More On Camera Features

More On Camera Features

Note: This article was written for 35mm SLRs, but the features apply to digital SLRs. I highly recommend it for beginning photographers.

Cameras used to be so simple. They were tools that offered photographers what they really needed to take pictures. Their designs were similar. You could pick up any brand and immediately start shooting without having to "study" the owners manual. Cameras offered the regular features: 1-1000 sec shutter speed, aperture priority and manual mode, +/-2 stops exposure compensation, TTL flash, centerweighted metering, and a viewfinder that showed the shutter speed and f-stop plus exposure compensation value. Some advanced models included depth-of-field preview, mirror lock-up, spot metering, and a few extras such as diopter correction, self timer, PC terminal, and AE-lock. These were all the features photographers needed to take great pictures. Manufacturers offered extras as accessories. Among them were winders and motor drives which are now built into almost all newer cameras.

The best part of the older cameras was their simple design. Shutter release was placed on top right of the body, either inside or next to the large shutter control dial which also let the user select aperture priority if the camera included one. Exposure compensation was placed on top left with the rewind crank placed on top. All you had to do was to turn the camera on, focus, compose, meter, and shoot. My first camera was a Minolta X-700 which is still in production (as of September 2000). It was and still is a capable camera. Simple, reliable, and easy to use. Canon, Nikon, Olympus, and Pentax also made similar cameras along with Contax and Leica. Minolta changed all that in 1985 with the introduction of the Maxxum 7000, the first autofocus SLR. Autofocus was not the only new feature, although it was the main attraction. The 7000 had a totally new look. Dials were replaced with push buttons. LCD panel displayed all information including shutter speeds, f-stops, exposure compensation, frame counter, and everything else that could be fitted into it. Built-in winder replaced the manual wind lever and rewind crank plus lots of other extras. Maxxum 7000 forever changed the design of cameras and how we take pictures. I traded my manual focus Minolta X-700 and lenses for this new exciting high tech camera. I never regretted buying the 7000. What I regretted was trading my X-700. Soon after Minolta released the Maxxum 7000, other manufacturers produced their own version of autofocus cameras. The race was on. The technology has been growing so fast that it is hard to keep up with it. Cameras would become obsolete in less than a year. It is still the same. I no longer get too excited about new cameras, unless they offer something really new and useful. What I never liked much about the autofocus cameras was the way settings are selected. One button and a dial select so many modes and settings that you need to practice and memorize everything before going out to take pictures. Human mind doesn't work that way. It took me a while to get to know all the controls and operation of my Maxxum 9xi, but less than an hour with my Maxxum 9. The difference? Maxxum 9xi uses one button and front and rear wheels for most of its operation. Maxxum 9 on the other hand, uses separate traditional dials which are clearly visible. Another problem I see with many of the new cameras is too many unnecessary features built into them. Some on the other hand are very useful. Lets look at what camera manufacturers are building and find out which are important.

Shutter Speeds: Anything over 1/1000 sec is really unnecessary for most type of photography. Faster than 1/1000 sec shutter speeds come in handy once in a while but most of the time even 1/1000 sec is too fast. Older SLRs had a range of 1-1/1000 sec plus bulb. If you needed anything slower than 1 second, you had to set the camera on bulb and count. Newer cameras go as long as 30 seconds which is more useful than 1/8000 sec top speed. I have shot slower than 1 second shutter speeds many times, but can't remember ever shooting at over 1/1000 sec. Low light and time photography require long shutter speeds. It is good to have a camera that can meter down to 30 seconds.

