John,
I definitely agree with you on this one. My recommendation to serious
photographers who asked my opinion on getting into a "real" camera system
has been to go to your local, pro-caliber store and try them all. Pick 'em
up, change lenses, open the backs to load film, put them around your neck,
use all the controls, etc. If you're going to "live" with a camera, it
should suit your shooting style, the size/shape of your hands, and your
personality. It's a shame that most people buy a camera system based on
some marketing-driven reputation, a bigoted recommendation, a magazine
article, or snobbery. Most probably need a real good P&S anyway.
When I bought my first OM-1 in 1976, I did the hands-on evaluation as
above, and I must have tried 5 different bodies at the time before settling
on the OM.
BTW John - What were the three beasties that you were evaluating, and did
you ever make a choice?
Skip
At 8/8/99 10:28 PM -0400, you wrote:
This "feel" is not only a very difficult concept to explain but is
confounding to those who do not appreciate its importance. I recently
handled three different cameras the local dealer went through a lot of
trouble to get into his store for me. I spent from 10 to 30 minutes with
each one, trying different angles and modes of operating the controls. In
the end, nary a one of them felt right. As I was putting everything away,
he approached expecting a sale. I told him thank you for all the effort but
I was not going to purchase any of them. When he asked why not, I explained
they didn't feel right in my hands. He was bewildered. I'll give him
credit for not pressing the matter and trying to make me feel guilty. I
genuinely appreciated all he did to provide the opportunity to handle the
equipment. In the end, it was clear none of them were the right camera for
me and he just couldn't understand why not. He kids me about it now, asking
how my cameras are feeling, shaking his head, still bewildered.
John P
______________________________________
there is no "never" - just long periods of "not yet".
there is no "always" - just long periods of "so far".
Richard Ross <rhdesign@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> For my part, if it doesn't feel good then I won't get the
> best out of it; a tool (for that is what a camera is at the end of the
day)
> has to feel like an extension of oneself.
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Skip Williams
Westfield, NJ
skipwilliams@xxxxxxxxx
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