jon (06/30/82)
I disagree with much of what Jon Shapiro said about cameras. 1) Many camera manufacturers were omitted from his list, including my pet: Ricoh. I do not have enough experience with other makes to comment on them (except that I have a number of friends who are very happy with Olympus OM-1 and 2 cameras). My Ricoh Singlex TLS is five years old and gives no problems (it is, of course, long out of production). My fiancee has had an XR-2 for a year; I find it to be a fine camera and very easy to use. It has aperture-priority automatic exposure, which is equivalent to twisting the aperture ring until the meter says you're right, only easier. Manual mode on this camera is EXACTLY the same as a through-the-lens metering manual-only camera. The only conceivable reasons to prefer manual-only cameras are price, ability to operate the shutter without battery power, and preference for different layout of controls. 2) All camera manufacturers have their own, incompatible lens mounts, except for the few who Pentax's K or U (screw) mount. Knocking Nikon for this is unfair. Furthermore, as Nikon makes improvements to its mount, it is very careful about non-obsolescence of older equipment, showing a *good* corporate attitude, not a bad one. In any case, the lens mount situation does not limit flexibility; all the camera makers lenses are incompatible, and all the independent lenses are available for all major mounts. What is does do is lock you into a particular mount: you buy a bunch of lenses, then when you want a new camera body, you have to stick with the same manufacturer, or else buy a new set of lenses. If this worries you, buy Pentax/Ricoh/Vivitar cameras, all of which use the same mount, or buy Tamron lenses, which have changeable mounts (or don't buy lenses). 3) Battery dependence is not a crucial factor for amateurs. Batteries have a reasonable service life, and it is not difficult to carry a set of spares. Perhaps if you make a lot of time exposures using an electrically timed shutter, batteries could be a problem. 4) I have used bayonet and screw mounts, and find screw mounts not as convenient, but not bad. In any case, it is a dead issue; new screw mount cameras are not often seen. 5) If you don't like the quality of your processing and printing, change labs. I have had no complaints about Kodak. If you do it yourself, you *can* do a better job, and you *can* do color about as easily as black and white, with the exception of Kodachrome. 6) enlarging is a square process, not exponential. 7) 35mm negatives can be blown up to 8x10 and larger with acceptable results. 8) the K1000 is not the world's lightest camera. Nor is any other metal bodied mechanical camera. The light cameras are the new, electronic, plastic ones. By the way, the plastic used in cameras is very strong, and in some ways better than metal (it doesn't dent easily, for example). In choosing a camera, I suggest: Think about how much you are willing to spend (and how much you are willing to vary from this to obtain more quality/features). Think about how you want to use the camera. If you want to take better quality snapshots, consider a programmed automatic camera. If you want artsy pictures in difficult lighting, get manual or manual override. Is size/weight important. If you don't plan to ever buy a second lens, consider a rangefinder; they are smaller cheaper lighter. Think about how likely it is that you'll run out of batteries and absolutely *have to* take a picture. Some electronic cameras have one mechanical speed for such emergencies. Read photo magazines for equipment reviews (Modern Photography puts out an annual compilation). Borrow from friends and try many cameras in the store to see you well you actually like particular models. *** Buy from a reputable dealer, who will give you good service and a 10-14 day guarantee. It is much easier to swap a defective camera than to have it fixed. Never mail the warranty card until you've gotten film back to confirm that the camera works. *** This is, of course, my opinion, and should not be regarded as revelation from any deity. Jon Mauney uwvax!jon P.S. the new Kodak disk cameras are small, light, easy to use, and have negatives even smaller than 110. The new disk film, however, is better than 110 film, making up for it. They are all electronic and have fancy batteries that are guaranteed for 5 years of *use*.