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[OM] Most Modern Reminds of Time-Tested

Subject: [OM] Most Modern Reminds of Time-Tested
From: Bob Whitmire <bwhitmire@xxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Tue, 29 Jan 2008 08:58:33 -0500
Having just bought a camera which arguably has the most sophisticated  
autofocus system currently available, I nevertheless am beginning to  
come to a re-appreciation of manual focus. For the vast majority of  
my shots, manual focus is actually more dependable than autofocus,  
but requires just a tad more work. And even that's debatable. I look  
through the view finder. I use the arrow pad to move the focus point  
where I want it. In the old days, I just twisted the focus ring. Even  
today I can set focus to manual and just twist the focus ring. True,  
it's a wimpy feel compared to the great lens focus rings of old, but  
it works.

(There are times, however, when autofocus comes into its own and  
literally nothing else will do, but truth is, I don't encounter those  
times very often, and it's easy enough to engage when I do.)

I'm even starting to think the amount of money spent on the latest  
autofocusing lenses might better be spent amassing a collection of  
older, manual focus glass that for most intents and purposes is just  
as good, if not better, than the auto-glass that replaced it. My  
camera reputedly has a way to register older glass so that metering  
will work, even if the operator is required to (gasp!) set the f-stop  
and manually focus.

Obviously, there are lenses that one must go modern with. The Nikon  
14-24, 24-70 and 70-200 come immediately to mind as there really  
aren't older equivalents, and the older prime wide angles show  
problems with the modern, full-frame DSLR. (Unless you're using  
vintage Oly glass on a new Canon, that is. <g>) But the old Nikon 105  
f/2.5, which many argue is one of the sharpest lenses ever produced  
by any camera company, is still available on the used market for as  
little as $150. The modern 105 which also has VR and is a macro, is  
around a grand, as I recall.

Also, I've got a terrific tripod and state--of-the-art ball head, but  
I don't use them very much because with the camera set to manual  
exposure with auto-ISO ranging between 200 and 3200 (and VR on the  
70-200), damn near every subject is available hand-held. But  
still . . . there's something in there causing a kind of subliminal  
discomfort at blasting away oblivious to the old shot discipline  
necessary when using the trusty OM-2n. Or the view camera. That  
little voice in the back of my head asking why I didn't go ahead and  
set up the tripod and lock the mirror up and use the cable release, etc.

No, I'm not longing for the old days. At least I don't think I am.  
What I'm longing for (I think) is a reminder that good shot  
discipline is not obviated by technology, that the superior tools of  
the modern day, such as top-of-the-line offerings from quality  
manufacturers such as Canon, Olympus, Nikon, Pentax, etc., actually  
perform even better with the application of common sense and  
patience, and an awareness of when to employ the ground-breaking  
technology, and when to let it rest.


--Bob Whitmire
www.bwp33.com


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