Hi Cotty, > >My copy actually arrived as I read your posting! A smart looking > camera and > >I thought it was interesting that it was aimed at 'the most demanding > >professionals and experienced amateurs to SLR novices'.
Cotty wrote: > > Personally I think this is tosh. 'The most demanding professionals' will > not be buying this camera, and few SLR novices will. Only those with > loadsamoney. It's still a nice looker though, and I'm sure it will > perform well. Having read all the posts here on the *ist, and the views of professional photographers and experienced amateurs here, I assumed the same thing. Interesting that it is marketed that way. > > >This fascination in making things small is a bit of a nuisance > if, like me, > >you have big hands. > > Hmm. I would tend to agree, except that I go through extremes. I love the > MX but it is minute compared to the D60/batt/big lens aboard. I remember > back to last year when I held a 67 for the first time in ages - it felt > beautiful. If digital photography did not exist, I would almost certainly > be shooting with a Pentax 67. I think it was just about the most > comfortable camera I have ever had in my hands. You should know! I now have an MX with a 40mm lens in my coat pocket at all times. Best small camera combination I can manage. I love the 67, particularly as I have recently added a wooden grip. I had the opportunity to handle a D60 a week or so ago, it does feel good. A great part of my hobbies is using equipment I enjoy, and 70/80s Pentax feel right. The construction then, is no longer commercially profitable today, but I couldn't imagine using a plastiky 67 - yuck! > > I don't mind small cameras - but not ones full of buttons and knobs > everywhere. Little digicams with teensy weensy controls are a waste of > time for me. The MX is fine - few controls and fairly easily accessed. > The Leica CL is better - the shutter dial can easily be moved with one > digit without removing the eye from the viewfinder, and the focus control > is by a single 'knob' on the focus barrel that sits nicely on the end of > a finger. I hear what you say. I love the ME-SUPER but the controls are so small. > > Just looking at the pic of the *ist (is that '*' capitalised or not!?) in > AP, I can see that it really is very small indeed. The back end of a K > mount lens is narrower than the back end of a Canon EF mount lens - I was > recently comparing the two Tokina 28-70s (2.6/2.8) I have - one in each > mount. The Canon EF mount made the K mount look very small indeed. So > looking at the physical size of the back end of the 28-80 aboard th *ist, > that camera really is tiny. Maybe stick a 35mm - or even better, the 40mm > pancake - aboard the *ist and you've got a great street/reportage cam > that slips easily in a coat pocket? Certainly. I am sure it will sell well. > > Not for me though :-) After nearly 6 months without shooting film (except > for some mono in the Leica CL for grabs while out working), I simply have > not used film and not missed it for one single second. I cannot believe > how liberating it has been. I'm impressed, but as a dinosaur attracted to older equipment, it will be a little while until I join the digital age ;-) > > Anyway, the sun is out, it's about 12c, the birds are twittering, the > crocuses are bubbling out of the mire, it's a lovely day and I'm off out > to take some piccys. Got a nice shiny new angle finder that means I don't > have to squat like a dog when doing landscapes :-) Good luck. I've got to wash the 110s :-( Malcolm
