Cameron, You're forgiven. On the homely front, there are two problems that I see. One is that it is hard to tell in pictures what they really look like. I remember the first time I saw the Nikon 5700 in pictures, I was shocked. Later seeing it in person, the small size changed my impression quite a bit. It would be good to see the real product before passing final judgement.
Secondly, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. I wondered for years if all the American Motors design engineers were blind. In my opinion, they could not design a nice looking car. However, some people bought them and must of thought they looked fine. Same goes for cameras. Some like really straight lines, some like curves. Some like odd looking things and some don't. What can seem ugly to one may seem unique to another. I am sure that some will love the looks of the *ist D and some will hate it. Bruce Saturday, March 1, 2003, 12:18:58 PM, you wrote: CH> I may have been a little extreme in my judgement of the *ist D; CH> perhaps not butt ugly, but just very plain and homely. CH> The feature list does look very good indeed, and I am very glad CH> they are finally getting there AF up to current standards. The digital CH> viewfinder option, if it is true, even via mirror lockup, will be a CH> great feature; it is too bad the screen doesn't tilt and pivot, which CH> would be great for macro - no more ref converters and the like. CH> 6 megs is a bit low for today's new products, but if they can keep CH> the price point down low enough, it will be a good investment. It is CH> too bad it is so damn homely, though; perhaps its merits will help it CH> to overcome it's shortcomings. CH> BTW, pardon my ignorance, but why do digital cameras need a shutter CH> at all? Aren't the pixels power dependant, and couldn't you have the CH> CCD or CMOS activated by power alone, forgoing the need and limitations CH> of a mechanical shutter, even if they are electronically controlled? CH> Couldn't they make one with a true electro-digital interface (i.e. no CH> moving parts)? Just my 2 cents. CH> I am happy that they have finally brought their first DSLR to CH> market; I hope that it is the first of many, and I can only hope that CH> this first one is also as ulgy as they are going to get. That big nobby CH> control thing on the right side really looks antique, cheap, and out of CH> place; they could have melded it into the body like the PZ1's.
