Bill Pearce wrote:
>
>> And weight does matter to some folks. When I am climbing, backpacking,
>> or cycle touring it matters a lot - in fact I still carry film cameras
>> (OM or XA) in many cases because of the weight savings.
>>
>>
> Jim,
>
> There ARE special situations where the least possible weight is most
> desirable. On her safaris, my wife is limited to about 25 pounds of stuff.
> That's everything, clothes, medicines, toiletries, cameras, etc. For three
> weeks. In that case, the lightest possible camera is important, although
> some of the others that took Rebels learned the advantage of dust seals, as
> their cameras failed quickly.
>
One of the advantages of the OM-4ti was that is was a lighter - pro
quality camera with seals and the whole nine yards. The problem these
days is that the lighter cameras all seem to entry level bodies such as
the rebel or the D40. You always had the option of adding the Motor
Drive if you did want more mass on the camera.
> In any situation, though, a heavier camera can be hand-held at a slower
> speed that a lighter one. You trade those stops off for another advantage.
>
>
Maybe, I am not so sure. I think balance and ergonomics are every bit as
important. It may be that the heavier camera does help steady the mirror
slap, ect better than a lighter one, but I don't think it is that
significant.
Of course, if the camera is at home because it was to much weight to
carry then there is no real advantage. The upshot for me is that I still
shoot 90% film in the hills, largely because I am unwilling to carry the
heavier weight digital gear.
The disadvantage of added weight multiplies as you add more lenses or
system accessories. When I went to Italy in 02 I brought a bunch of OM
gear which added together turned out to be a fair amount to haul around
- bringing even half that much gear in current digital equipment is a
though I don't want to even contemplate!
I am not saying this is an issue for everyone, in fact probably not for
most people judging by what the market makes available. but for myself,
and I am sure a number of other photographers it sure would be nice to
have a relatively light, compact pro quality system available.
We can debate how much a camera should weight, but my real issue is that
is that Olympus touts one of the 4/3 advantages as being lighter and
more compact - they have not made good on that promise/benefit in my
mind. It is a benefit that would be advantageous to me.
Jim Couch
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