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danl
Feb 25, 2003, 11:56 PM
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Most of my shots are landscapes or portraits however I would like to the occasional action shot.
Having used a Manual everything camera for a while I am considering upgrading to a newer camera.
My tendency is to an OM4
However I am somewhat interested in more modern equipment. Namely autofocus for those low light situations or action shots.
Also how much better is Gazillion point matrix metering ?
Thanks
Dan
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alpiner
Feb 26, 2003, 12:09 AM
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Autofocus cameras are quite poor in low light compared to a manual camera with a decent lens and focusing screen. For action shots, AF rules only if you go for the high-dollar bodies and fast lenses. Cheap AF is for amateurs who want snap shots. Good MF systems still are the best value if quality images is your goal.
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danl
Feb 26, 2003, 12:25 AM
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I am annotating my post.
The reason I am leaning to an OM4 is because I have alot of experience with the OM2n that my friend has. As a matter of fact I like it alot more than my K1000. Besides being about 1lb lighter i just like the feel of it.
But I am feeling limited. I'd like to add a spot meter to my availible tools. Now I can walk up to things and manually meter and take an average but it is a) a pain and b) never the same.
so basically a spot meter and possibly autofocus is what I would be hunting for.
Additionally I have just read the AF or not thread in this forum.
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womble
Feb 26, 2003, 12:50 AM
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AF is great for climbing- you can take photos one handed (ie whilst on abseil, or dare I say it, belay). This is just about impossible, dangerous or extremely fiddley with an MF setup. Most rockclimbing shots are in good light, so even an average consumer lens is going to be fine and the AF on a half-decent modern body is pretty good. (Notable exception being the now discontinued Canon D30 which is bloody terrible...)
I've been using an old EOS5 for years. The design is ten years old, but the matrix metering performs very well, except for glaringly obvious stuff like complete snow or _extremely_ backlit subjects. So my vote is also for a modern metering system.
IMO, an AF system is the way to go for quality as well... new glass is generally available only in AF lenses, unless you want to go for Contax stuff in which case you pay through the nose.
The only good reasons I can think of for sticking MF is for weight, or because you simply _enjoy_ the feel of old cameras. (Speaking of which, I've got to get my old Minolta SRT303 repaired.... that thing's great)
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kriso9tails
Feb 27, 2003, 2:50 AM
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In reply to: But I am feeling limited. I'd like to add a spot meter to my availible tools. Now I can walk up to things and manually meter and take an average but it is a) a pain and b) never the same.
I'm not certain here, but it either sounds like you're using the spot meter incorrectly, or you mean incident meter. By "walk up to" you still mean that you are metering from the same point that your camera is shooting from, right (which is the proper use)? Sorry if I'm misreading you.
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dirko
Feb 27, 2003, 3:10 AM
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I am an AF convert: I converted from AF to MF. I just could not afford to build up my Canon Elan 7e, so I switched to a Minolta X-700 based system. I am glad I did.
I find that almost all of the time, I can prefocus. When you are going for shallow DOF or there are rocks in the foreground, AF is often not smart enough to get it, at least not for me. When I have to think about what my focus will be for each shot, I take better shots. Plus the motor drive I have also helps.
I do not shot alot on belay. When I do, I use my kick-ass Olympus Stylus Epic. Any photographer needs a good point and shoot. What, are you going to lug that SLR up Serenity Crack? Didn't think so.
Mostly when I shoot climbing, I am dedicated to shooting, i.e. I am not climbing, so one handed shots are not a big deal. Fix a line, wait above the prob, whatever.
So if you've got the dough, I'd get a Nikon F100 with a fast 20-35, but if you are poor like me, you need MF with primes.
Cheers.
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apollodorus
Feb 27, 2003, 4:30 AM
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My Canon EOS A2e will autofocus perfectly in complete darkness. It uses an ultrasonic system, like a bat. The AF is fast and accurate. You can get artsy results by focusing on one thing, holding the shutter halfway down to lock in there, then turn the camera so that the focused area is a fringe at the edge of the frame. Or whatever. You can turn the AF off with the flick of a button on the lens itself. I do that on wall climbs, to save on battery power, and because many shots looking up or down need to be focused at some intermediate point (with a small aperture to increase depth of field).
AF rules.
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danl
Feb 27, 2003, 2:27 PM
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In reply to: I'm not certain here, but it either sounds like you're using the spot meter incorrectly, or you mean incident meter. By "walk up to" you still mean that you are metering from the same point that your camera is shooting from, right (which is the proper use)? Sorry if I'm misreading you.
I mean a spot meter is more convenient and accurate than using the light meter one my camera as a quasi spot meter by repositioning it and then averging the results in my head. Often it becomes a best guess situation which works sometimes but most of the time eh....
Some one mentioned the autofocus being unable to get the desired depth of field right. To me thats exactly where I find auto focus perfect. By using aperture priority exposure you should get the depth of field and effect you want. Am i right?
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michael crowder
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Mar 8, 2003, 5:49 AM
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for climbing autofocus is the way to go. if you want to focus manually then just turn the auto feature off. i resisted autofocus cameras for a good while. now i leave all the old stuff at home and the n-90 does all the work. when trying to shoot one handed from a hanging belay there is no other way to go. i have found that out of a standard role of film i get better and more consistent focusing out of the autofocus camera most of the time. shooting after dark, especially timed star shots do not do well with autofocus so i turn it off at night and just set the camera to infinity and shoot away. all of my cameras featue nikons matrix metering along with the stndard forms. i really like it for action and scenery shots. for portrait and climber shots i generally switch to spot metering and read off of the subjects face.
michael
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saltspringer
Mar 10, 2003, 6:13 AM
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one great feature on many AF cameras is AF lock where the camera keeps focusing in very fine increments and when it's focused where you want it, just hold down the AF-L button...nice feature on Nikon F90's...I also like the fact that you can switch to complete MF without losing metering/exposure capabilties: only thing to watch out for is the fact that AF eats batteries. I shoot mainly MF and switch to AF when necessary. Low light situations are perfect for AF where it can pick up details that I can't and still get tack sharp focus
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womble
Mar 10, 2003, 7:04 AM
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In reply to: My Canon EOS A2e will autofocus perfectly in complete darkness. It uses an ultrasonic system, like a bat.
Apollo, is this the US version of the EOS 5? If so, it doesn't use an ultrasonic system- as far as I know all good SLRs use passive AF systems as active AF is easily confused by things like glass windows. In low light, a striped red light should be broadcast from the body or flash unit to assist with AF...
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