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From: wally@cornell.UUCP (Wally Dietrich)
Newsgroups: net.rec.photo
Subject: Re: Canon and Nikon Cameras
Message-ID: <5508@cornell.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 17-Oct-83 22:12:30 EDT
Article-I.D.: cornell.5508
Posted: Mon Oct 17 22:12:30 1983
Date-Received: Sun, 23-Oct-83 02:33:05 EDT
References: <680@cvl.UUCP>
Organization: Cornell Computer Science
Lines: 28


Theodore's answer on the uses of spot metering was right on the money.

It would probably have cost more to have user-interchangeable focusing
screens on the Canon A-1.  (After all, the alignment has to be just right
for the focusing to be correct.)  Since most 35mm SLR users are happy 
with one screen all of the time, Canon probably didn't think it was 
worth it.  When you consider the number of people willing to put up with
smaller maximum apertures, more pincushion distortion, and bigger 
prices so that they don't have to change lenses as often (by using
zooms), it's not so surprising that most people don't want to change
focusing screens.  (Just a little editorializing there.)  Actually, I
don't use zoom lenses, but am happy practically all of the time with the
split-image center, microprisim ring, ground-glass field that came 
with my A-1.  (Then again, when I get a 400 mm, f/4 lens I may not be 
so happy, due to black-out in the split-image.)  Like Theodore said,
pro's can buy F-1's with interchangeable everythings.

    Shutter speeds in excess of 1/1000 sec. are useful for three reasons:
1)  You can freeze action better.  (This is more useful for freezing
    backgrounds when panning than stopping bullets, as in Nikon's ad.  You
    can almost certainly do the latter kind of thing just as easily with
    a strobe, considering all of the other equipment you need for timing
    and such.)
2)  You can use bigger apertures without using neutral density filters.
3)  The faster shutters generally have faster strobe synchronization
    speeds, so there will be less blur if a lot of the exposure is
    from ambient light.