photographers have in common? 
Distractions.  Equipment must be intuitive and 100% trustworthy.
The more options you have, the greater the chance for error.
This is why so many news organizations used to provide their
photographers with two cameras--with one of them having all the
controls glued in place.  ALWAYS take the first shot with the
glued camera, then screw around trying to get the better shot.

Flash meters come in many shapes and sizes.  I too, was quite
enamured by Minoltas latest greatest with every wizz-bang
feature.  Guess what I used?  Yup.  Standard single-shot mode. 
Ended up buying a much cheaper, easier to use meter.  Not
disappointed in the least.

How about cameras?  Wonderbricks have more exposure modes than
lenses have F-stops.  How many of those modes do you actually
use?

When the pressure suddenly is on, you have just a second or two
to get the shot, do you know how to do it?  Can you do it?  Will
you miss it because you can't decide between the 50/1.4 or the
50/2 in your bag?

One thing that I've always sought in equipment is intuitive
operation.  Can you just grab the camera, make a super-quick
adjustment and fire away?  Military Spec equipment is not
necessarily designed to be tough, but easy to use when you can't
even take the time to look at it.

Does your camera bag meet Military Spec?  Do you need to adjust
the inventory, placement and necessity of your equipment?  Is
there a camera you can always grab and shoot within seconds? 
(this is why we have an IS-3).  When you reach into your bag,
can you get the 35/2.8 without looking?

I get a kick out of those of you who have such difficult times
trying to figure out which 50mm lens to take somewhere.  If you
have options, you will stall. Stalling just might prevent you
from getting the shot.  So therefore, keep your kit tight and
purposeful.  You might like to develop three kits:  A quick,
grab and run camera with zoom lens (I use an IS-3); a compact
bag that holds a single body and a small selection of standard
grade zuiko lenses in multiple focal lengths (my normal kit); a
full-blown kit with teles, fisheyes, macro gear, flashes and the
high-end zuiko lenses.

When the pressure is on, you should never have to decide which
50mm lens to grab out of the camera bag.

Cellphones:  You knew I wasn't going to forget them...  You are
driving down the road and you need to dial home.  Do you punch
in the number and press Talk; Do you scroll down through the
phone directory pressing multiple buttons; Do you press Talk and
say "Home".  I don't know about you, but I much prefer the
voice-recognition feature of my cellphone because when I'm
dodging traffic while driving 75mph, the last thing I want to do
is try to read the display.

Same thing with cameras.  When the pressure is on, you never
want to be a menu-tree away from taking the picture.  The beauty
of the OM system is that nearly EVERY single function and
feature is a single button press or adjustment away.  This was
not by accident.

You know those Fluke Multimeters with ten zillion features? 
Probably 990f them NEVER are used for more than checking
continuity or a simple voltage check.  Even at that, the techs
using them may never have picked up the manual.  Me?  I used the
frequency counter once.

AG-Schnozz

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