I consider any lens that doesn't permit use of modern metering or flash
technology to be obsolete. K/M lenses are thus obselete (Although you
can modify them to allow modern multi-segment metering). In addition,
they, like the A lenses, do not allow the lens-camera communication that
FA and FA2 lenses do.
That doens't make them unusable. Just obsolete.
To go along with the car analogy, I consider carburated engines to be
obsolete, as the superior electronic fuel injection has rendered them
obsolete. Same for pushrod engine designs, which are obsolete as well.
But both are still usable.
-Adam
J. C. O'Connell wrote:
We went thru this before. The defintion
of obsolete as I recall it when discussed
is way too vague. Just because an item doesn't
have some later feature doesn't make it
obsolete IMHO because that's like saying
if your current car isnt a hybrid its obsolete
because it doesn't have hybrid feature that
came out later. Or even worse, if the feature
that came out later is of little use like
saying Pentax POWER ZOOM bodies made all those
before it obsolete. Yeah right!
GET IT?
jco
-----Original Message-----
From: Adam Maas [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Sent: Friday, September 23, 2005 8:44 AM
To: [email protected]
Subject: Re: Camera engineering (was Re: Rename request)
K/M Lenses do not communicate max/minimum aperture information, allow
setting aperture in 1/3 stops, communicate focal distance, communicate
MTF data or communicate focal length. FA2 lenses communicate all this
information, FA lenses communicate all but MTF and focal distance, A
lenses give only the max/min aperture and allow setting aperture in 1/3
stops. This information is required for Matrix-metering, P-TTL flash
metering and the A position is required for Program and Shutter Priority
AE modes.
K/M lenses are obsolete as they lack these capabilities. Doesn't make
them unusable or inferior, just obsolete.
-Adam
