pdek
"Dekkam" as was
Another question that came up shortly before the website was set back most of 48 hours was this: Why are there no longer books devoted to single-make (and sometimes even single-model) cameras, such as the ones that we grew up with by Cooper, Emmanuel, Tydings and others, as Morgan and Lester in the various Leica Manuals?
My answer was two-parted. First, in our digital age cameras change their capabilities and ways of operation very quickly, and no publisher is going to be willing to put out a book that will quite possibly be obsolete by the time it gets into the stores. And very few writers would be able to complete such a book in such short order.
Second, I mentioned that the best resource usually available is the instruction book: most manufacturers have recognized this, and prepare much more detailed books than they used to do. But this, unfortunately for the answer I posted, is not always true.
As a "retired professional", I no longer have any need to make 4x6 foot prints (and I rarely did even when I was a professional), so that ever since Olympus introduced the four/thirds system, I have been using it: the fact that the sensor is only 1/4 the area of a 35mm camera frame isn't vital to me (after all, I championed the Pen F's, which were half the usual frame size), and in fact I usually get pretty good definition anyway. When the E-510 came out with full-camera anti-shake, I figured this was a camera I had to go to.
Olympus usually produces pretty good instruction books. About a week ago, having registered the E-510, I received an e-mail from Olympus telling us owners that an update to the operating system had just become available: from 1.0 to 1.1. I went to the website, read the downloading instructions, got my E-510 and connected it to my computer via USB, then started the Olympus Master 2 software that came with the camera. Turned out that the interface on Master 2 (which came out only recently itself) is quite different than that of the old original Olympus Master [1]; the website instructions only covered Master 1. After a good deal of finagling, I did manage to figure out how to use Master 2 for the upgrade.
So, following directions, I turned on the E-510. Up came the USB connection page from the camera menu: none of the instructions for upgrading had mentioned this. It had four choices, so that I had to guess which one to highlight. When I settled on the one at the top and tried to start the download, I was told that the software didn't recognize any attachment to a camera. Ultimately I figured out that I had to press the "set" button: simply highlighting my choice wouldn't work. Of course I had checked out the instruction book, but it had no instructions at all for software upgrades, and the online instructions didn't mention anything about activating any of the four choices. Online, too, there's no early mention of the special screen that appears on the camera's LCD telling you that the upgrade is under way; this screen doesn't appear, though, till about 20-25 seconds after the download begins, so for the first part of the process there's no sure way to find out whether or not it's working.
Ultimately, I got it right. But when the instructions on the website are very firm that if you make a mistake, you may harm the camera to the point where it needs to be sent in to Olympus for extensive repair, a lot of photographers with little experience are going to admit defeat and never download the upgrade. (Actually, so far as I can tell, the only truly crucial direction is that once you have initiated the process, you have to leave everything alone till you're sure it's complete, even though the "in process" screen has not yet lit up.)
I guess what I'm getting at is this: when I said in answer to the original question that the instruction book for your camera is your best resource, I was probably correct. But often it is not THE best resource! In fact, sometimes there is no best resource; nothing really substitutes for experience, and even with a good deal of experience you sometimes have to be brave as well when the information from the book is wrong or lacking or both.
So I regret that it's economically unfeasible to publish camera-specific books any longer. The beginner's only resource, sometimes, is to turn to a trusted friend who has had more experience for advice. Sorry!
Peter
My answer was two-parted. First, in our digital age cameras change their capabilities and ways of operation very quickly, and no publisher is going to be willing to put out a book that will quite possibly be obsolete by the time it gets into the stores. And very few writers would be able to complete such a book in such short order.
Second, I mentioned that the best resource usually available is the instruction book: most manufacturers have recognized this, and prepare much more detailed books than they used to do. But this, unfortunately for the answer I posted, is not always true.
As a "retired professional", I no longer have any need to make 4x6 foot prints (and I rarely did even when I was a professional), so that ever since Olympus introduced the four/thirds system, I have been using it: the fact that the sensor is only 1/4 the area of a 35mm camera frame isn't vital to me (after all, I championed the Pen F's, which were half the usual frame size), and in fact I usually get pretty good definition anyway. When the E-510 came out with full-camera anti-shake, I figured this was a camera I had to go to.
