Hi--

>>most people seem to be sold on the gadgetry, without
>understanding its limitations...)
>
> That's always been the case though, hasn't it? These things are only
>gadgets if they have no use, surely. You not having a use, doesn't mean
>they are useless. You're only one man. I don't think AF has any
>limitations, simply because it's use isn't mandatory; I can turn it off if
>it's not appropriate. The people who buy things for the sake of having them
>will always behave like that, but please don't include people who have a
>genuine need for things like AF in that category, that's just not fair. The
>truth is this If I could only use F3's, I would lose money. I work in a
>very competitive field, and old cameras like that just don't cut it anymore
>I'm afraid, not in my line of work. You may be fortunate enough to work in
>a field where you have all the time in the world to play with your camera, I
>on the other hand, have to produce photographs better than the other 45
>drooling pack animals around me. A Nikon F may be pretty, but if I tried to
>use one in every day life, I'd be eaten alive.
"D. Gregory"

I think your views on AF may be colored somewhat by the fact that the
(very) particular kind of work you do is well-served by AF... I think you
have no reason to fear that my blabbing on the 'net will cause camera mfgrs.
to cease developing AF technology, which you find useful. Unfortunately,
a feature that may arguably be viewed as a gimmick for most photo work
is crowding out high-quality simple cameras with good feel and manual
operation (and the AF lens focus is often too fast, the focus ring has play
in it, and the plastic aperture rings are often sticky and harder to control
than the MF lens metal aperture rings). AF gear is gradually replacing MF
gear in the Nikon line (and all new lenses are AF...). The writing is on the
wall for those of us who prefer the feel and operating characteristics of MF gear - we are soon going to be without it (new). Many people on the 'net have
never experienced the differences, so I blab, hoping (foolishly, I
suppose...;-), to slow the tide (which action, even if totally successful,
would have no effect on the gear available to you, and only a minor
amount on what is available to me...). So, why are you bothered by my pro-MF
blabbings...?