On Mon, 2 Nov 1998 05:13:14 -0500, "Fred Whitlock" wrote:

>I can't stand it. What on earth is the need for (or even the advantage of)
>AF on a tripod mounted camera? Have we lost the ability to control a camera
>ourselves in the 90's? Is it gadgetry for the sake of gadgetry? Do we as
>photographers want to give up total control of the photographic process to a
>computer? I'm sorry. I didn't mean to take it out on you. The fact that
>it makes you grumpy makes me sad. We don't buy cameras as photographic
>tools anymore. They are feature laden toys now. We've lost sight of their
>purpose. Ah well! Good shooting.

YESSSSSS!!!! ;-)
It does mystify me also - both focus and exposure control are
generally [not always...] most directly/quickly/efficiently/accurately
done manually, yet the feature set burying manual control ever deeper
grows ever larger on newer cameras...! ;-) Advertising, and the
mfgr's perceived need to come up with "new" features drives this
phenomenon, I guess...;-)

Hey, those in US - VOTE TUESDAY November 3rd!
(Maybe we can quiet that Re-Bublican yapping and nipping
at the heels of Clinton, and maybe get a "do-something"
Congress in the bargain!)