Ken,
Thanks for the in-depth analysis. For my personal comparison, since I have
not used the OM bodies, I go back to my first real camera, which came with a
recessed "soft-release" adapter. The Leica IIIa has a smooth, quiet release
and shutter sound, but the E-1 is its equal.
http://gallery.leica-users.org/v/OldNick/2006_0219LeicaIIIa0003small.JPG.html
Jim Nichols
Tullahoma, TN USA
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ken Norton" <ken@xxxxxxxxxxx>
To: "Olympus Camera Discussion" <olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
Sent: Friday, May 14, 2010 11:50 AM
Subject: Re: [OM] Incident Light Metering, A moment of weakness
> >
>> This is completely off your OM topic, but related. I think that the E-1
>> has
>> the smoothest release experience of any camera I have used since I put
>> away
>> my screw-mount Leica bodies. Does your experience with the E-1 support
>> this?
>>
>
>
> Off-topic is on-topic with this list...
>
> I agree that the E-1's release is an experience unto itself--most
> definitely
> unlike any other digital camera I've ever tried. But, when compared to OM
> bodies, there is one which I think has an even smoother release.
>
> OM-3Ti.
>
> I just dry-fired mine a few times to confirm my impressions of it. The
> release is very soft, but with a slight difference as compared to the E-1.
> With the E-1 there is two steps to it, but the transition between the
> first
> step and the second step (where the shutter actually fires) has a very
> tiny
> notch even though you barely feel it. Once you move past that resistance,
> the E-1's release is a smooth plunge with nary a wiggle.
>
> The OM-3Ti, just as the other non OM-1 bodies has a half-step meter
> wake-up,
> but is notchless. Just touching the release is usually enough to wake it
> up,
> but the first couple of mm of travel is reserved for the meter and won't
> trigger the shutter. As it has no step, the shutter release has one smooth
> plunge all the way to the point where the shutter fires. This is pretty
> much
> true with other OM bodies, but with a twist.
>
> The OM-2S has a rather raspy release and the OM-4T I have has a distinct
> step prior to the final plunge to firing the shutter. My OM-3Ti has just
> one
> buttery smooth movement all the way to the bottom, but like the OM-4T it
> does fire the shutter prior to full-depression. By firing the shutter
> before
> the finger reaches the bottom, you don't get the camera movement from the
> slight but present kinetic energy being absorbed by the camera from the
> finger movement. The finger is still in motion while the picture is being
> taken. I'm estimating that the shutter fires on the OM-3Ti about 2mm from
> the bottom.
>
> This does present a little problem though, which I've noticed with the 3Ti
> which I don't have with other OM bodies. Precise timing of the exposure.
> I'm
> a squeezer and tend to time my picture based on the position of my finger.
> With the 3Ti I'm not quite sure where the shutter will fire and I usually
> end up shooting before I really want to.
>
> Just a stream of thinking here.... Bear with me...
>
> The OM-2S also fires before reaching bottom, but the button is smaller,
> recessed in the funnel-shaped surround and presents a slight dilemma.
> Because of the recess it's harder for the finger to reach the bottom, but
> if/when it does, the nasty shutter delay of that specific camera means
> that
> your finger is actually bottoming out during the exposure, not after. This
> is one reason why I developed a rocking motion with my finger to shoot
> that
> camera.
>
> Anyway, I've said many times before that the OM-3Ti feels different than
> any
> other OM body and I think one of those things is the shutter-release. It
> is
> a different tactile experience from the others.
>
>>From a practical application I'm going to say without hesitation that I
>>can
> handhold the E-1 slower than ANY camera I've ever had or used. The camera
> is
> so smooth and the way the shutter-release feels, I can get lower speeds
> than
> I've ever been able to before. It's not uncommon at all for me to shoot
> with
> the 200/4 on the E-1 at 1/15 and get pixel-sharp images. I'm good, but
> not
> THAT good. Likewise, the OM-3Ti is so smooth that I am doubling my
> allowable shutter times. Instead of 1/125 at 100mm, I'm able to go down
> to
> 1/60 at 100mm, for example. The E-3's shutter release is very bumpy as
> compared to the E-1 and needs the image stabilization to match what the
> E-1
> can do in absorbing shutter-release induced vibration.
>
> AG
>
> AG
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