> Even though your post was, of course, in jest, I must disagree that
> the cameras you mention are anything like a Fuji X100. The only real
> candidate from the film world would be a small, metal rangefinder
> camera :-) I share your feelings about the necessity of all-manual,
> dedicated controls for enthusiast photographers.
I think the DMC-L1 is actually remarkably like the X100. Brilliant looking,
brilliant feeling and able to have the basic controls run in an intuitive
and natural manner. But just like the DMC-L1, the X100 is apparently flawed
in some significant, but secondary areas.
Like the DMC-L1, the X100 has outstanding controls on top and to the front,
but in the back things kinda went a little haywire. The on-off switch under
the thumb in such a manner that you actually turn the camera off when trying
to take a picture? Like the DMC-L1, the X100 has an innovative viewfinder
with distinct advantages, but is dim and small.
Where Fuji got things correct, over the DMC-L1, is in the primary controls.
I know MR has issues with full-stop controls, but I don't. The DMC-L1 has
1/3 stop controls for the aperture ring and shutter-speed dial. Fine if you
are tied to the digital readouts, but not really natural as the bulk of
lenses and cameras it is most closely related to are whole-stop. This may
seem like a minor point, but switching between cameras during a shoot will
definitely send your mind nuts as this is a distraction.
I'm extremely tempted by the X100 for several features and reasons, but it
is apparent at this firmware level, that there are major flaws in the
menuing that may be show-stoppers. I need one-stop shopping for ISO, WB,
exposure-compensation, metering and focus modes. Honestly, this is one area
where Panasonic really got it right with the DMC-L1 (and screwed it all up
in all other models). The switches and customizable FUNC.1 and FUNC.2
buttons make the camera extremely quick to alter methodologies. The DMC-L1
has a few nuances which will drive you to drink--not nearly as well sorted
as the lowly Minolta A1 which had pretty much no bad habits, just technical
limitations.
Like the DMC-L1, the X100 is equipped with an awesome lens!!! But the DMC-L1
does have the advantage of being changeable. The size of the X100 is really
nice, although possible just a hair too small. I'd rather that they grow the
camera just a tiny bit to give it enough girth for stability. These cameras
are getting too small to be stable to hold. I think that the DMC-L1 equipped
with a classic OM Zuiko 24/2.8, 35/2.8 or 50/1.4 is just about perfect in
handling, size and weight. I really, really like the way that kit feels and
looks.
The E-P1 and E-P2 are really close to ideal size/weight, but without the
dorky Naugahyde seat cushion on the front.
I understand your reference to these as being cameras for "enthusiast
photographers". Depending on what I'm doing, I'm either an enthusiast or a
professional. Sometimes the lines get blurred. In this day and age, the
majority of professionals are using their cameras as "point-and-shoots" that
happen to take interchangeable lenses. Just because it's a DSLR that weighs
and is as large as a Mini Cooper doesn't mean that the camera is used in
anything but Program or Aperture-Priority Mode. Even the flash stuff is all
automatic! I'm not passing judgement, because I use my DSLRs in the same
manner. It's a "heat of the moment" thing where when that "P" mode seems the
best choice.
Like the DMC-L1, the X100 is design-optimized for a specific style of
shooting. For that one style, they are very very good. But how a camera
adapts to multiple styles and changing requirements is where the monolithic
DSLRs still shine. They make lousy street-photography cameras, for example,
but they are adaptable to pretty much any type of photography you can throw
it at.
The OM-3Ti fits in an entirely different category, of course. The camera
sees little "professional use", but sees substantial "artistic use". As
analog photography is getting marginalized to "artistic use" and less
"professional use", cameras like the OM-3Ti start to really shine and come
into their own.
For my art-photography project I was working on, the OM-3Ti was not only the
best camera for the task, but combined with the 35-80 became a significant
contributor to the outcome. The lens and viewfinder projected an image to my
eye that caused me to alter the compositions to maximise the unique way the
scene is drawn.
AG
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