Nothing new there, though. Look at the ME, for example. Auto-exposure only. (Or, if you consider that just an intermediate model until the ME Super came along, how about the MG or MV?)
Stripped-down models with features removed are common. SP500, K1000, Program Plus, A3000, the whole P series ... About the only feature-reduced model I can think of (post K1000) that *wasn't* designed to sell primarily into the perceived mindless-point-and-shoot market was the MZ-M Peter J. Alling mused: > > As opposed to disabling features because people are too ignorant to > learn to use them correctly... > > John Francis wrote: > > >But you're still basing your agument on the (apparently unwarranted) > >premise that the *ist-DS *does* disable TTL flash for all non-AF lenses. > >According to other posters here, that simply isn't the case. > > > >As I said, people are far too fast to accuse Pentax of deliberately > >disabling bodies for the sole purpose of selling new lenses. > > > > > >Peter J. Alling mused: > > > > > >>John you're right and you're wrong. If the lens tells the body the > >>focus distance, that would be usefully for > >>helping calculate the flash duration, disabling TTL flash with lenses > >>that don't support sending distance > >>information to the body has two purposes, and one is the sale of new > >>lenses, the other is the assumption > >>that the user is incapable of a rational decision. The better solution > >>would be to make the user aware of how > >>the body calculates TTL flash exposure and allow the user to make a > >>choice, not force one on him. > >> > >>John Francis wrote: > >> > >> > >> > >>>Jens Bladt mused: > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>>Kostas wrote: > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>>>I believe it was > >>>>>mentioned previously that on the -Ds it does not do TTL if you don't > >>>>>have an AF lens. This is a limitation induced with extortion in mind, > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>>> > >>>Why are people so fast to make unfounded accusations like this? > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>>>Is this really true! What would AF have to do with flash duration? > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>> > >>>Distance, distance, distance. > >>> > >>>The digital contact (introduced on the AF lenses) doesn't just tell > >>>the camera body the lens identification code and current aperture > >>>(and focal length, for zooms); it apparently also reports the focus > >>>distance. While there is no official confimation from Pentax, it is > >>>believed that the metering logic makes some use of this information. > >>>(Nikon, of course, made a big feature of their 3D Matrix Metering, > >>>introduced at about the same time. Pentax don't even mention it). > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>> > >>-- > >>I can understand why mankind hasn't given up war. > >>During a war you get to drive tanks through the sides of buildings > >>and shoot foreigners - two things that are usually frowned on during > >>peacetime. > >> --P.J. O'Rourke > >> > >> > >> > >> > > > > > > > > > > > -- > I can understand why mankind hasn't given up war. > During a war you get to drive tanks through the sides of buildings > and shoot foreigners - two things that are usually frowned on during > peacetime. > --P.J. O'Rourke > >
