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[OM] Re: Yugo with a V8 engine

Subject: [OM] Re: Yugo with a V8 engine
From: Moose <olymoose@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Date: Fri, 27 May 2005 21:22:31 -0700
LOL Boy I'll bet you had fun writing this!

AG Schnozz wrote:

>Yesterday I had the pleasure of checking out the new DRebel 350.
>I don't mean to be picky, but that is the chintziest piece of
>garbage I've seen since the Yugo hit the American streets.
>
>Granted, it has a very nice sensor and decent features, but the
>thing is living down to the "Rebel" construction:
>
>1. It creaked. (not quite as bad as the 300d, though).
>  
>
What in heaven's name do you do to it to make it creak? I guess I'm just 
too gentle. Just reached over and gave the old DRebel a whack with a 
knuckle. Fortunately, nothing fell off, but It did try to scurry off and 
quiver in a corner.

>2. It shook when taking a picture. Talk about shutter vibration.
>  
>
Must be a Princess and the pea thing. You are the Princess, by the way, 
and I'm just an insensitive scullery girl - or something. Hmmm, this 
metaphor could get interesting, kinky even, but I digress. OM-1 sounds 
better than OM-4, sounds better than D300 - when I sit here and 
critically listen. When I'm taking pics, I just don't notice anything 
about the noise.

>3. The grip shape is for martians.
>  
>
Been around this one before. Different grips for different hands. I find 
myself carrying the D300 around for lengthy periods in my hand, rather 
than around my neck. Not with any real intent, it just happens. I think 
it must be comfortable in my hands. :-)

>4. The viewfinder is tiny and distant. It also had more of the
>look of a straight-optical viewfinder of a P&S or rangefinder
>camera where there is no true focusing screen.  This is an
>indication that the focusing screen is pretty much just a
>microprism surface.  Oh, and I never could get the diopter
>adjustment to give me a clear image without pulling my eyes to
>an apparant one foot optical viewing distance. (OMs are about
>5-6 feet).
>  
>
Well, I haven't looked through a D350, but I assume it's much like a 
D300. Again, different eyes, or something. I recently spent 3 days of 
fairly intensive photograhpy with D300 and OM-4 side by side. When I 
switched, things would look odd for a moment, then it didn't make any 
difference. I could see what I was aiming to shoot and did so. Diopter 
on the D300 works fine fot me.

>5. Loud.  Quaaak!  Ok, maybe it isn't very loud, but the sound
>is definitely not pleasing.
>  
>
Oh, come on, combine this with #2.

>6. The kit lens is garbage. Barrel distortion and scungy
>feeling. Manual focusing is worthless on it and just touching
>the focusing ring moves the lens around (changing the image
>framing).
>  
>
It's also dirt cheap and, according to tests, optically quite good 
except for the barrel distortion on the short end. I didn't buy one with 
my D300, and I'm sorry, they have regularly sold on the bay for more 
than their effective kit price. If a lens has a negative cost and you 
don't even have to use it, what's not to like? :-)

>7. Control layout is a major step down from the original DRebel. If that was 
>possible.
>  
>
Different strok........

>8. Menu system is a total disaster. 
>
See #7

>Monitor also looks smaller than it is.
>  
>
Huh? What does that mean?

>Granted, there are a few niceties and improvements. But this
>camera is, in my opinion, a low-level P&S with swappable lenses.
>Other than image quality 
>
Oh my, and here I thought that was the most important thing.........

>and a couple performance spec issues,
>  
>
just specs, or real results?

>my M*nolta A1 runs circles around this thing.
>  
>
I assume here you refer to event shooting and such pro activities. I 
don't do those and find the D300 rather easy to use. Perfect? No way. 
Perfectly usable, sure.

>I don't understand the infatuation the masses have with the DRebels. 
>
Damn, there I am back down with the masses again, and you waving from up 
on the battlements, while quietly wanting to hold you nose. That's fine, 
I like it down here.

As to infatuation, how about discrimination and an understanding of what 
they will use it for? The D300 makes fabulous images for peanuts and 
works with full finctionality with lenses that many already have or can 
obtain at reasonable cost in the aftermarket. Some of us have very 
different needs. I've had the D300 for aabout 8 months and taken almost 
1,500 shots with it. Your burn rate is mich higher than that. Did you 
say something around 8,000 with the A1 when you bought the E-1? My 300D 
will be technologically really obsolete before it reaches that number. I 
simply don't need some of the qualities that you do. If the E-1 and 300D 
were exactly the same in image making qualities, I still might have 
bought the 300D, as it was about half the price or maybe Olyism would 
have won out. However, for MY specific photographic needs, the 300D is a 
BETTER camera in performance than the E-1. I know this is not true for 
many others

>This camera is a half-step away from being a disposable.  
>
Of course it is. That's because it IS a disposable camera, something to 
use and enjoy (me, not you :-)     while waiting for the market to 
settle down and deliver the much better performance in smaller sizes at 
lower prices that is inevitable. Then if it still works, which it 
probably will be perverse enough to do, and if Oly doesn't make an E 
system camera that meets my needs by then, it can become second body to 
the succesor to the 20D or 1D. You get to write off your equipment and 
actually pay for it with cash it generates in your hands. Not everyone 
wishes to, and even fewer are capable of, doing that. More power to you.

>I have more trust in a plastic grocery sack carrying two gallons of milk than 
>I do in this camera.
>  
>
Great line.   (But I'll bet my phone takes a better picture than your 
grocery sack!)

>Reminds me of Huffy bicycles. Great looking and full-featured. But I'll take 
>my Cannondale, thank you very much.
>  
>
Ditto. (And here I am crap again, with my crummy Bridgestone :-)

>It won't grace my camera bag anytime soon.
>  
>
Nor should it! Anytime late either!

Moose, who sucks in the "who has the best toys" contest. [And - he 
drives an Olds convertible, for heavens sakes. He should just kill 
himself and avoid the shame!] Yeah, but I don't have to work for a 
living anymore, so who cares?

PS: Love my car, love my cameras, love my $5 watch with the custom Moose 
dial I made, love a good rant, given or received, and love my life. I 
hope all is the same with you (except the watch). No offense taken, none 
meant.

Disclaimer: All opinions are only those of the writer and should not be 
expected to be held by anyone else (I hope, I always wanted to be 
different), nor to be accurate in the opinion of anyone else.

Clarification: Although I would not actively dissuade anyone from buying 
a DRebel, if their needs and opinons are similar to mine, I caution 
against buying or using Yugos. If a camera fails, it usually won't kill you


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