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

When choosing a manual SLR camera, novices in SLR film often find it difficult to tell the difference between an advanced machine and an ordinary machine, and in later use, the difference is not only indistinguishable, but also more confused.

Minolta X700 is a mid-range model with a price of 63000 yen, while the Nikon F3, which is also controlled by all electricity, needs 139000 yen, which is more than doubled, but in practical use, except for the feel, there seems to be no essential difference between the two. Both are manual focus, fuselage light measurement, automatic block, and many friends will find the display of a small liquid crystal window like F3 quite inconvenient. Apart from the heavy point, it is difficult for many friends to say where the F3 is at the top.

Similarly, the Nikon F3, Canon's new F1 and Pentax's LX cameras are similar in operation, and they are all called the top, but in practice, there is no essential difference except for the lighter LX feel.

To put it to the extreme, no matter what brand, as long as the manual focusing SLR seems to be the same, the most is whether there is automatic gear, there is no difference in photometry, unless it is some plastic shell stuff. So what is the embodiment of high-level, top-level?

In this article, if there is a manual SLR, it all refers to the 135 manual SLR.

In our daily use, the biggest difference is that there is automatic gear and no automatic gear, which is also the division of the manual SLR era, automatic block is related to the camera's light metering system, but we also pay little attention to this point in our daily use. If you can use it automatically, you will use it automatically.

The truth is that in our current application environment, we really do not feel the difference between the level of manual SLR cameras, people will think that contemporary FE2 and F3 are similar to use, maybe FE2 is a little easier, not to mention FA cameras.

Because at present, we only use the most basic functions of SLR cameras, that is, focus and exposure, regardless of the scene and the situation that the scene needs to match. In fact, there are some environments in which we can feel the camera's weakness, such as the cold phase may get stuck, but we rarely associate the camera's inadaptability to the camera's level.

So, in most cases, the level of manual SLR cameras has nothing to do with our photography activities.

Not to mention the DSLR, you will find that the only difference between the manual DSLR and the side axis is focus, and everything else is pretty much the same.

Let's take a look at the scenes corresponding to different levels of manual SLR cameras.

The 135 SLR camera originated before the war, and the great development was in the 1950s. As the camera department of Zeiss in Germany was transferred to East Germany, the research and development of the whole German 135 SLR suffered a heavy blow. East Germany does not want to make progress, and West Germany is struggling. This gives Japan 135 SLR a chance to rise. I mentioned this story before.

In the 1950s, Asahi Optics and Minolta were both pioneers of Japan's 135SLR. Minolta's SR-2 (1958) camera and Asahi Optics AP camera (1957) were all 135SLR with complete function. The so-called complete function has three indicators, the first, with a matching prism, not as an accessory, the second, with a complete shutter disc, not a separate one, and the third, the reflector can be reset. The operation is a whole (120 DSLR does not need this indicator). Although important technologies such as maximum aperture viewfinder and TTL photometry have not yet emerged, basic SLR operations can be achieved as long as the above three points are met.

So at that time, there was no hierarchy for SLR cameras, and it would be nice to have them.

The Nikonda F camera, known as the era of the SLR, put forward the concept of "reporter use", which is the most important professional attribute of the 135 SLR camera. The professionalism of the 135 SLR is reflected in more scenes, or recorded in the whole scene, even in space.

Large F cameras were cheaper than Leica cameras, but they were still expensive in those days, so Nikon launched a NIKKOREX camera in 1962, which was one of the first steps in the camera scale.

From the perspective of materials, NIKKOREX is not more Jerry-built than Big F, in fact, its price is not cheap. Compared with the large F, it can not replace the viewfinder. Under the use logic of the large F, the viewfinder can not be replaced, which not only means that the waist flat view can not be replaced, but also that the photometric top can not be used. Because once the Nikonda F uses the photometer top, it is equivalent to a TTL photometric camera, which is a very critical and professional function at that time.

Then, NIKKOREX in the use speed, in the applicable scene than the big F is inferior, its use speed is also slower than the big F, the grade gap is thus opened.

This is a prominent grade gap for SLR cameras: the functional level gap, the more advanced the camera has, the more convenient for photography.

However, the development of technology will bring different levels of DSLRs back to the road of keeping pace with each other in terms of functionality. for example, when there is no TTL, TTL is more advanced, and after TTL is popularized, it needs to start from other aspects.

Throughout the development of the manual SLR, in the concept of functional prominence, the replaceable viewfinder has always been an important difference between the top level and the non-top level, because changing the viewfinder can better expand the viewfinder ability of the SLR camera. this was the key to photography speed at that time.

Throughout the development of manual SLR cameras, few of them have realized this complex function. Some friends will ask, the Pearl River Smur201 DSLR made in China can be changed, which can be regarded as a top camera. As a matter of fact, the Pearl River SAP 201 is indeed an imitation of Nikon F, with a prototype of a top camera, but it does not form a systematic viewfinder system and cannot achieve the ability to use it in more scenes like the F2 and Minolta X1.

Therefore, can replace the viewfinder can also be combined into a system of viewfinder system can be counted as the top.

In addition to the viewfinder, electric quick film is also a professional standard, although it also appeared on ordinary cameras in the 1970s, but only the most professional cameras can use faster and more stable films. This is a very important function for sports journalists.

Obviously, this kind of top-level nature must not be felt when we use it now.

By the mid-1970s, the use of materials began to distinguish between camera levels. Early SLR cameras, even the so-called mid-end machines, are full of materials, and there is no essential difference between them and top-level ones.

But after the mid-1970s, the use of materials began to highlight, top cameras began to use some new materials, then popular is titanium alloy, magnesium alloy, for shutter durability requirements began to put forward.

Canon's old F1 was the first to propose that the camera could also work normally in very cold conditions, with a design target of 0 degrees at first, and then getting lower and lower, basically achieving minus 20 degrees. There is lubricating oil in the SLR camera, if there is no targeted design, it is easy to cause problems such as reflector failure and metal parts breaking when it is below 10 degrees below zero.

Even if not in Antarctica and in the background, 10 degrees below zero is a fairly common scene for journalists.

At the same time, dustproof and waterproof design requirements began to emerge, which was largely related to the poor environment of the Vietnam War, but the popularity of this kind of technology was in the 1980s, and this kind of technology is of great significance for electronic cameras. Journalists can also do their jobs better in deserts, rainforests and so on.

To sum up, the professionalism and top sense of a manual SLR camera depends on speed, stability and functionality, all of which are not needed in current photography. If you need to buy a Nikon F6, Canon EOS-1 will do it.

Of course, top cameras do provide excellent stability, the Nikon F3 in the 1980s as an electronic camera, many of them can still be fully used after 40 years of wind and frost (of course, many of them are also faulty), such as Pentax LX cameras, in addition to rubber aging, most of the skills are fierce, which shows that very good standards and standards were used in the manufacture of this kind of cameras.

But for today's enthusiasts, in fact, they are all the same. I use 135 DSLRs and choose what I think looks good. It doesn't matter what else. I use all M42 screwdriver cameras.

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

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