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Re: [OM] Need help on my final!

Subject: Re: [OM] Need help on my final!
From: "Wayne Culberson" <waynecul@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 19 Jul 2002 09:27:14 -0300
>Usually first year student in photography are told to go manual...
>Nikon FtN, OM1 or event pentax spotmatic... ans stay simple (50 or
>35)they are allowed more sophisticated stuff only if they pass their
>exams...

I know we like to hearken back to the way we learned, but isn't it a
bit like telling someone to buy an old car with carburetors and bad
brakes because that is what most of us had? That's fine for someone
with a special interest in old and quirky, or someone who cannot
afford more, but it has nothing to do with modern automobiles.  When
I bought my first camera I was not looking for an old folder with
with bellows and bullseye viewfinder that was 30 years out of date. I
wanted a modern camera like the pros used.  If something happened to
my OM kit tomorrow I would probably try to replace it because I would
not want to relearn what I know with something else. If I lost my
memory and my camera, and was still interested in photography I don't
think I would search out antiques or their modern reproductions.
Certainly I would not advise someone wanting advise on a computer to
learn how to use an abacus first.

Sorry if that sounds too strong. Just trying to make a point. :-)
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California

.
I agree about recommending out of date stuff, and there is no way I'd want
to go back to the old cars, even the 1969 Dodge Dart Swinger 340 with 4
speed, I had. The new cars are way more reliable, get better mileage, start
way better in the cold, handle better.
But, Okay, I'll take the role of the old grumbler here. Leaving slr systems
for a moment, I'm thinking of pocketable cameras or small rangefinders. A
while back I bought a Voigtl*nder Vitomatic 1, from the 50's. It was in
excellent condition, but lacked rangefinder, was awkward to use and handle,
heavy, and was only fair in picture quality. Hardly need to say I moved it
on. Certainly not comparable to my Olympus RC from the 70's. 20 years saw
some big improvements in ease of use, and quality, and picture quality. Move
up another 15-20 years or so to the XA; definitely smaller, and pocketable
if used without a flash, but not much else for improvements over the RC; in
fact several disadvantages, as in the flash , battery dependent, and picture
quality imho. Move up another 20 years to the Olympus Epic MJU w/2.8,
smaller again, now with autofocus, fast to use, but a lot of disappointing
out-of-focus pictures, and no control of settings.
These are a few examples from my limited experience. I can't see much
improvement in film cameras in the last 20 years, except for "improvements"
aimed at those who don't want to learn anything about photography. And I
think the same thing applies to slr systems, which might be partly why
Olympus opted out of the race about 15 years ago, and also why slr sales
have dropped so much in the last same years. Many gimmicks for novices have
been added, but few improvements for the people who really know why they
want a slr system in the first place.
So, what do you recommend for a young person starting out, who is on a
budget of $1000? If the budget wasn't a factor, I'd recommend a leic*
system. Or for a rangefinder, mabe the Voigtland*r R. But with a $1000
budget, I'd look for used slr stuff from the 80's, like a system built
around the OM2s and OM1n, or comparable nik*n. We also need to remember any
serious photographer needs to build into the $1000 budget at least 2 bodies,
minimum.
Wayne's 2 cents cdn. worth.


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