It's not the simplicity itself that's at issue. It's the original UNIX
creed, programs that do one thing well.
I want a still camera that does still photography well, that's
ergonomically suited to it. Something that takes good quality
photographs printable up to a certain size. I don't care if the camera
makes movies, really good movies require seeing in ways that I just
don't see. Really good movies, unless they're good due to compelling
subject matter, require planning that even Ansel Adams didn't need to
do. As a still photographer, using what used to be called a minicam,
I want a Camera that doesn't get in my way, but has all the necessary
controls readily available to take still pictures. That should be
control over the three parts parts of exposure, ISO, Aperture, Shutter
Speed. Control over the meter with selectable spot averaging and the
program. The ability to turn the anti shake system on or off quickly,
as conditions warrant. In auto focus modes the ability to choose focus
points quickly.
I shoot raw so it's not quite so important that I change color balance
quickly though it does help get good exposures. So that shouldn't be
buried to deeply in a menu either.
For tripod work getting into a true mirror lockup would be nice too.
On the K20D Pentax got almost all of those things right. All the
shooting controls are right there. Shutter and Aperture are
controlled by two wheels, ISO press the OK button and turn the front
wheel. Metering pattern is right there under the mode dial. SR a
switch on the back of the camera. White balance on the quick menu.
Change a focus point, in shooting mode right there on the four way
controller.
The only thing you need to take your cameras from your eye for is white
balance.
Tho only real deficiency is mirror lockup for tripod work.
We can discuss the cameras deficiencies as a photographic tool at
length, it has many and can be extremely frustrating, but it's control
layout for the still photographer is better than almost any other camera
I've had a chance to play with, (I say almost because I only got to
handle a Nikon D3 for a very short period of time so that might be
better), though I still liked the quick white balance setup on the *ist-D.
On 10/27/2013 9:25 PM, David Parsons wrote:
He should just use a film camera if he's that worried about simplicity
and video creep.
I can say that I've never accidentally turned on video on any camera I own.
On Sun, Oct 27, 2013 at 8:39 PM, P.J. Alling <[email protected]> wrote:
Ruminating on the K-3 and the various reviews of the K-5 family of cameras
where the reviewer took off points for clunky ways to get into video mode,
(this was especially true of DPReview IIRC), I found myself wanting to
scream in the guy's face. "What is it about it being primarily a "Still"
camera that you don't get?" This little article from Luminous Landscape
makes covers most of my arguments, without the Pending assault charges,
though I think his plea for simplicity of control might go a bit too far in
the other direction, and having a third dial dedicated entirely to ISO...
Pushing a button and turning one of the e-dials isn't all that onerous as
long as the button is in a convenient location.
NO Pentax content in the essay but hell half of us don't use Pentax as our
primary camera system anymore anyway.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/an_appeal_for_divergence_and_simplicity.shtml
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