Shulou(Shulou.com)11/24 Report--

Don't be fooled by the Leica around you. Most film fans use SLR cameras. The past four magic machines are also SLR cameras. Isn't Hasu also a SLR camera?

Since the 1960s, SLR cameras are almost synonymous with professional cameras, and they are called mainstream cameras for professional users in both 135 and 120. Both Nikon and Canon started out making side-axis cameras, and both eventually gave up the side-axis. Zeiss's ZEISS IKON before the war was also a side axis, both the folding machine and the contax side axis were classics, and after the war they also turned to DSLRs. Although Leica did not give up the side axle, it also insisted on DSLR. Don't forget that Leica has always had R series in the film age and S series in the digital age.

However, the SLR never completely sent the paraxial camera to the museum. on the contrary, when it entered the post-digital age, the SLR was eliminated by the micro-single, while the Leica M11 was meticulous, and even shouted that he was the ancestor of the micro-single.

The side axis has never really retired from the historical stage, indeed, in the 1970s and 1980s, the professional replaceable lens side axis system gradually disintegrated and replaced by the SLR system, contax system, L39 system have withdrawn from the historical stage. But individual paraxial cameras with irreplaceable lenses are still common.

For example, Olympus 35SF in PETRI COLOR35,1969 in 1968, Jessica 35GT in the same year, Konica in 1973, Canon DETALUX in 1977, etc.

Compared with the emergence of portable computers in 35 areas, in the 120th field is the world of reflective cameras, Hasu SLR, Lulai DSLR series and classic DSLR famous all over the world, while Japanese manufacturers, BRONICA focus on DSLR, MAMIYA's leading products are 645 and 67 DSLR, PENTAX has launched 67T SLR, Fuji has been on the side axis. Even the P6 made in East Germany is a DSLR.

The reason for the existence of the paraxial axis in the 135 field is quite simple: portable.

SLR cameras can also be made very small, but SLR lenses are difficult to be small and are much larger than paraxial lenses at the same aperture focal length. Although the pocket type of the small side shaft shape is also irregular, but the overall size is still smaller than the SLR, and it will be more convenient to operate.

In contrast, since 120 is mainly used in commercial photography and used in the field of professional photography, "portability" is often not its consideration. Even for external photography, there are assistants and cars. In those days, it was impossible to say that fashion blockbusters needed photographers to carry a truckload of things all over the street. On the other hand, 120 cameras tend to be relatively large and often do not meet the needs of journalists and human photographers, with the exception of double reverse.

Not everyone needs a DSLR, because most people don't have that high requirements for photography. Just as most people now use mobile phones instead of cameras at all, there were plenty of people in those days to shoot disposable cameras with plastic lenses.

By the late 1980s and early 1990s, systematic paraxial cameras reappeared, whether it was 135 or 120.

Compared with Leica's multi-category, multi-aperture system, the same focal length and multi-aperture system, this round of the side axis basically uses a small system, that is, the sale of a limited number of lenses without lens aperture level distribution. This is true whether it is the Fuji TX series, the CONTAX G series, or the three 120 side axle series. Konica's RF camera and COSINA Flenda's BESSA camera were also initially closed systems. Although they both used the Leica M port, they only released a very limited number of lenses at the beginning, and COSINA Flunda released himself later.

The reason why the side axes emerged in a pile in the 1990s is quite complicated, in which the push hand that can not be ignored is the result of camera automation. Most of this batch of paraxial cameras are automatic cameras, including fully automatic cameras like CONTAX G and Fuji GA series, as well as semi-automatic cameras like TX.

Fully automatic operation first appeared on the Fuji GA camera, and its portability makes it more widely used in fashion photography and news photography.

After 20 years of commercial photography practice, it has been proved that a lot of hand-held operations are still needed in commercial photography, and 120 DSLR is really difficult to accomplish this task. The professional 120 side axis does enable photographers to take a lot of angles and images that are difficult to get from a DSLR.

Moreover, the full automation of the side shaft is easier than the DSLR, and the emergence of a series of portable card machines has enhanced the status of the side shaft.

The retro fever in Japan is also a key point that can not be ignored. Automatic cameras, especially full-automatic SLR, developed rapidly in the 1990s, but there was a retro portable wind in Japan.

