SLR, bye bye!

35mm (or slightly larger or smaller, doesn´t matter) single lens, eye level reflex camera, just like most of today's system of cameras are - was not born in Japan, not in the USA, not even in West Germany, but of all the world's countries, in the DDR ie in East Germany. Contax S was the first reflex camera with a pentaprism which generates a right sided image. The year was 1949. As such, Eastern Germany is here no wonder, since the Second World War accelerated the optical research in Germany as much as elsewhere. Zeiss Ikon VEB was in possession of that know-how. Even in Sweden, the military aerial camera manufacturer Victor Hasselblad had progressed at the same time from the first wooden models to somehow operating reflex camera models.

Previously there had been twin lens reflex cameras and rangefinder cameras. Production of single lens reflex cameras, however, was more difficult, requiring more moving parts, finer mechanics, better optics and exact timing. Still, there had been single lens reflex cameras already during late 1800s, and even a few 35mm models in the 1930s. Pentaprism was thus not a necessity but waist-level finder with its wrong-sided mirror image, of course, could not be the ultimate way to observe the world through the lens.

What has happened since then? The system camera was created, at least in the sense as we know it today. Nikon F can probably be considered as the first true system camera, and then it was 1959. Focusing screen brightness was learned to be measured, and the first such body for sale was by Topcon in 1963. Film became moved by motor and the mirror clacking got faster. Even autofocus became possible in the early 1980s. Finally, film itself was surpassed by the digital censor in the 1990s. That's it, from a photographer´s  perspective nothing has happened since Contax S, only the engineers have been very industrious.

Personally, I jumped into SLR camera world in 1974. Since then I have always had a 35mm size SLR camera except for a small break before the EOS 5D. Of the above steps I was witnessing auto-exposure and auto-focus coming and the film disappearing.

But now, during the last two years, I have been growing away from the mirror clacking. Canon and Nikon finally had to go this fall. Of SLR cameras, I still have medium size with digital backs - but why? That must be figured out during the next year!

-p-

Olympus E-P3 w. M.Zuiko 12mm 1:2.0

With E-P3 Olympus introduced also a much waited for high quality prime lens. This beautifully finished lens answers very well also to my needs. In 35mm vocabulary it corresponds to a 24mm lens.

Images above show this lens in its autofocus (left) and manual focus positions. Focusing ring works in the same fashion as seen earlier for instance in Mamiya 645 lenses. When you pull focusing ring forward, it covers distance scale and lens obeys camera’s AF system. Rotating the ring does not affect focusing distance then. When you push the ring backwards, distance scale is revealed and you can focus manually. Camera´s AF is disconnected. Besides distance scale you have also depth of field scale which makes zone focusing very handy. 

As an extra, if you have mapped AF into a thumb button, after setting distance you can pull focusing ring forward and distance setting is kind of saved from changing unintentionally. 

Below are shown a few images shot with E-P3 + 12mm combination. They are shot as JPGs because there was not yet a reliable RAW converter available. I think Olympus needs to re-evaluate their JPG processing in E-P3. It has some quirks relating to surface structure or micro contrast and sharpening which I really don´t like. I did not have time nor interest to test JPG settings combinations enough. My opinion on the 12mm lens is very, very positive  and fascinated in every way, but these images do show some JPG oddities.

-p-