Namby pamby! Just stick the camera to your hand with some duct tape.
Sheesh! Ergonomics! Pooh!
Chuck Norcutt
Ken Norton wrote:
> I've concluded that I am the weirdest photographer in the world. I am
> obviously the ONLY photographer that doesn't obsess over the tiniest nuance
> of sensor noise at ISO 3200 or count the number of pixels dancing on the
> head of a pin. I don't even get all that carried away over auto-focus speed
> or number of auto-focus points. Worse of all, I don't give a rip who has
> the biggest unubtanium zoom lens with 12-stops of image-stabilization and
> NEXRAD build in.
> All I want is a camera that doesn't get in my way. I want a camera that is
> there for me when I'm ready to shoot a picture. Most importantly, I want a
> camera that doesn't hurt me!
>
> Is this too much to ask?
>
> Last night, after a long day which included getting together with another
> photographer (Olympus IS-3, grip, etc), doing honey-dos around the house,
> walking in a parade, then attending a holiday party at my former boss's
> mansion with around 100 paintings from all over the world, we stopped in at
> a particular big-box store which sold various DSLRs.
>
> Having been sufficiently chastised by various people both here on this list
> and elsewhere over my gripes about ergonomics, I've been deciding to just
> keep quiet and just accept the fact that my concerns are unwarranted and
> just the rants of some loony guy no more listened to than the long-haired
> guy on the street-corner marching around with the "The End is Near" sign.
> Well, to satisfy the scene:
>
> "THE END IS NEAR!"
>
> I will refrain from naming camera brands and models, as the moment I say
> anything negative about any particular one, the cries of "you're an idiot"
> will rise up in one unified chorus clamoring for the removal of my Internet
> access. But what I will do is identify some things that really stand out
> for me from my entire day's exposure to cameras. For those who can't figure
> it out, I'm also blasting a brand near and dear to us.
>
> 1. Battery Grip shutter-release button is in a different position (even
> though the grip shape is identical) for the vertical grip than the
> horizontal grip. PLEASE, pick one place or the other, but having the
> shutter-release button move almost 2cm to the right is unacceptable.
>
> 2. Postage-stamp viewfinder. There is small, and then there is SMALL. Just
> when I thought it couldn't get any smaller, two manufacturers outdo
> themselves.
>
> 3. Kit zoom lens starting aperture is F4.5 on the wide-angle (if you can
> call it that) to F6.3 on the long end. I won't even mention the bogus
> manual-focus ring that is out at the end of the lens and has the filter
> attached to it. Even in a brightly lit store, about the only thing visible
> in the viewfinder was the ceiling lights. Folks, it was bad--as bad as I've
> EVER seen.
>
> 4. The grip shape of one entire line of cameras was extremely cramped. The
> manufacturer reduced the grip radius by what looks like 1cm. It is shaped
> correctly, but just not large enough. Honestly, I can't imagine using a
> seriously pro, full-frame body that has a Digital Rebel handgrip. Sorry,
> but I'm not referring to anything from Canon, either! My fingertips were
> mashed into a couple buttons at the base of the lens-mount and I couldn't
> get enough leverage on the camera to offset the huge weight of it. Why this
> manufacturer literally destroyed one of the best grip shapes ever is beyond
> me. And then to add insult to perceived injury, another manufacturer had an
> almost identical grip shape.
>
> 5. Blinking lights. I don't mind, so much, if the viewfinder looks like a
> dance club, but make sure the focus screen is bright enough so the blinking
> lights don't blind you.
>
> 6. In the race for the biggest LCD, the buttons have all been moved to some
> perimeter position which can no longer be reached from the right hand
> without removing the hand from the grip.
>
> Shall I go on?
>
> Yes, I'm weird. Even if Mike Johnson has decided that ergonomics no longer
> matter, I still care.
>
> AG
>
>
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