On Tue, Jan 19, 2010 at 8:20 PM, Fred Holmes <f...@his.com> wrote: > But manual focus, etc., is a matter of using menus to get to the function, > and then using some control to >run the lens motor that focuses the lens, > etc. Not a quick process if you are trying to take >extemporaneous > photographs.
Manual focus, etc., is a matter of using menus if the camera is so designed. Other cameras that are designed to be more attuned to the needs of the photographer do not bury such options in menus, but provide immediate access to such functions with dedicated buttons or switches. With such cameras, employing those options can be very quick. Again, we are speaking here not of "pocket cameras," but of those cameras that bridge between the DSLR and the standard, fit on the palm of your hand, point-and-shoot. > While I haven't actually tried it, I presume that manual focus is like manual > zoom -- overshoot, >overshoot, overshoot, or if there is a speed control on > the motor, approach the setting very slowly. Manual focus can be achieved through, as the word says, manually altering the focus, bypassing normal motor control over the lens. > I'm taking pictures at a wedding and I want to photograph the couple as they > leave (the recessional, if >it's called that). Focus at say, 6 feet, or 10 > feet, and snap the picture "immediately" when the couple >comes into the > "zone." And not have to keep the shutter button half-pressed while waiting > for the shot >to develop. Twisting a lens barrel to match an index marked > "6" is easy. Remembering how to navigate >the menus is not. As you point out, plodding through menus or trying to remember where functions are to be found within menus is a pain in the ass and also quite slow. Small cameras typically have a lot of stuff in menus because the tiny body of the camera just does not provide enough area upon which to locate a number of buttons or switches. That is one reason why DSLRs are large by comparison. Steve ************************************************************************* ** List info, subscription management, list rules, archives, privacy ** ** policy, calmness, a member map, and more at http://www.cguys.org/ ** *************************************************************************