The retro tide in Japan began with the hype of the old German scene. The supreme legend, the legend of eight pieces of jade and the myth of APO-LANTHAR are all products of that era. The concept of a paraxial camera is even more popular.

In order to comply with this wave, CONTAX launched the G series side axis, the G series itself does not have many selling points, automation is very primitive, its selling point is focused on the resurrection of long-vanished HOLOGON and BIOGON, advertising is the same, and this kind of symmetrical ultra-wide-angle lens can not be found on SLR cameras. Just look at how many M notches have been changed in the CONTAX system lens, and you will know how accurate Kyocera hit the pain point.

Konica simply built an M-port camera and plugged in whatever you wanted. Fuji TX is to play the wrong position, play wide, in my opinion, this is Fuji to sell more film out of the game. Why did Fuji launch 6X9's paraxial camera? In theory, 6X9 can be on the landline, unexpectedly use the side shaft so hasty treatment scheme? In fact, it is not difficult to understand that the ultra-automatic GA series and huge plastic series are all for the cost of film.

After talking about some historical factors, let's talk about whether there is anything on the side axis that cannot be replaced by a SLR.

To understand this, we must first understand the difference between a side shaft and a DSLR.

COSINA Flenda once produced a M42 SLR called BESSAFLEX, this camera fully proved that the SLR and the side axis are actually different from the viewfinder system, and the other functions of the camera can be the same. Only the viewfinder part of this camera and the BESSA R side axis is different, the other shutter, operation, over-film, rewind, are all the same, and the operation on the lens is the same. In short, the side axis can be very different from the SLR, or it can be mostly the same.

If in terms of the basic functions of camera viewfinder, the paraxial camera is certainly not as good as the SLR camera, especially in manual focus, the SLR camera also has a more accurate advantage (provided you have a good eye), and the focus area of the paraxial camera is too limited. And as far as the versatility of the lens is concerned, it is very difficult for the side axis to use a lens with more than 135mm focal length, which is fatal in news photography. And it is difficult to use a zoom head for a paraxial camera, although there is, the feeling of using it is not comparable to that of a SLR. Anyone who is really engaged in professional photography knows that high-quality zoom lenses are very easy to use and can save a lot of trouble.

Because of the reflector, the SLR camera artificially enlarges the distance between the back end of the lens and the focal plane, which makes some wide-angle lens design and some targeted aspheric lens design difficult to achieve. In the film era, symmetrical wide angle can not be used mainly, because the rear group of this kind of lens is generally large, and the rear group is close to the focal plane. In fact, the SLR can also create a wide angle with a large angle, but it is not as good as this kind of paraxial lens in deformation control.

But in the past, it was considered insignificant that this type of lens could not be used, and lenses with an angle greater than 28mm were rarely used. Just imagine, do you use 24, 21, or even 18, 15 in our daily photography? This kind of side-axis head can do very small deformation, but because the angle is too large, so the perspective deformation will become very serious, this is the lens itself can not handle the problem.

In fact, without this distance, lens development can indeed enter a new era, just like the performance of today's micro-single lens. In the past, however, only Leica M lenses took full advantage of this feature in the 1990s.

Finally, I want to talk about psychological factors.

For a long time, people who play photography will think that paraxial cameras are more stylish than SLR cameras, paraxial cameras are cameras, and SLR cameras are more like tools. So if you look at Queen Elizabeth II, she takes the Leica side axle, Lulai Shuangfeng, Lulai 35, and has never seen the Queen operate a Japanese camera. But from another point of view, the queen really fucks a Nikon F3 in her hand, just like the reporter who photographed her below, how funny it is.

Many people think that according to the style and shape of the camera, it is impossible for the SLR to replace the regular and atmospheric side axis. In fact, I think many SLRs are also very grand, such as the pointy Nikon F2, Pentax LX and so on.

In a word, there is always a reason for the existence of the side axis.

This article is from the official Wechat account: film fan club (ID:jiaojuanmi), author: Shanghai Old dirty Turtle

Welcome to subscribe "Shulou Technology Information " to get latest news, interesting things and hot topics in the IT industry, and controls the hottest and latest Internet news, technology news and IT industry trends.