Stupid things Camera Companies leave out...

Shootar401 · Feb 11, 2013

PC Socket, screw mount cable release, locking shutter release, mirror lockup (or shutter delay) self timer.

StoneNYC · Feb 11, 2013

Shootar401 said:
PC Socket, screw mount cable release, locking shutter release, mirror lockup (or shutter delay) self timer.

T mode... They just leave B for almost everything when an old fashioned T mode would be so much better for long exposures... Ugh...

~Stone

Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1, 5DmkII / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic | Sent w/ iPhone using Tapatalk

Salem · Feb 11, 2013

Has any manufacturer made a film camera with shutter counter.. that would make a better indicator of the state of a used camera than going by the state of the outer shell.

StoneNYC · Feb 11, 2013

Salem said:
Has any manufacturer made a film camera with shutter counter.. that would make a better indicator of the state of a used camera than going by the state of the outer shell.

Only on digital cameras sadly....

~Stone

The Important Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Les Sarile · Feb 11, 2013

The Fuji GW690 has a 3 digit shutter actuation counter -> http://imagesandcameras.com/fuji-fujifilm-gw690-iii-manual

Salem · Feb 11, 2013

In digital the counter is really helpful. You don't see a Nikon D3 with 120K actuations advertised as "amateur use only!" even when it's excellent cosmetically.

I actually checked some sale offers for the Fuji GW690 and many has quoted the actuation count. I wonder if one can obtain actuation count for Nikon F6!

NormanV · Feb 11, 2013

On the subject of the Fuji GW690, it has two shutter release buttons. One on top and one on the front, I always use the front one as it falls conveniently under my finger. Unfortunately it falls conveniently under my finger when I pick the camera up to use it! When you only have 8 exposures on a film it is very annoying to waste one. A shutter lock button would be useful.

E. von Hoegh · Feb 11, 2013

StoneNYC said:
Only on digital cameras sadly....

~Stone

The Important Ones - Mamiya: 7 II, RZ67 Pro II / Canon: 1V, AE-1 / Kodak: No 1 Pocket Autographic, No 1A Pocket Autographic

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Plaubel Makiflex has a counter, there may be others.

Chan Tran · Feb 11, 2013

Salem said:
Has any manufacturer made a film camera with shutter counter.. that would make a better indicator of the state of a used camera than going by the state of the outer shell.

I believe camera like the Nikon F5, F100 and F6 do have the shutter counter but can not be read by the user but only Nikon service facility.

Les Sarile · Feb 11, 2013

How about MLU (mirror lock up). This was a feature that if it were introduced in the first model, was usually omitted in the following models. Sure, MLU was a feature they reserved for their top models but they even omitted this in their top models as in the examples listed below:

Olympus OM1 had it then omitted in the OM2
Canon F-1 had it then omitted in the New F-1
Minolta SRT-101 had it carried over to the SRT-102 but was omitted in the later production versions

I suppose you can say the Pentax KX had it but was omitted in the MX but they are two different series.

Were there other examples?

Sirius Glass · Feb 12, 2013

Minolta had the mirror lock up on the SR-1, SR-7, SRT-101 and SRT-102. It was on those cameras because the 21mm lens for the camera was not a retrofocus lens and the mirror needed to be out of the way. When Minolta brought out a retrofocus 21mm lens, there was no longer a need for a mirror lockup.

Les Sarile · Feb 12, 2013

There were a few SR-1 versions and the SR-1e version I have does not have MLU. According to the Dead Link Removed only the SR-1V - the last version, had it and it was required in order to use the 21mm lens.

Finally, a mirror lock up was added, enabling users to utilise the 21mm super wide angle introduced by the company in 1962.

Les Sarile · Feb 16, 2013

Extending the film advance lever to activate the meter with half press of the shutter. I suppose the thought process was that this would prevent battery drain when a camera is in a bag and something may contact the shutter accidentally. Of course this method tends to poke into the eyes of those who are left eyed. A more clever implementation can be found in the Pentax MX and LX (possible others too?) that have a shutter lock to prevent accidental activation of the meter or shutter. Also, the meter can be activated and the shutter can be fired without the film advance sticking out.

