Mailinglist Archives:
Infrared
Panorama
Photo-3D
Tech-3D
Sell-3D
MF3D

Notice
This mailinglist archive is frozen since May 2001, i.e. it will stay online but will not be updated.
<-- Date Index --> <-- Thread Index --> [Author Index]

Re: Realist vs Kodak



I guess I did open a can of worms with my comment (purely a joke) regarding
the comparisson between Realist and Kodak.

I also hope that no one called 1-800-PowerMe.  For those in digest mode they
will not know what I am talking about until they get digest 1061.  I hope
this will be soon so my kids can enjoy Christmas... ;)

Back to Realist vs. Kodak comparission.  LDA says:

>One interesting thing that turned me off of the Realist camera is the total
>unfriendliness of it's design towards using a normal angle flash bracket. 

Why don't we call things the way they are?  The Realist is a left-handed
camera (shutter button in in the left side) while a "normal" flash bracket
is designed for right-handed cameras (almost all cameras except the Realist
;)) That's the origin of the "unfriendliness".  I have used flash brackets.
Not the most convenient thing in the world trying to fire the Realist with
your left hand when you are right-handed, and having the bracket block your
way, but, hey, for all those left-handed individuals out there it might be 
a blessing. ;)

Also, LDA went to lengthy explanations to convince us that the rangefinder
(one of the supposedly strengths of the Realist) is totally unecessary
because most focusing is done using the hyperfocal distanced.

That's correct, EXCEPT for the cases of close-ups.  I am surprised that LDA
does all his shooting with the camera focused at 15 ft.  In an earlier
posting regarding weddings he said that close-ups are great.  And I agree. 
I guess what he had in mind was close-ups with his modified Nimslo.  I take
a fair amount of close-ups with my Realist.  Definition of close-up here is
having the subject at 4-6ft or so.  With the background blocked out by my
flash, I can get a good close-up of a person, like my most succesful
"portrait of the bride" in my ealier wedding posting.  In cases like that
I'd rather trust my Realist's rangefinder than my vague sense of distance.
And, unlike LDA's example for the sharp pictures at f3.5, at close-ups,
precise focusing is CRITICAL (I've learned my lesson...)

George Themelis


------------------------------