hi, as I promised, here are my first impressions with the SFXn + F 1.4/50 :
*** HANDLING
with the AA grip I got with the camera, it can be handhold very
conveniently, much better than a bare "block" K2DMD (my other Pentax).
Nicely handholable with one hand, and still can access the most usefull
control - AE lock - by thumb. The AA grip is best in this regard - it's so
big that it fits easily my hand.
It balances very well with my longer and heavier glass, too.
Other buttons (there are not many) are easy to memorize and select even
blindfolded, which is great.
The two arrows slidign button for changing shutter speeds, etc are perhaps
not as easy to use as regular rotating wheel, but not bad either.
*** FINDER
is the weakest part of this camera. It's pretty basic, not having an
aperture readout (!), only LEDs for shutter speeds (and quite lousy
signalization for intermediate speeds in A mode), flash led, mode leds,
expos. compensation symbol (not actual amount). The "groundglass" (some
sort of laser matter or microprism / strange fresnel) is nice, and even not
that hard to focus manual lenses. It's darker than the K2DMD (propably
because the semi-permeatable mirror for AF). But the screen is great for
manualy focusing wide angles, cause you can easily focus even in the
corners, which is almost impossible with fresnel screens.
*** SPECS
I like the 1/4000 for handholding telephotos. I lack intermediate speeds
in shutter-priority & manual modes (you can select only e.g. 1/125, 1/60,
1/30 but NOT 1/45, 1/90. Only in P or aperture-priority is the shutter
step-less). Big omission AFAIK. Another strange thing is two Manual modes -
one is X synch and another is classic manual. It's ok BUT the two are a bit
confusing - I select the wrong one.
Very nice thing is the Automatic modes. It's easy to use & select between
them: with A mode selected and lens on A, you get shutter priority. When
you move the aperture ring from A to say f/11, you get instantly
aperture-priority - a bit like PZ1-p. The Program modes are three - normal
which is pretty basic but good, Sport one (selecting wide apertures and
high speeds, it's pretty "intelligent" if enough light - it tries to stop
down 1 or 1/2 stop as soon as possible - at around 1/500 or 1/1000) and
Depth of field one - which selects stops around f/8 to f/13 even if low-light.
Manual mode is only selectable when lens is off "A" setting (how owuld you
like to select aperture then? Only PZ-1p has got two wheels for that. SFXn
has only one selector), which is OTOH quite intuitive.
The MODE selection is a bit awkward - when lens in A stop, you can cycle
between 4 (four!) modes with the arrows slider - and "normal" P mode is in
between the "sport" and "dof" modes, while A is "left" of "sport". At least
there is that reset button near finder, "c" aka clear, which brings you to
either P(normal) when lens is on A, or to aperture-priority A when lens is
off A stop. Nice.
OTOH, mode selection is very easy if you only use two A modes.
Motor - at 2 fps is slow compared to high-end nikons & canons, but I like
it - I wouldn't propably use much more, at max. the 4 fps of PZ-1p. I was
used to wind the lever each time (I couldn't get a motordrive for the K2DMD
- it needs a special one, very rare).
*** AUTOFOCUS
Well, the weaker point of this camera. First generation Safox is
horizontal only, so it hunts on vertical pattern objects (just tilt the
camera to a side, it helps instantly!). But in good light (and by that I
mean average room lightning room lighting), it usually locks in a second at
maximum with my f 1.4/50 (my current only one af lens). It has problems
with fine-grained uniformly lit objects, though - it just wan't focus on
them. But at least if lights the AF-assist lamp which is built-in the RTF -
it helps a lot in dark (by fine-grained I mean e.g. the finish of my chair,
etc. But it automatically uses the AF-assist on them). AF assist works only
in SINGLE af mode! In SERVO, it doesn't ;-(
SERVO mode is quite nice, if it has enough light. It focuses quickly then
does few micro-adjustments, but shutter can be released any-time, unlike
single). OTOH, as I said, builtin AF assist doesn't work in SERVO.
Can't say how it works with slower lenses. I don't plan to get any slower
AF lenses (except the F 4-5.6/70-210 for light weight), so I can't tell you.
*** METERING
is only center-weighed, but ! it is not that good. What I mean is that it
takes into account too much of the picture area, and I like more selective
metering. It takes too much account of "sky" area (tried only indoors, by
measuring a ceiling light). My K2DMD is not much better, though, and still
I got nice pictures with sky in them. But the AE-LOCK button is so easy to
use (with thumb), that it does't really matter. the K@DMD has such a
hard-to-use AEL button (must be operated with other hand)...
the roll of slides I used to test the metering is not back yet, so can't
tell you how accurate it is. I guess a lot, and at least it isn't "biased"
towards under or over exposure as are matrix meterings of pentax and others.
*** DISPLAY
displays all information. Setting exp.compensation, iso, motordrive mode
(cont./single) is easy via display, harder when looking tru finder (there
are only two multifunction buttons with up and down positions, so you can
memorize them and now know that you have to push left button up and slide
arrows left 2 times to get -1 exp.comp.).
It displays frame number even when turned off, nice feature.
*** MISC
I would prefer a more traditional user interface, but its still way better
than most Minolta or Nikon bodies. Both EXPOSURE COMPENSATION and AUTO
EXPOSURE LOCK are very easy to use, which is great. MODE selection is not
great, except the two A modes (intuitive transitions from one to other) and
the "C" reset button, which is great too! (it's almost like hyper manual -
when I am in M mode with some aperture selected, I just press C to get to A
mode.
BTW, it remembers all setting when turned off - even single/cont. drive,
exp.compensation, etc. You must pres the Clear button to reset the camera
(except iso).
*** CONCLUSIONS
I think I will eventualy learn to be intuitive with the controls, as I
learned on other cameras, over time. Sure I would like some things to be
better, and certainly a PZ-1p wold answer my needs, but for the money I
paid for the camera PLUS 1.4/50 F lens, I wouldn't even got a SuperProgram
body in user condition ! (and I think of the camera as an improved and huge
but more handholdable SuperProgram, propably not so well built? Who knows.
The camera must be partly metal under the plastic, it's certainly heavier
than newer bodies)
I am starting to like it, if used carefuly, it's easy to control after all ;)
Also the handling is great, I can use one hand only to everything I need:
set shutter speed in shutter-priority A mode, fire, and lock the exposure
(I frequently use AEL instead of Manual mode - I just meter somewhere where
is the reading I want and lock it and recompose. With the easy to use AEL
button, it's great. Even turn camera on/off can be done with one hand. I
can hold with the other to the rope doing paparazzi shots ;) Or hold with
my other hand on a wing of a jet plane ;) Or fend of that rude policeman
trying get rid of me while shooting him etc.
Frantisek (only now I have lookded on the amount of text above: too much! I
couldn't ve a news editor ;(
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