After having experienced a monitor breakdown as well as a stroke of lightning
(and not
simultaneously!) which wrecked both my modem and my AC adaptor I can finally
report
that the July issue of Pop Photo has arrived here in Sweden (maybe it travelled
by
boat, who knows), and indeed they give the new IS-30 a high rating as a P & S.
One
sentence does make me puzzled though. A year or two ago there was a first
discussion
in this list on the flash system of the IS cameras, with largely inconclusive
results
since we could not agree whether these cameras use a TTL flash system like most
of the
OM cameras or just an old flashmatic system. Thanks to people like Ken Norton
and Hans
van Veluwen however I think we now can reasonably agree that IS cameras use an
intelligent variant of the old flashmatic system where flash output (of the
smaller
flash tube for wide angle only?) is determined by several sensors incl.
distance by
the AF system, and unlike the TTL (OTF) flash system of most OM cameras is
largely
unaffected by bright areas in the background. Then I read this (in the Pop Photo
review):
-quote-
"Flash exposure accuracy: The IS-30 uses through-the-lens exposure reading for
flash
shots, too, so flash pictures tend to be better exposed than with the simple
flashmatic system used on regular point-and shoots."
-unquote-
Do they mean that IS-30 use TTL flash or what? Here's what is said on the
IS-300 info
page at Olympus Japan:
-quote-
"The Intelligent Variable-Power Flash System uses data from several sensors to
determine the appropriate illumination. It fires automatically in both dim
light and
backlit situations - for example, when sunlight is filtered through trees. The
system
also minimises over-exposure, while the Auto Colour-Balancing Flash detects the
wavelength of fluorescent or other artificial lighting. The result is lifelike
pictures that have an ideal colour balance free from an unnatural cast. There
is also
a flashmatic control system that optimises the illumination. Based on the
distance to
the subject, the appropriate flash intensity and aperture are set
automatically."
-unquote-
Looks like they screwed up at Pop Photo, doesn't it? It also looks as if the
person
who wrote this article (Dan Richards) is not identical to the photographer that
tested
the continous focus of the camera. Strange, one person who writes and another
who
takes photos?
Per Nordenberg
Kolmården, Sweden
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