Olympus usually produces pretty good instruction books. About a week ago, having registered the E-510, I received an e-mail from Olympus telling us owners that an update to the operating system had just become available: from 1.0 to 1.1. I went to the website, read the downloading instructions, got my E-510 and connected it to my computer via USB, then started the Olympus Master 2 software that came with the camera. Turned out that the interface on Master 2 (which came out only recently itself) is quite different than that of the old original Olympus Master [1]; the website instructions only covered Master 1. After a good deal of finagling, I did manage to figure out how to use Master 2 for the upgrade.
So, following directions, I turned on the E-510. Up came the USB connection page from the camera menu: none of the instructions for upgrading had mentioned this. It had four choices, so that I had to guess which one to highlight. When I settled on the one at the top and tried to start the download, I was told that the software didn't recognize any attachment to a camera. Ultimately I figured out that I had to press the "set" button: simply highlighting my choice wouldn't work. Of course I had checked out the instruction book, but it had no instructions at all for software upgrades, and the online instructions didn't mention anything about activating any of the four choices. Online, too, there's no early mention of the special screen that appears on the camera's LCD telling you that the upgrade is under way; this screen doesn't appear, though, till about 20-25 seconds after the download begins, so for the first part of the process there's no sure way to find out whether or not it's working.
Ultimately, I got it right. But when the instructions on the website are very firm that if you make a mistake, you may harm the camera to the point where it needs to be sent in to Olympus for extensive repair, a lot of photographers with little experience are going to admit defeat and never download the upgrade. (Actually, so far as I can tell, the only truly crucial direction is that once you have initiated the process, you have to leave everything alone till you're sure it's complete, even though the "in process" screen has not yet lit up.)
I guess what I'm getting at is this: when I said in answer to the original question that the instruction book for your camera is your best resource, I was probably correct. But often it is not THE best resource! In fact, sometimes there is no best resource; nothing really substitutes for experience, and even with a good deal of experience you sometimes have to be brave as well when the information from the book is wrong or lacking or both.
So I regret that it's economically unfeasible to publish camera-specific books any longer. The beginner's only resource, sometimes, is to turn to a trusted friend who has had more experience for advice. Sorry!
Peter
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harry01562
Registered semi-lurker
A very sad commentary, but very true. Such is todays world. Digital, with its instant gratification has joined cell phones and CNN. The other problem I've encountered is instructions that seem to assume that the new owner already knows how to do all the "simple" things, and is overly complicated, and sometimes contradictory.
I enjoy my non-autofocus film cameras, and have no plans to change, When the time comes that focus problems or whatall prevent use, I may just become a fondler and read about camera history.
I do know that the capabilities of many of the digital SLR's are almost NEVER utilized to any great extent. They might be explored if the instructions guided the user, but I don't think many of them do that. It was a much simpler world when the M3 and Canon 7s were among the top of the crop.....
Harry
I enjoy my non-autofocus film cameras, and have no plans to change, When the time comes that focus problems or whatall prevent use, I may just become a fondler and read about camera history.
I do know that the capabilities of many of the digital SLR's are almost NEVER utilized to any great extent. They might be explored if the instructions guided the user, but I don't think many of them do that. It was a much simpler world when the M3 and Canon 7s were among the top of the crop.....
Harry
Finder
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Complain to the manufacturer. That will be the best way to increase the quality of the instruction manuals. The manufacturers WILL improve these IF people (and more than a handful) call and complain. The odd thing is no one does.
Most third-party manuals were aimed at gearheads - at least the ones I saw. I am not sure how usefull they were.
Sincerely,
An ex-instruction manual writer for a major Japanese camera manufacturer.
Most third-party manuals were aimed at gearheads - at least the ones I saw. I am not sure how usefull they were.
Sincerely,
An ex-instruction manual writer for a major Japanese camera manufacturer.
dll927
Well-known
One of the on-going problems with instruction books is that old matter of translation. Japanese and English are so totally different.
