> Well said, Nathan. No doubt electronic viewfinders are cheaper, and LCD
> screens cheaper still, but we are being hoodwinked into believing they are
> better.
Drawing a parallel here is what we are seeing with smartphones and
other personal entertainment devices. The manufacturers are trying to
get rid of ALL of the buttons. In some ways this is an advantage and
in the long term, a much less expensive way to build the devices. But
what is lost is the tactile control. Until I got the Android phone, I
could always dial the phone or answer the phone without looking at it.
Not anymore. Now I've got to take my eyes off the road and get my
finger to the right spot on the screen and swipe in exactly the right
direction. What used to take a glance at the most now takes a
concerted hand-eye coordination effort.
And this is progress.
Cameras, such as the new Fuji X100(s), XE-1 and XPro-1 have the
tactile controls and general ability to be used without looking at the
camera. Classic camera designs with non-modal controls can be adjusted
and manipulated in the hands without even so much as a glance. I do
this with the OM system too. I start out with my general setting for
the situation and can zone focus and adjust aperture and shutter speed
by touch. All I have to do is raise the camera to my eye and shoot.
All cameras have a "P (professional)" mode these days. With the highly
advanced metering and hyper-active 10-zillion zone AF, they should
automatically be perfect at getting the shots. But, there are a few of
us who prefer to hijack a few of the functions from the camera as part
of our own control-freak personality faults.
--
Ken Norton
ken@xxxxxxxxxxx
http://www.zone-10.com
--
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