There is a limit to what can be copyrighted. Some things can't be
copyrighted, and software to average multiple exposure readings is one
of them.
There is a legal principle involved called "merging." If there is
essentially only one way to do something, or the way to do it is wholly
obvious, then that something usually cannot be copyrighted or patented.
Exposure averaging falls into that category.
Of course, if someone opened up a an OM-4 or -4T and directly copied the
code that performs the acquisition and averaging, that would be
considered theft of intellectual property. But Olympus has no ownership
of the _principle_ of exposure averaging, and anyone is perfectly free
to write their own computer software to do the calculations.
>>>>>
Once you have focused on the subject, you should _not_ refocus on the
gray card. An exposure increase is required at magnifications of 1:8 or
higher. If you focus on the card at a lower (or higher) magnification,
the exposure modification won't be correct.
>>>>>
The main reason that all-metal cameras cost more is that they require
extensive finishing and hand assembly. Plastic parts rarely require
finishing, and are usually designed so that everything snaps together
with minimal use of fasteners.
There were two excellent articles on plastic cameras in Pop Photo about
a year ago. Please don't ask me to look up the issue numbers; the
magazines are in storage and I don't have time to pull them out.
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