I have a massive appreciation for these magazines--once they are over
30 years old. The thing about these "advertiser controlled" magazines
is that the glorified press releases (reviews) say much about the
state of the industry/craft. However, with the lens of history, we
look back at these magazines and see what worked and what didn't.
Pentax heavily promoted their wares just inside the cover as the
sports photographer's dream come true. Although there were a few
sports photographers shooting Pentax, they certainly didn't establish
themselves, in spite of the advertising, as a powerhouse in that
market segment.
Mamiya was known for their marketing campaigns that aimed themselves
at the 35mm shooter looking for that extra bit of quality that a
larger negative would give them. They were very successful in that
campaign. As photographers moved up, Mamiya was the logical choice as
price/performance hit the sweet spot.
Canon ruled the day with the AE-1 advertisements. There were also
advertisements for the A1, AV1 and even the F1, but there was no doubt
that the AE-1 was gold.
In retrospect, you can see that Olympus was always engineering-centric
and tried to target themselves to those who were buying Contax and
Leica.
Nikon always was the gold-standard in 35mm. Everything was compared to Nikon.
Another thing that I find fascinating as I look back at these old
magazines is the little reminder that every technological generational
advancement results in a culture war:
Rangefinder vs. SLR
B&W vs. color
Handheld meter vs. built-in meter
External flash vs. hot shoe
Thumb vs. external motor drive
Prime lens vs. zoom lens
Manual exposure vs. auto exposure
Auto exposure vs. Program mode
Manual focus vs. auto focus
External motor drive vs internal
Traditional controls vs. modal controls
Metal vs. plastic.
Hot shoe vs. built in flash
Brick shape vs. grip shape
Film vs. Digital
DSLR vs. mirrorless
Optical viewfinders vs. electronic viewfinders
And on it goes...
As I typed up this list, I saw where some things have changed back
somewhat and the culture wars start all over again. It's quite funny
to look through this list and see that the recalcitrants are arguing
for what used to be the new technology but is now the old technology.
DLSR vs. rangefinder
Color vs. B&W
Zoom lens vs. prime lens
Grip shape vs. brick shape
Modal controls vs. traditional controls
Digital vs. film
Life is grand.
AG
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
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