Re: [OM] Questions, questions...

[Kennedy]

In article , Winsor Crosby <wincros@xxxxxxx> wrote
>My impression was that IF lenses arose out of the need to reduce to size
>and load on the tiny motors for autofocussing cameras and lenses.

Nope - I was designing systems with IF lenses before autofocus was ever
available.

> It did
>not have_anything_ to do with an inherent superiority of one system to
>produce an excellent image at the film plane. 

True - but it had a lot to do with ensuring that the lens did not get
contaminated during extended periods of naval and airborne operation -
IF permitted a completely sealed lens design.

>It was an engineering
>solution to the limitations of batteries and electrics. 

In the commercial SLR instance it was a solution waiting for the problem
to arrive - IF lenses were in common use long before AF.
-- 
Kennedy
Yes, Socrates himself is particularly missed;
A lovely little thinker, but a bugger when he's pissed.
Python Philosophers         (replace 'nospam' with 'kennedym' when replying)

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