Shutter speed dial on manual focus cameras

Exposure Compensation: Cameras now offer at least +/-3 stops of exposure compensation. Slide shooters only need +/-2 since this is the range slide films can handle. Anything over +2 and you get washed out images and anything under -2 produces total black out. Print films can handle more range. Actually 1 or two stops may not make that much difference with print films. Processors automatically cancel out any exposure compensation you used by reducing or increasing printing time to produce an average print. +/-3 or more exposure compensation is useful for print films. Most models are adjustable in 1/2 step increments. Slide shooters may want to look for a model that can be set in 1/3 increments. Some cameras allow you to do this via a Custom Function. With slide films such as Fujichrome Velvia and Provia every 1/3 stop counts. You can fine tune exposure by reducing or increasing the amount of light in 1/3 step increments.
Exposure Modes: For serious photography you only need aperture priority and manual modes. Aperture priority (used to be marked Auto on manual focus cameras) was built into older cameras and was a welcome addition. You select the f-stop and camera picks the shutter speed. Shutter priority is useful for action photography, but I prefer aperture priority even when I'm shooting wildlife or sports. I'd rather select the f-stop that gives me the depth-of-field I want with fast enough shutter speed to freeze movement. Program mode that sets aperture and shutter speed is for snap shooters. You need to be in control to take good photographs. Beginner cameras offer Vari-Program modes. This is the same as Program mode except you select the type of subject you are photographing and camera sets the exposure depending on the available light and lens being used. A Command Dial with icons showing landscape, sport, night, close-up, portrait, etc., is placed on the camera. You turn the dial to desired mode and camera selects the aperture and shutter speeds for you. Landscape mode for instance, is programmed to select the smallest f-stop for greater depth-of-field and fast enough shutter speed for hand held photography. Sport mode favors faster shutter speeds over depth-of-field. Program and Vari-Program modes are fine for starters as long as the pay attention to the settings and learn how aperture and shutter speeds affect exposure, depth-of-field, and motion. Once you understand exposure, you'll never work in any Program mode. Manual mode is very important. Most of my photography is done on manual mode. I want to pick my own f-stop and shutter speeds for full control.

Command Dial with icons

Metering Modes: You only had one choice before and that was centerweighted average metering which balances exposure by measuring light with attention given to the center. Some pro models added spot metering that let you take a reading from important part of the area. Multi-segment metering is now the main mode for most cameras. The scene is divided into separate areas and exposure is calculated based on these areas. You get more accurate readings than centerweighted metering for most situations. All modern SLRs have very sophisticated and accurate metering systems, but none is 100 percent accurate. My advice: don't think your modern camera can handle exposure all the time. Exposure is very important, so you should know what your camera is doing and when to ignore it.
Autofocus: This is the feature that changed the history of photography. Autofocus is very useful as long as you know when to use it and when not to. When I was using my Minolta X-700 manual focus camera, I was very careful about focusing and depth-of-field. With my autofocus Maxxum 7000, I forgot all about the most important part of photography which is sharp images. I let the camera do the focusing for me which ended up in unsatisfactory results. I became a slave to autofocus. A family on vacation asked me to take some pictures of them in front of an old monument with their manual focus camera. Mom, dad, and the kids posed nicely and smiled while I shot a few frames. After they left I realized I had forgotten to focus the lens! Just because you own a fast autofocus camera doesn't mean you should rely on the camera for focusing. Autofocus cameras lock focus wherever the focus bracket is pointing at. Newer autofocus cameras allow you to shift focus by selecting other brackets in the viewfinder. The point you select may not be the best area for maximum depth-of-field. I believe the best method of focusing for stationary subjects is manual focus. Just pick the area and f-stop that gives you the depth-of-field you require and focus. Autofocus is a great tool for action photography. Fast autofocus with tracking let the photographer concentrate on the subject while getting sharp results. Cameras now can track subject movements and calculate its speed for faster and more accurate focusing. Newer lenses such as Canon's USM and Sigma's HSM lenses are not just fast but more quite. Another great new addition is the ability to fine tune focus manually while still in autofocus mode. Autofocus has greatly improved and is only going to get better, but you still need to know when to use it.
Autobracketing: This can be a useful feature under difficult light or when you are in doubt which setting will produce best exposure. Autobracketing comes in handy for fast moving subjects or when light is constantly changing. You can program the camera to fire up several shots with different exposure settings. Some models require you to hold down the shutter release until all frames have been exposed. This is OK when photographing wildlife or sports, but not so good for landscape or close-ups that requires small f-stops which result in low shutter speeds. This increases the risk of camera shake due to mirror vibration. Machine gun photography is best for action not still subjects. With stationary subjects, you should have enough time to bracket manually. If your camera can be set to bracket one shot at a time, then you can use autobracketing for still subjects.
Focus Bracketing: I got a call from a salesman at a local camera store about Contax cameras being displayed including the new N1 autofocus. I wasn't aware of the new N1 and wanted to see the camera. I was very impressed with the model and its design. N1 is a beautifully made camera and the first Contax that accepts autofocus lenses. Contax used the traditional dials for most of its setting which I consider a major plus. The N1 has a unique feature called Focus Bracketing. The camera takes three pictures at three different focusing distances. First shot is taken at the normal distance. Camera then calculates depth-of-field depending on the f-stop selected and focuses the lens and fires at near and another shot at far end of the depth-of-field. You can also program the camera to calculate twice the depth-of-field limits. This is a very useful feature for landscape photography. It is more useful than autofocus and autobracketing for landscape photography for better depth-of-field. This feature makes photographing landscapes and similar subjects easier and faster.
LCD panels: LCD panels display camera settings. Almost all cameras made today have LCD panels. You can quickly view shutter speed, f-stop, exposure compensation, exposure mode, frame number, flash and flash ready signal, battery condition, metering mode, and lots more. If I were to write what LCD panels show in a tiny space, would take me another hour. Since the design of cameras has changed, all information is now displayed inside LCD panels which can be confusing. Do you know the symbol used for centerweighted metering? How about autofocus brackets? You need to memorize all these symbols and recognize them at a glance. There are also hidden displays such as data information and custom functions. What I want is simple and useful information. The most fantastic LCD panel belongs to the Minolta Maxxum 7. It is placed on the back of the camera (a small LCD panel also placed on top) which shows a ton of information that actually make taking picture much easier. This unique design is something to get excited about. The LCD panel is large and its location on the back is perfect. Among its displays is metering scale which is available on many other SLRs but inside the viewfinder, depth-of-field in feet and meters (with D-series lenses), Picture Brightness Range displaying brightness areas in black (below setting) gray (setting) and white (higher than setting), data of the last five frames shot, and lots and lots more. Another great new tool is the Contax N1 external LCD viewfinder (available spring 2001). You can actually preview exposure on the LCD panel in color or monochromatically when shooting black-and-white. If this works the way Contax claims, we have an excellent tool to solve exposure problems.

