Gautam Sarup wrote: >On 3/7/06, Godfrey DiGiorgi <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: >> Be real. The fact is that this is the way all the modern cameras, new >> Panasonic L1 excepted, are being designed. If you don't like it, >> you're out of luck because you won't be able to buy anything in the >> future that works the way you like. > >Why are lenses being designed without aperture rings anyway? >Cost?
Yes, but not just parts cost: in the past several years a huge number of cameras have come in to repair departments from casual users (who represent the vast majority of buyers) who just took the lens off the "A" setting and didn't know why things weren't working any more. I have seen it first hand when I worked at the photo shop. The problem, from a service standpoint, has been exacerbated in the last few years since cameras started getting sold at non-photo-specialist stores. Generally, repair/replacement is handled at a common "Customer Service Desk" so the customer never gets a chance to have the problem explained by someone in the photo department who knows cameras (and some of them would probably miss it these days!) Anyway, I have heard that this has been a major issue from Nikon and Pentax service technicians. Not only does this increase costs for everyone, it bogs down the repair queue and delays real repairs from knowledgeable customers like all of us :)