Diapositivo · Feb 17, 2013

Minolta invented the Senswitch for the Minolta XM (X-1, XK).
I personally think that was brilliant.
Dead Link Removed

The X-700 and the XG series have a not less brilliant feature: a surface on the shutter release senses the conductivity of the finger and turns the light meter on. So the light meter stays on when your finger is on the shutter release and stays off (after 20 seconds or so) when you take your finger out of the shutter release.
The result is the same as the Senswitch: you can walk for hours keeping the light meter "on" so that you have it immediately ready but without wasting the energy during most of the time, when you actually just "walk".

GRHazelton · Feb 17, 2013

Diapositivo said:
Minolta invented the Senswitch for the Minolta XM (X-1, XK).
I personally think that was brilliant.
Dead Link Removed

The X-700 and the XG series have a not less brilliant feature: a surface on the shutter release senses the conductivity of the finger and turns the light meter on. So the light meter stays on when your finger is on the shutter release and stays off (after 20 seconds or so) when you take your finger out of the shutter release.
The result is the same as the Senswitch: you can walk for hours keeping the light meter "on" so that you have it immediately ready but without wasting the energy during most of the time, when you actually just "walk".

Sounds like a wonderful idea! Does it work with gloved hands?

Diapositivo · Feb 17, 2013

GRHazelton said:
Sounds like a wonderful idea! Does it work with gloved hands?

No, and it doesn't work with hands which are too thoroughly cleaned with soap.
It works with normal hands normally dirty though

The XM device, on the other hand, works with gloves as well.

lxdude · Feb 17, 2013

Hmmm..."Stupid things Camera Companies leave out".

You know, I don't really mind if they leave out the stupid things...

GRHazelton · Feb 17, 2013

Perhaps the thread should have been titled "Things Stupid Camera Companies Leave Out"?

LiamG · Feb 17, 2013

lxdude said:
Hmmm..."Stupid things Camera Companies leave out".

You know, I don't really mind if they leave out the stupid things...

Likewise, that's what prevents a camera from coming with a threatening textbook of a manual.

LJSLATER · Feb 18, 2013

To Nikon F4 users, you know how the analog frame counter actually counts backward when you're rewinding your film? How come more cameras don't have that?

benjiboy · Feb 18, 2013

lxdude said:
It goes right behind the eyepiece.[/QUOTE

Les Sarile · Feb 18, 2013

LJSLATER said:
To Nikon F4 users, you know how the analog frame counter actually counts backward when you're rewinding your film? How come more cameras don't have that?

Didn't know the F4 did this too as my Nikon experience ends at the F3. The Pentax LX does this too keeping the frame registration perfectly so that you can go back and forth to multiexpose any frame.

LJSLATER · Feb 18, 2013

Les Sarile said:
Didn't know the F4 did this too as my Nikon experience ends at the F3. The Pentax LX does this too keeping the frame registration perfectly so that you can go back and forth to multiexpose any frame.

I don't know how useful it really is for most users, but it's nice to have. The F4 has both an analog frame counter as well as a digital counter which can be seen inside the finder. Come to think of it, I've never looked in the viewfinder to see if the digital counter counts backward as the film rewinds. Unfortunately, my own F4 is resting in pieces. Towards the end of its life, the analog and digital frame counters didn't agree with each other!

Les Sarile · Feb 19, 2013

lxdude said:
Hmmm..."Stupid things Camera Companies leave out".

You know, I don't really mind if they leave out the stupid things...

How about stupid things they put it?
Nikon introduced a feature into their aperture priority capable cameras (F3, FE2 & FA and others?) that sets a fix shutter speed when you load a new roll and advancing it to frame 1. This is to prevent you from accidentally setting it in aperture priority with the lens cap on and the camera setting a long exposure as you try to advance to frame 1.

GarageBoy · Feb 20, 2013

Not sure if anyone mentioned the annoying low shutter speed beep... seriously? (Nikon EM/FG/FG-20)
I wish more cameras had a shutter button lock
My F2 has one, but it's not nearly as efficient as the Nikon F3 and later (which just shuts off the power)
I do love the FM2/FE2, "push lever in to lock the shutter button", but then they put in the stupid tap shutter button to activate meter

Stupid things Camera Companies leave out...

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