manual exposure

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Even the above $ 1000 digital cameras (except for a very few) offer manual exposure mode. This is an essential feature of all pro or quality cameras. Why? Not even locking of the camera setting for repeated identical exposure (e.g.panorama or QTVR) is offered.I am especially disapponited by the upcoming SONY and Canon models.I guess I just have to keep my old Nikon + the film scanner.

Akos

-- Akos Szilvasi (akos@mediaone.net), November 04, 1998

Answers

Why would you be "especially disappointed" by the Canon Powershot Pro70 and the Sony DSC D700? If anything, they're a sign that consumer digital cameras of the future are going to have the manual controls you're clamoring for.

And your old Nikon + film scanner is capable of producing much higher quality images than even professional digital cameras (until you enter the realm of backs for medium format cameras). I'd think your main complaint would be about resolution!

-- Ben Jackson (ben@ben.com), November 05, 1998.


Ben, I am not complaining about resolution (I used a Hasselblad for years). Could you tell me how to make images with the above mentioned digital cameras like the one under this URL?

http://people.ne.mediaone.net/akos/maine/index.htm

This kind of panorama imaging is now very popular. The "computer-darkroom" opens up vast possibilities that these (othervise) fascinating cameras don't support. The above Maine panorama was taken with f/16 and 1/2 (or so) sec. exposure, manual (not changed) focus. Even decent digital cameras (between $ 1-2000) can not do this. That is my point.

-- Akos Szilvasi (akos@mediaone.net), November 05, 1998.


Akos- Actually, some cameras DO support what you're looking for. The new Oly D-400Z we just reviewed (and several of the older Olys, including the equally-high resolution D-340L) has a panorama mode that does exactly what you want: The exposure locks for the first shot you take, until you cancel panorama mode. (Or some fixed number of shots goes by, but it's pretty large - 10 or so.)

Yes, I'd still like full manual, and do believe it will come. Don't know why the Pro70 didn't offer it, as they obviously have decoupled the aperture and shutter speed. (That's the problem on most low-end digicams -- the shutter speed and aperture are determined simultaneously by a single mechanism.)

In support of Ben's comment about the D700, I don't have the reference on it, but believe I saw mention on a Japanese site that the camera had fully manual exposure as an option. (Although I could be mistaken, and it might actually only be Aperture Priority AE.)

Last thought: A major pain, but pretty much *any* digicam these days will let you lock exposure/focus with the shutter release half- pressed, then recompose before exposing. With a good sturdy tripod, you could lock, swivel, shoot, return to "home" lock, swivel, shoot. Like I said, a major pain, but it would get the job done (sorta, as long as "home's" lighting didn't change.)

-- Dave Etchells (detchells@imaging-resource.com), November 05, 1998.


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