Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2008/12/17

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Subject: [Leica] Focusing screens
From: drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)
Date: Wed Dec 17 06:35:09 2008

Most digital camera manufacturers probably feel that their laser-guided,
heat-seeking autofocus is so good that you really don't need to worry
about seeing anything for yourself. Just point, shoot and place your
complete trust in the electrons that are racing around inside the body
-- communicating, coordinating, and doing their thing -- all at the
speed of light. 

Hopefully one of the key e-"Kurtzweill's Quicksilver Express Co.,
Ltd"-riders doesn't take a wrong turn or get held up at a transistor for
too long. "When will this light turn green!", a Kevin Bacon look-alike
wonders as he attempts to maintain balance while stationary on his fixed
gear Raleigh while the focus lock instructions languish in his messenger
pack. (We outside the nano-world simply know this as lens hunting).  
 
My Fuji F31 even puts a little green box around people's faces.
Sometimes around faces that I didn't even realize were in the picture.
The guy crossing the street in the background is in focus, because the
person 5 feet in front of me had his or her face turned a little to the
side. But that was all my fault, right? 

Just like if I decide to put one of those prehistoric manual focus
devices on a new DSLR, it's my fault for turning all the stop lights
red, causing complete gridlock. "The ball is in your court, now," one
messenger says as they all decide to grab a burger at the closest atom.
"Gimme a neutron, but hold the photons!" says another, and they all
laugh. 

Granted a few e-messengers may still be assigned to lighting up that
little green focus assist light in the viewfinder, but experience leads
me to believe that those are the ones that flunked out of autofocus
school, or at the very least had to rely on a GPS to get from point A to
B. 

The only DSLR that had a real viewfinder was the Contax N1. It was way
ahead of its time. The viewfinder rivaled the SL. Sadly the sensor was
already outdated when it hit the market. 

DaveR 

-----Original Message-----
From: Philip Forrest [mailto:photo.forrest@earthlink.net] 
Sent: Tuesday, December 16, 2008 9:55 PM
To: Leica Users Group
Subject: [Leica] Focusing screens

Dear Nikon, Canon, et al,
Can we have our focusing screens back?

The only digital camera out on the market now with a range of focusing
screens that aid using manual focus is the Canon 1DS series. Frankly,
I'd rather stick with a 5D if I were to go with an SLR, but there are
no focusing screens with focus aids available for anything less than
the flagship camera. Nikon looks like they have two focusing screens
available for their D700 but neither have actual focusing aids; just a
bunch of little brackets getting in the way of composing the image.
So as far as manual focus goes on digital cameras, the Leica M8 is on
top.
I just wish these manufacturers offered the system compatibility that
they once did. Instead of companies which make outstanding cameras,
Nikon and Canon have become camera companies that make an outstanding
amount of money through tactics of vendor lock-in. It's really
disappointing.

Phil Forrest




In reply to: Message from photo.forrest at earthlink.net (Philip Forrest) ([Leica] Focusing screens)