AG Schnozz wrote:
> Sorry folks, I just can't do it.
>
> I spent some time again with the 5D. I REALLY want to like this
> camera--really I do.......
>
> 2. I then looked at the back. My thumb was cramping up with the
> Canon and less so with the Nikon, but doesn't at all with either
> the Olympus or the Minolta. Why? Because the Olympus and
> Minolta bodies provide a "catch" (jobby) for the thumb. With the
> Canon and Nikon
Well, this makes no sense to me. The 5D has a similar 'catch' for the
thumb as the 300D I've been using. I do rather hope it is slightly
differently placed relative to the grip on this bigger body, so my thumb
wn't occasionally push the AE lock.
> ...........
> Most people obviously do not have a problem with the ergonomics
> of the Canon. I can't criticize anybody for selecting one, but
> for me, ergonomics are SO important that I cannot ignore them.
>
That may be the case for some of them as well. Hands come in a vast,
endless series of variations of size, proportions, etc. What do yo wnat
to bet that the Can*n bodies feel really just right to the guys who
design them?
Personally, I've spent literally hours with the 300D dangling in my hand
while wandering, and never found it uncomfortable. I'm hoping the 5D is
much the same, although I don't know what effect the additional weight
will have.
But then, maybe you are the Princess and I'm the scullery maid; legumes
under my mattress don't bother me. I honestly hadn't ever noticed that
my pinky finger dangles off the grip on the 300D until I read AndrewF's
reply. It makes absolutely no difference to me. Adding a battery grip,
with the additional weight and size is a big negative for me. Tried it
on a D30 and hated it.
> I'll keep trying and maybe some day I'll be able to figure out
> how to hold one without my hands going numb.
>
Have you tried a grip strap? It changes the whole dynamic. Weight and
control move to the middle-lower palm and the central back of the hand.
The hand and camera can hang securely at your side with no load/pressure
on fingers at all. Held up for shooting, the fingers only guide, but
don't hold the weight. This one looks pretty good to me
<http://cgi.ebay.com/Leather-Camera-Grip-Strap-Konica-Minolta-Maxxum-DiMAGE_W0QQitemZ7618399782QQcategoryZ64343QQcmdZViewItem>.
There are other similar designs for a few $ less, but they have plastic
pads.
> Something else I look at when examining a camera is the "Holy
> Grail" test. Is this camera "the cat's meow" and something that
> is the answer to my dreams? Or is it an interim camera until
> the next model comes out?
The 300D was very definitely an interim camera and test, getting my feet
wet in DSLRs with minimal cost to get my minimum requirements. It has so
far surpassed those minimums that I've been really happy with it for
longer than I expected. Far from the toy some seem to consider it to be,
it has excelled at its primary purpose, capturing images of excellent
technical quality, with failures more often user error than camera
limitation.
> The D2X has that "Holy Grail"
> characteristic to it, so does the 1Ds(and variants). The E-1
> even fits in that mold. The D200 and 5D have the look and feel
> to them that they are "current model year" cameras but not
> something that I'd want to keep for years and years. I classify
> a "Holy Grail" camera one of those that you have to get rid of
> eventually because of technical reasons, not because you want to
> get rid of it.
>
Now, I'm ready for something longer term, something with greater
capabilities, flexibility, options, etc. I've looked long and hard, and
the 5D is the closest thing going to my personal requirements. "Holy
Grail", I dunno, but I can easily see myself using it for many years. If
I've done as good a job of fitting my requirements to the bodies
available as with the 300D, I don't see what else I will likely need in
the foreseeable future. And as an amateur who doesn't stress his camera
equipment much, there's no reason it shouldn't last quite a while.
> "It's just a tool" you say. True. But at what point does the
> tool fight you? Maybe I'm a little slow and not the brightest
> bulb in the chandelier when it comes to learning how to use
> ergonomicaly inferior devices.
What's inferior for one person may be superior to another. As with the
feet you mention below, hands differ a lot.
> .........Just maybe a camera is less a "tool" and more
> like a "pair of shoes". I don't like wearing uncomfortable
> shoes and won't buy certain brands because of it. Who cares if
> those running shoes are the lightest and bounciest and have all
> sorts of shock absorbers in the heels--if the toes are pinched
> and you get blisters, nothing else matters.
>
Yup, can't wear Rockports, just don't work for my feet. I bought a pair
of Merrill "man clogs", as a woman friend calls them, in Maine last year
and they have hardly left my feet except for rough ground or bed since.
Purrrrfect!
Moose
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