Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1999/02/06

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Subject: Re: [Leica] camera controls
From: Harrison McClary <mcclary@iname.com>
Date: Sat, 6 Feb 1999 10:31:14 -0600

> Case in point,  at work, I use the Canon Eos cameras (1n and an A2e).  They
> do work rather nicely, but have you ever tried to use one of these on manual
> all the time?  If I had an M6 for ever time the shutter speed "dial" got
> moved when working a fast paced event,

I  use  my  EOS 1n on manual all the time. Before my short lived stint
with  Leica  "R" I used EOS for about 5 years and think I only set the
thing  in  auto  once  or twice. I have all ways been a manual setting
person.

It  does  take some getting used to, but for me when I got used to the
wheels  I found them to be the best way to control a camera I have ever
used.  I love being able to control the aperture with my thumb and the
shutter speed with my finger...very fast and allows me to keep my left
hand  under  the  lens supporting the weight with out moving my hand to
back  near  the  body  to turn the aperture ring, thus losing a lot of
support under the body when shooting with long glass.

I  have  not  had as much problem with the EOS shifting shutter speeds
while being carried as I did with the R8 shifting exposure modes. Last
year  when covering the damage from the tornado that hit Nashville for
Black  Star  my  R8  kept  shifting  from  "M"  to  one  of  the  Auto
modes...this  caused  me  to  miss several really nice shots because I
kept  having to fiddle with the camera to get back into M mode to make
the  proper  exposure. Could have something to do with the way I carry
the  bodies...If  memory serves the R8 exposure mode setting switch is
on  the  opposite  side of the body from the EOS firing button/shutter
speed selector...perhaps my carrying method makes the switch on the R8
more  susceptible to hitting against my body...I carry the camera over
my  left shoulder with lens turned into my body, maybe if I carried it
on  my  right  shoulder with lens into my body then the dial would get
hit  less???  (reverse  is true for EOS1n...body on left shoulder gets
hit less)  something to think about.

Guess  it  also  tends to have something with how one works. I tend to
use  a  Minolta  meter for 90% of all my exposure readings so I seldom
worry  about the camera's internal meter, for that style of shooting I
need the body in Manual mode......perhaps if I were of the type to use
auto modes I would feel differently.

Best regards,
 Harrison                          mailto:mcclary@iname.com
http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto
preview my book: http://www.volmania.com