> If you hand an N70 and 8008 to complete beginners,
> train them in how to set every feature of the camera,
> and then test them on setting different configurations
> --as in, "Now set each camera to shutter-priority at
> 1/250th, spot metering, rear curtain synch and self-
> timer mode" --most of the new shooters will set the
> N70 correctly more often than the 8008.
It depends on the training. If you just taught
them how to set the features -- "push this button,
turn that knob, until this icon appears" -- instead
of teaching them what was actually going on, then
yeah, the group with the N70 would do better. It
would be a pointless experiment though. They'd
still be clueless about what they just did.
If you taught them what the settings do, and what
they're for, (so they had a logical framework to
work from) you wouldn't see much difference between
the N70 users and 8008 users. The difference between
the groups would be less that the differences among
users in each group.
If you brought the group back after a month, and
none of them had handled a camera since training,
the N70 users would probably be able to remember
what to do faster than the 8008 users. That's the
big advantage with the menu-based stuff. You don't
need as much long-term memory.
If you brought them back after a month, and they'd
all shot 2 rolls of film a day for that month, the
8008 users would kick the N70 users' butts in a speed
drill. The patterns would be ingrained. The limiting
factor would be the interface, and the N70's takes
more steps.
Human brains don't need intuition FOR TASKS THAT
ARE REPEATED OFTEN. After the first dozen or so
repetitions, the steps become automatic, no matter
how un-intuitive or even counter-intuitive they are.
When the operator reaches that level, all that matters
to him is how powerful a set of operations are available,
and how much flexibility does he have in combining
them to do what he wants. There may be a steep learning
curve to get to that point -- it's nice that there are
alternatives for people who don't want to climb that
curve, or who don't use the system enough to retain
proficiency -- but people who use any system all day, day
after day will tax the limits of ANY interface eventually,
and a tree structured interface will get in their way
much sooner.
-Don
