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Re: [OM] Keeping OM alive

Subject: Re: [OM] Keeping OM alive
From: Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxx>
Date: Sat, 13 Jun 1998 22:29:09 -0700
>Kennedy wrote:
>>A significant input on my purchase of an OM-1 all those years ago was
>>the placing of the shutter speed ring around the lens barrel.
>
>Absolutely.
>
>Another thing, throughout this thread there have been references to the
>desirability of autofocus.  Now quite apart from the unlikelihood of
>Olympus producing an autofocus range of lenses, and assuming C*nt*x's
>backfocussing is patented (and wouldn't fit in an OM body),
>one of the great pleasures of the Zuiko lenses, apart from image
>quality, is their 'feel'.  The positive feel of manual focus is
>completely lost in autofocus lenses I have tried (eg S*gma, C*n*n etc.)
>The 'feel', and I think manual precison, is lost to compromises for
>speed of focus.
>
>Perhaps focus confirmation (suggested elsewhere in the thread) might be
>an appropriate compromise, without affecting the design of the lenses.
>
>Regards
>
>Andy

I think you are right, Andy. Two friends whose photography I respect have
recently shifted to autofocus cameras. Aside from the esthetics of the
picture taking experience, autofocus just seems to be a rough
approximation. Both these guys are good craftsman with their photographic
technique. The one friend just shrugs and says they are all right for hand
held prints if exposed in bright light so there is lots of depth of field.
He says they are not suitable for slides. The other friend is more
tactiturn, having gotten rid of his older camera and lenses for new Pentax
ZX5s and a Tokina ATX 28-80/2.6-2.8(hope that is right). I saw some of his
shots of his son's wedding and some cloudy bright outdoor shots in
CZechoslovakia. Most were OK, but there were too many shots where the plane
of sharp focus in portraits went through the knees or behind the head. When
I asked about the focus he just looked unhappy and said, "The autofocus".

Winsor

Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
mailto:wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx





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