StillFingerz Offline Upload & Sell: Off
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dhphoto wrote:
I was actually involved with Canon UK at the time of the launch of the A-1 over here and got to try out some pre-launch samples. I never liked it that much, I preferred the old and new F1's and latterly the excellent T-90. I'm surprised you found the dials easy, I remember them being small and fiddly
Budget, at the time, drove my choice and I'll admit I really liked the LED readout in the viewfinder. As for the dials, their usage, the multi-function aspect; pushing in that tiny silver button to change EC, etc, was difficult. But that design was also a blessing of sorts, as it 'made' me push myself, my physical limits, quite hard; outside my comfort zone.
Two months after completing near seven months of rehab; May 7th, 1978 is when I broke my neck, I found the weight and controls layout of my rangefinder; let alone my 4x5, near impossible to use/manage. I gave the rangefinder a go but just didn't have the ability to continue having fun shooting. I struggled with the last of my 'artistic' outlets also being taken from me; painting/airbrushing was gone, as was my ability to draw and that was a most difficult time for a fully schooled/trained/employed architect.
My father recognised the problem and got me to a local camera store; Cal's Camera, where I regularly bought film/supplies. We met with a wonderful photographer/salesman that introduced me to the SLR and after handling all the regulars; Nikon, Pentax, Olympus, etc. it was Canon, the A-1 in particular, that felt good in my quite crippled hands.
The A-1's more rounded corners/features, it's body texture, felt so much better than the steely bodies of the others. And it's dials while were somewhat smallish, they had a notched lip that allowed me to turn them via a thumb nail; it was easier to manage changes. In fact there were several other features that really made that body accessible
The T-90 followed and it had it's challenges, got me even further in my physical journey, it prepped me for a 1V years later. That 1V then afforded me my 1st digital body; the 40D, and the drama/story continues to roll on, and it's all good. I can still create via these light boxes and that brings much joy; reminds of the freedoms still left even with this disabled frame, ever curious mind
Chers,
Jerry
Edited on Apr 20, 2015 at 08:41 AM · View previous versions
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