Cars are getting the same way. Most cars you can't even tune them up by a home mechanic. They're computerized and most mechanics don't even diagnose them anymore. They just hook another computer up to them and the car's data is sent over the internet to another country. This saves the shop from buying the repair manuals.Modern photographic equipment isn't designed to be repaired by the man in the street.
Modern photographic equipment isn't designed to be repaired by the man in the street in mind, they are such complex electro- mechanical devices that the kitchen table tinkerer doesn't stand a hope in @#!*% of effecting a correct repair because they lack the knowledge, skills training, tools and test equipment, I'm a trained precision engineer and although I have the service manuals for all my cameras the more I study them the less I feel inclined to attempt to service them., I only use them to lend to my camera repairer if he needs them if they need to be serviced.
Very true I remember even as far back as 1986 when the Canon T 90 first came I was told by Canon's national service manager ( who's name was ironically Malcolm Tester ) that they had to hook up T90's to a diagnostic computer to find out what was wrong with them.Cars are getting the same way. Most cars you can't even tune them up by a home mechanic. They're computerized and most mechanics don't even diagnose them anymore. They just hook another computer up to them and the car's data is sent over the internet to another country. This saves the shop from buying the repair manuals.
Just kidding, but I think it might come down to preference. There are tons of digital gear heads out there constantly upgrading. I've shot with my Canon F-1 since the 80's and I'm perfectly happy. For me, it's all about making images and the camera is really secondary. But I'm going to drop a D bomb here. It's fun to watch.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Vz94bdlVVlc
Cars are getting the same way. Most cars you can't even tune them up by a home mechanic. They're computerized and most mechanics don't even diagnose them anymore. They just hook another computer up to them and the car's data is sent over the internet to another country. This saves the shop from buying the repair manuals.
"... Thanks for that, Martin (wet blanket... oh, did I say that out loud?). And now, back to our regular programming..."
Canon, I love you. Nikon, I love you for your lenses.
Which is precisely why, after experience with an OM4, I will never have a camera with an electronic shutter or is battery dependent in any way.
But you didn't answer the question of what feature one has over the other besides "looks" and "nameplate". For instance I prefer the LX's ability to aperture priority autoexpose a scene for as long as it takes - a feature that no other camera brand or model, past or present, can do. This gives me a photographic opportunity such as the 35 minute autoexposure example below on Kodak Ektar 100.
Hoover Dam at night
Actually, there are other cameras which can take such long autoexposures, the Nikon FE being the most obvious example.
The unique thing about the LX is that it is measuring the light in real time, i.e., during the entire exposure.
Pentax only specifies 125 seconds, but in reality it will go until the meter determines that exposure is correct.
Actually, there are other cameras which can take such long autoexposures, the Nikon FE being the most obvious example.
The Yashica Electro 35 series of rangefinders will also take outrageously long metered auto-exposures. And possibly the Minolta Hi-Matic E and Olympus ECR, as they use the same metering and electronically controlled shutter as does the Yashica.
And I think that the Yashica Electro AX SLR (M42) will also produce similarly long metered auto-exposures.
The Electro 35 also features "off the film" metering.As I posted above, how long of an autoexposure can they do and will they do it consistently?
The Electro 35 does not measure light reflected from the film surface, therefore it does not have "off the film" metering. It is in fact not even "through the lens" metering, and if it isn't TTL, it can't be OTF.The Electro 35 also features "off the film" metering.
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The Electro 35 does not measure light reflected from the film surface, therefore it does not have "off the film" metering. It is in fact not even "through the lens" metering, and if it isn't TTL, it can't be OTF.
The light metering electronics works by accumulating the measured light level and only releasing the shutter when it has determined enough light has fallen on the film. This system allows the shutter speed to be completely step-less and to adapt to changing light levels. SLR's would wait many years for a similar capability with off-the-film metering.
If the battery fails in New F1 there's nothing to stop the photographer from carrying a spare, I always carry at least 2, anyway even without a battery the hybrid electro / mechanical shutter speeds of 1/125 to 1/2000 sec. plus B and the flash sync speed are still available.I have been shooting both types of cameras for several years. The main reason I shoot both systems is because Nikon and Canon each have some lenses which are unique to each brand. For the Nikon, I like the old 2.1cm Nikkor, along with the 28/2.8 AIS, and the superb 105/2.5. For the Canon, I love the old 35/2 concave, and enjoy the 50/1.2L, and the 85/1.2L.
View attachment 80747
Here are a couple of my old cameras. They have both seen a lot of use, but these are actually a little cleaner than some of my other ones.
The F2 is an old "no name" titanium model made in 1979. It saw a lot of professional use in the north Pacific area in Asia, and despite ice, snow, and salt water spray, it continues to motor on.
View attachment 80748
The F1N had been used for sports shooting, mainly high school baseball and soccer games. Here in Japan the Canon FD bodies were not so frequently used by professionals compared to Nikon, but they were a top choice of serious amateurs, and Canon has a long history and great reputation in the Japanese domestic market.
View attachment 80749
It is rather hard for me to choose between the two cameras. The Canon features AE, but that is something which I seldom use. For the sake of it, I switched this camera to AE mode, and was quite surprised to find that it still works. The one drawback in the F1N is the electronic shutter. I have had to switch to my Nikon when the battery died in the Canon.
I have tried other cameras, such as the Minolta X1 (known outside Japan as the XK). I found the Minolta to be the most finicky and unreliable "professional" SLR which I have ever used. I have two which serve as bookends on my book shelf. Too bad they weren't made as well as the SR series.
Another also-was is the Pentax LX. But the selection of lenses was too limited for my taste, and I prefer the control layout on the Nikon and Canon bodies. I prefer the older Pentax K or AP for their smooth operation, and to use M42 lenses.
If I had to choose one over the other, I would go with the Nikon, mainly for it's mechanical shutter, and easy maintenance. None of my Nikons have ever required serious maintenance, except an old Vietnam war F which had sluggish slow speeds. But I have taken apart and put back together some junk shop F and F2 cameras, and found them quite easy to work on. The Canon F1N is not as easy to get into.
If the battery fails in New F1 there's nothing to stop the photographer from carrying a spare, I always carry at least 2, anyway even without a battery the hybrid electro / mechanical shutter speeds of 1/125 to 1/2000 sec. plus B and the flash sync speed are still available.
That's right, if all else fails read the manual.And just because it's so weird and confusing: if your New F-1 battery fails, you must REMOVE the dead battery to have access to those mechanical shutter speeds. Clearly there's some sort of mechanical interlock working off of the big spring loaded contact in the battery compartment, and the battery must be out for it to engage.
Duncan
If the battery fails in New F1 there's nothing to stop the photographer from carrying a spare, I always carry at least 2, anyway even without a battery the hybrid electro / mechanical shutter speeds of 1/125 to 1/2000 sec. plus B and the flash sync speed are still available.
P.S. Professional cameras are I.M.O. designed for professional maintenance not unskilled labour on the kitchen table http://www.mir.com.my/rb/photography/hardwares/classics/canonf1n/shutter/index.htm
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