LCD panel
Multiple Exposure: Multiple exposure lets you expose two or more shots on a single frame. A handful of manual focus cameras had this feature. Other models could be forced into accepting multiple exposures by pressing the rewind button at the bottom of the camera and holding the rewind crank and then cocking the shutter. Many of the newer cameras have multiple exposure built-in. I can't remember the last time I used multiple exposure, but it was probably a double exposure at night to place the moon inside the dark sky. Multiple exposure requires exposure adjustments. You need to underexpose each shot by one stop for double exposure, 11/2 stop for three shots, 2 stops for four shots and so on. There are cameras that do this for your automatically. You don't need to make any adjustments if background is black. If you photograph city skyline at night and make a second shot of the moon to place it somewhere in the sky, no exposure adjustment will be necessary. Multiple exposure is fun to play with and sometimes even necessary. I wouldn't consider it a must have feature, but having it available is good for times when you want to be creative.
Automatic film advance and rewind: I still remember the day I bought my Minolta MD-1 motor drive for my X-700. I felt I was flying a jet fighter. My camera looked professional, had a better grip, and I didn't have to worry about advancing the film manually. Oh yes, I also liked the sound of the motor. Accessory motor drives and winders are becoming obsolete. New cameras have this feature built-in and they are getting faster and faster. Cameras firing at up to 10 frames per second and rewinding a 36 exposure roll under 5 second are very impressive. Here is the truth. You really need 3 frames per second and occasionally 5 per second speed to capture fast moving wildlife or sports action. At ten frames per second, you waste a good roll of 36 exposure film in 3.6 seconds. At 8 frames per second you waste film a little slower: 4.5 seconds. Even at 5 frames per second, you have to be careful. Keep your finger on the shutter release and you are done in 7.2 seconds. Three frames per second is plenty of speed for majority of fast moving subjects. This is the setting I use when I need continuous advance with 5 frames per second when I need to shoot lightning fast subjects. Practice by pressing and releasing the shutter without loading film. This way you can quickly shoot several frames and remove your finger off when action stops. I'm more concerned about film rewind speed than continuous advance. Cameras that rewind a 36 exposure roll in 15 seconds are too slow for action photography. Most beginners look for frames per second continuous advance rather than the rewind time. Do you know how fast your camera can rewind a 24 or 36 exposure film? If you don't, find out. Otherwise you'll miss a lot of shots.
Autofocus Selector: Autofocus Selector lets you use any of the available focusing frames inside the viewfinder for off center subjects. Normally, the center frame is selected which is fine unless your subject is off center. Without autofocus selector, you must either switch to manual focus or first focus on the main subject, lock focus, recompose and shoot. Cameras with autofocus selector let the user choose one of the focus frames to quickly shift focus for off centered composition. First generation autofocus cameras had only one small focus bracket. Improvements were made by making the bracket larger and later additional brackets were added. Newer cameras have more brackets with the EOS-3 having 45 of them that can be activated by simply looking at the brackets. Cameras such as the Contax N1, EOS-7, and Maxxum 7 use Thumb-controlled AF selector for very fast operation. You simply place your thumb on the selector and turn it around to select the desired bracket. Selected bracket lights up and you can lock focus. The best design so far belongs to the Contax N1. This feature and its easy to use operation is so good that makes my Maxxum 9's autofocus selector look old. I consider the autofocus selector very important if you want to work in autofocus for most of your photography. Without it, manual focus is a better way to go.