In his autobiography, Albert Schweitzer claimed to be equally at home in either German or French. But even he admitted that it's the language you count and do common things in that really wins the contest.
The complexity of DSLRs (and their instruction books) sometimes seems like over-kill. One thing for sure, although I've had my Maxxum 7D almost two years, there are settings, etc., that I rarely make use of. But I bought it because I already had a (film) Maxxum 7, and I wasn't about to give up the compatiblity of the lenses, etc. if I was going to go digitial. And I'm not sure I'd be content with a point-and-shoot.
In my case, I'm not aware of any 'upgrades' in the operating system of the camera, so at least I'm not facing that. But of course, Minolta itself bit the dust and they are now called Sony.
In his autobiography, Albert Schweitzer claimed to be equally at home in either German or French. But even he admitted that it's the language you count and do common things in that really wins the contest.
The complexity of DSLRs (and their instruction books) sometimes seems like over-kill. One thing for sure, although I've had my Maxxum 7D almost two years, there are settings, etc., that I rarely make use of. But I bought it because I already had a (film) Maxxum 7, and I wasn't about to give up the compatiblity of the lenses, etc. if I was going to go digitial. And I'm not sure I'd be content with a point-and-shoot.
In my case, I'm not aware of any 'upgrades' in the operating system of the camera, so at least I'm not facing that. But of course, Minolta itself bit the dust and they are now called Sony.
Finder
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dll927 said:
So what did you think of the Maxxum 7D instruction manual? Any translation problems?
dll927
Well-known
Since I'm totally innocent of Japanese, I really can't answer in terms of the translation.
However, as the owner of both a Maxxum 7 and a 7D, I find that the instruction books are quite complete. Any time I've had to look for an answer for something, I have managed to find it. And since current cameras are pretty darned complex, I do make use of the books on occasion.
They are certainly rather long and involved, but I suppose they have to be to cover everything. And I doubt if the ones Minolta put out are really any worse than those from other brands.
Any comparisons between the instruction book for the 7D and for my old SRT-101 are purely coincidental. Suffice it to say that the older one is much shorter!!
However, as the owner of both a Maxxum 7 and a 7D, I find that the instruction books are quite complete. Any time I've had to look for an answer for something, I have managed to find it. And since current cameras are pretty darned complex, I do make use of the books on occasion.
They are certainly rather long and involved, but I suppose they have to be to cover everything. And I doubt if the ones Minolta put out are really any worse than those from other brands.
Any comparisons between the instruction book for the 7D and for my old SRT-101 are purely coincidental. Suffice it to say that the older one is much shorter!!
Finder
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dll927, thanks for the answer. It is rather academic for me now, but it is nice to know you found the answers to your questions and it was not particularly annoying. It would have been nice to hear it was better than the ones made by those "other" companies, but...
BTW, it is not a translation - it was written by a native writer. Minolta was one of the few companies that had an in-house technical writing department and one with an English writer. The Japanese edition of the 7D manual is 250+pages and a different design although the information was the same. All other languages are translated from the English edition.
BTW, it is not a translation - it was written by a native writer. Minolta was one of the few companies that had an in-house technical writing department and one with an English writer. The Japanese edition of the 7D manual is 250+pages and a different design although the information was the same. All other languages are translated from the English edition.
dll927
Well-known
Talk about things getting lost in the translation!! But it's reassuring to know Minolta was kind enough to use somebody who knew what to say.
As for the demise of Minolta - some time back Herb Keppler had a piece in Pop Photo that seemed to explain things. There were some things about the auto-focus system in the original Maxxums that stepped on the toes of some patents belonging to the Honeywell Corp. So H. sued M. for patent infringement, and in the process demanded back compensation for every Maxxum that had ever been sold. The jury (that famous group of 12 non-experts) found in favor of Honeywell, and Minolta never recovered.
But bankruptcy seems to me to be a cover-up a lot of the time. Thy get their debts erased, then re-appear down the street with a different address and phone number. Oh yeah, also a different name. So Minolta becoming Sony may not be any different in Japanese than in English.
