A very wise post, Shel. Things don't stand still.
John
On Sat, 18 Sep 2004 11:53:51 -0700, Shel Belinkoff <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Here's a crazy thought Mike, one that you touched upon: If the gear you
have works for what you're doing, what need is there to buy something
newer, especially if it makes it difficult to use some of the gear you
already have? If you want to do something other than what you're now
doing, then some additional equipment may be necessary, and, at that point,
you may want to add a lens or two to the mix anyway. Personally (and not
to pick on you, just using this message space to make a comment), if I want
AE as defined by JCO, the LX and ME-S are just fine for that. If I want
more manual control and feel, the MX and the Leicas are ideal for that. If
I want a more classic feel or experience, the Spotties do the trick. Now
that digital is here, I'm willing to accept (perhaps not embrace) the idea
that to take advantage of the new cameras, some new lenses may be in order,
although I still don't have to buy new ones as there are already a few A
lenses in the equipment cabinet. And, should I discover that "pushing the
green button," or some such similar act on the istDS is, indeed tiresome as
one poster suggested, then it's not a big deal to pick up a couple three
more A lenses which seem to be rather inexpensive these days.
While I understand what JCO is concerned about - that this may be a turning
point for Pentax and that he doesn't like the direction in which it's
turning - I don't see it as any major issue. Truth is, Pentax has had some
tough years, in part because they didn't keep up with change. Now they
seem to be embracing change, and moving forward. This will keep them
afloat, generate NEW customers and not just be the camera company for old
farts who want to impress a few people with the fact that their forty year
old lenses fit and eork on new cameras.
Like every business has learned, new customers, especially younger new
customers, must be courted and convinced to buy the product you're
producing, or else you'll pass into oblivion. So, while it may be neat if
the K and M lenses worked in such a way that there is no need to press a
button, it may be neater still to see pentax as once again a major (or at
least a larger) player in the field of photography. And for guys like Paul
and me, who have a long history of using manual gear, and who, perhaps even
use our AE exposure cameras manually, the "green button syndrome" is,
indeed, almost a luxury.
Ciao 4 Now,
ShelFrom: mike wilson <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
It is already the case that _all_ my present lenses will not function the same way on the newest range of cameras. The _best_ I can hope for, at present, is a workaround that will not suit most of what I do. Not being someone who generally rants, raves and blithers on [what am I doing here? 8-)] the only thing I can do (and it is an _active_) is not buy. Just possibly, the message will get through.
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