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Re: [OM] OT - N*k*n FM3A

Subject: Re: [OM] OT - N*k*n FM3A
From: Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Wed, 7 Feb 2001 11:42:27 -0800
 >The idea of a student camera is rather curious to me. It  seems to me
to be a basic manual focus camera with some sort of automatic or
semi-automatic exposure system that is built and priced so cheaply
that a student can afford it and hopefully it will last long enough
to take mediocre pictures for the class. Once the student has
"learned" photography he/she can then buy a grown up camera which
requires no knowledge at all to operate and which will never be
operated manually.  Why not start with a point and shoot or with a
good manual camera to start with? The cost of the so called student
camera added to the cost of the subsequent, even inexpensive camera
would be enough to buy a very nice camera.
Winsor

The normal meaning of a 'student camera' is a robust, good quality manual
system camera which a student can use to learn photography and then either
extend upwards or outwards. K1000's are favoured as they are common, almost
indestructible, have good quality lenses available at moderate cost. Other
good choices would be Nikkormat, Minolta SRT, Canon A series - automatic
functions are generally avoided as students 'can't be trusted' to stay
manual. My school owns over 20 K1000's for student use, including early
Japanese models, later Chinese assembled versions and recent Pearl River
copies (Millenium, M1000). We had some Pentax ME Supers and Minoltas but
they didn't last the distance. The old 'K's' need little maintenance
despite chronic rough treatment.
There is a substantial trade in this type of camera. OM1's qualify but
lenses are a little pricier than the others.
Andrew

I was not thinking of cameras owned by the school. What you say makes sense from that point of view.

I was thinking of the big ads by retailers that feature new "student cameras" which the student buys for him/herself for the schools which do not supply the equipment which is more typical in the US.

It just seemed a bit pointless to teach to a manual camera when it is unlikely that the student will want to use an manual camera for his personal use afterwards thinking like some of us that they are too expensive( Leica, Contax, Olympus) or old designs with no current ongoing development(OM, Pentax, Yashica). That leaves the wonderbricks and a Nikon FM in the middle. Of course I am assuming a course in hands-on photography, not a historical survey course. Sort of like having a course in word processing taught on a typewriter. You may learn skills that will help you in word processing, but you will learn more that is relevant with a computer and software.

Just some thoughts.


Winsor
--
Winsor Crosby
Long Beach, California
mailto:wincros@xxxxxxxxxxx

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