As for the demise of Minolta - some time back Herb Keppler had a piece in Pop Photo that seemed to explain things. There were some things about the auto-focus system in the original Maxxums that stepped on the toes of some patents belonging to the Honeywell Corp. So H. sued M. for patent infringement, and in the process demanded back compensation for every Maxxum that had ever been sold. The jury (that famous group of 12 non-experts) found in favor of Honeywell, and Minolta never recovered.
But bankruptcy seems to me to be a cover-up a lot of the time. Thy get their debts erased, then re-appear down the street with a different address and phone number. Oh yeah, also a different name. So Minolta becoming Sony may not be any different in Japanese than in English.
Finder
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Minolta settled the law suit with Honeywell and the shift to Sony had nothing to do with it. Besides, (Konica) Minolta does still exist and retains the patents to the photo technology and they are still responsible for their past actions. The reason the photo division was closed has nothing to do with any law suits although they certainly were not helping. While Herb has written much about the demise of Minolta, it is just speculation. There is no cover-up or conspiracy to Minolta closing - it went out of business because it could not make money. And yes, I do know more about it than Herb Keppler.
dll927
Well-known
It's interesting how the ball has been passed around. When I bought my first Minolta (SRT-101 in 1970), it was supposedly the largest-selling model of SLR. A few years later Canon came out with the AE-1, which reportedly smashed all previous records.
No question about it, in its day the Nikon F was a milestone camera. But given its 'component' makeup, a working example tended to be more expensive than most of the others. In recent years it seems that Canon has given Nikon a run for its money, especially among pro and wildlife photographers.
Who knows what the next "winner" will be??
No question about it, in its day the Nikon F was a milestone camera. But given its 'component' makeup, a working example tended to be more expensive than most of the others. In recent years it seems that Canon has given Nikon a run for its money, especially among pro and wildlife photographers.
Who knows what the next "winner" will be??
gordonb
Pierre get my snorkle
Does anyone know about the Copyright Status of the Tydings Books?
Does anyone know about the Copyright Status of the Tydings Books?
I understand that US copyright law retains copyright for 50 years after the author's death. Does anyone know when Kenneth Tydings passed away and the status of the copyright?
While there are many copies of his books in circulation if the copyright has lapsed then it would be a great opportunity for his manuals to be released into the public domain as a service for collectors and people using the products he wrote about.
Does anyone know about the Copyright Status of the Tydings Books?
I understand that US copyright law retains copyright for 50 years after the author's death. Does anyone know when Kenneth Tydings passed away and the status of the copyright?
While there are many copies of his books in circulation if the copyright has lapsed then it would be a great opportunity for his manuals to be released into the public domain as a service for collectors and people using the products he wrote about.
nodyad
Member
Waiting for material to fall into public domain can be dicey, since publishers and estates may have particular rights as well.
When Does a Copyright Expire, So I Can Safely Copy Something?
http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2004/12/when_does_a_cop.html
How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work (Circular 22, Revised July 2006)
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ22.html
A better solution may be to attempt to contact the publisher or estate and get permission for authorized/licensed use of the material.
When Does a Copyright Expire, So I Can Safely Copy Something?
http://patentpending.blogs.com/patent_pending_blog/2004/12/when_does_a_cop.html
How to Investigate the Copyright Status of a Work (Circular 22, Revised July 2006)
http://www.copyright.gov/circs/circ22.html
A better solution may be to attempt to contact the publisher or estate and get permission for authorized/licensed use of the material.
gordonb
Pierre get my snorkle
nodyad said:
Thanks,
As the published date is in the mid 50's (1954) the following applies:
USPO Circ. 15a said:
So a search will have to be done to see if the Copyright was renewed in 1982 (if published in '54). The on-line search which should have renewals from '78 onward, shows no renewal. It would be nice to get permission from the publisher or estate but the publisher is no longer in business under that name (Greenberg Publisher, NY) but it appears later versions were published by Chilton.
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