Re: [tlug] Mencoder conversion of files

[Curt Sampson <cjs@example.com>]

On 2007-12-05 00:29 +0900 (Wed), Lyle H Saxon wrote:

> On Dec 4, 2007 6:21 AM, Stephen J. Turnbull <stephen@example.com> wrote:
> 
> > And I would dispute your claim about high quality optics; looking
> > around, a lot more people can afford high quality optics than could do
> > so 25 years ago.
> 
> "Looking around"?!  Hee-hee!  Specifics man!  Where were you looking,
> what did you see, and let's hear prices for professional level optics
> for professional level video cameras.

Well, I can't speak for the video side, but on the still camera side,
some types of lenses have definitely gotten better and cheaper.

Prime (non-zoom) lenses have not changed much; my 25-year old Zuiko
kit hasn't been improved upon in either price or performance. However,
zoom lenses have improved remarkably in the high-end, and the cheap
"consumer" ones are now as good as the pro lenses from a quarter-decade
ago. As an example of the latter, the kit lens that came with my Nikon
D40, a 17-55 mm zoom that sells for about 16,000 yen, is surprisingly
good, with excellent bokeh; while it's not brilliant, a lens of similar
quality back in the '80s would have cost several times as much.

The bigger issue with non-SLR cameras these days is related to the move
to digital: speed and user interface. Today's point-and-shoot cameras
are really more like point-and-shoot-and-wait cameras, and Lord help you
if you need to change a setting. I can comfortably and quickly shoot
full-manual on my Olympus OM-4; even on my D40, which is far better
than "high-end" point-and-shoot digital cameras, I have neither the
metering nor the controls to be able to do anywhere near as easily.
And of course my keitai is just a nightmare; even a simple change of
exposure compensation take a couple of seconds.

This is why cheap SLRs are so much better than even the most expensive
point-and-shoot cameras; the delay to process the image and get it on to
a digital viewfinder is enough to lose shots on a regular basis.

cjs
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Curt Sampson       <cjs@example.com>        +81 90 7737 2974   
Starling Software     <office-admin@example.com>
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