Viewfinder: This is another important part of any camera that some people overlook. There are those who look for fastest shutter speeds, fastest film advance, super fast autofocus, more and more custom functions, and other cool extra stuff. Some on the other hand, look for depth-of-field preview, mirror lock-up, spot metering, and a viewfinder that shows everything they need to know. What I have to have inside my viewfinder are f-stops and shutter speeds, exposure compensation, metering index, and flash ready signal. Extras to look for are, focus signals (all auto focus cameras have this), frame counter, metering mode indicator, flash OK signal, AE-lock indicator, exposure mode, manual focus indicator, and flash compensation. The best thing that has happened to view finders is the metering index. This is a scale marked in 1/3 or 1/2 increments with at least +/-2 stops of exposure value. My Minolta X-700 only showed a + or -- sign to warn of any over or under exposure. My Maxxum 7000 did the same thing in manual mode but with a simple up or down arrow. I was very impressed with my Maxxum 9000 viewfinder. It showed under and over exposure in 1/2 increments which meant I no longer had to guess. I simply metered an area and worked in stops. If I wanted an area one stop lighter, I would adjust settings until viewfinder showed +1. I would do the opposite to make the area darker. The metering index is now part of most cameras and it is better than before. A scale shows +/-2 or more stops in 1/3 or 1/2 increments for precise exposure adjustments. Combine this with spot metering for perfect exposure every time. I prefer my focusing screen simple. All I need are spot metering area and focusing frames for times that I use autofocus. You can replace your screen with one of many other screens available for different type of photography.
Depth-of-field preview: A must for any serious photographer. I would not consider buying a camera that lacks this feature. Depth-of-field preview let you check depth-of-field at selected f-stop. We view the scene with the lens wide open. Once shutter speed is pressed, camera close the lens down to the actual f-stop. The problem is that the viewfinder gets dark as you close the lens down to check depth-of-field. Go from f-2 to f-22 and you can't tell the difference except that everything is now very dark. The best way is to do this is one or two stops at a time. Close down two stops at a time and wait a few seconds in between for your eyes to adjust to the light. This can be a problem at high magnifications. It is easy to shake the camera while pressing and holding down the preview button. Maxxum 9000's preview button could be locked, so all you had to do was set the f-stop and look until your eyes get adjusted to the light and press the cable release. Other models including the new advanced SLRs are operated by pressing and releasing the preview button. Shoot at high magnifications at f-22 or f-32 and you must hold down the preview button for several seconds to see the actual depth-of-field and risk shaking the camera. Anyhow, I take any kind of depth-of-field preview over a camera that has none.
Mirror lock-up: You can reduce mirror vibration by locking the mirror up prior to taking shots. This avoids unsharp images due to vibration caused by the mirror. This feature is mostly found in advanced and pro cameras. Some models have a separate mirror lock-up button or lever. Others use self-timer with a 2 second delay. Either method is fine. I prefer to have mirror lock-up but can live without it. If your camera has this feature, use it. Otherwise take caution especially at 1/8-1/15 second shutter speeds.
AE-lock: Another must have feature is AE-lock (Automatic Exposure Lock). In aperture priority and shutter priority as well as program modes, you can lock exposure and recompose your shot. If you were photographing a sunset for example, you could easily underexpose your shots if the ball of sun is included in the viewfinder while taking a meter reading. Move the camera to one side to remove the sun and take a reading from part of the sky. Press and hold the AE-lock button, recompose to include the sun and shoot using the previous reading. Some cameras can be programmed by a custom function so you do not have to hold the AE-lock button while taking pictures. You can press to lock and press again to release. This new operation makes using AE-lock more comfortable.