On the usability of cameras (NEX-5, LX3)

Little Parliament, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

Today I made a short talk in a TUTKAS seminar, audience consisting of Finnish researchers and Members of the Parliament (MPs). Didn't have much time for photography, except when walking from the parking hall to the "new wing" of the parliament. Then I had a little bit of time before the seminar started. The photograph shows a reflection of the parliament main building from the glass wall of the new wing building (or "Little Parliament").

In my presentation, I used one of my old photographs, namely in the final slide I showed a photograph which I had taken at Anjalankoski. The chair of the seminar, MP Kimmo Kiljunen, complimented on the nice photo which contained such clean-looking landscape.

The topic of the seminar was research infrastructure, and my talk discussed how we can build such things in a sustainable manner, especially related to the use of biological research data. The MP Sirpa Liisa Asko-Seljavaara asked in her comment, whether people really would like to live forever, in case all illnesses can be cured. Well, that was not quite what I meant by sustainability.

Well, back to photography (and gear of course).

The competent review of the Sony NEX-5 at Luminous Landscape contains the collowing remarkable observation: "The NEX-5's user interface may well be one of the most frustrating that I have ever encountered."

Given the common usability issues with digital cameras, this is really quite something. Of course, often you manage to cope with the problems, some of which may in fact turn out to be "features", but in this case it seems that the problems are such that it is quite hard to do much anything with the camera. Which is a pity because technology-wise the camera seems to be a competent one, producing good images in such a small package.

When I bought the Panasonic LX3, I was used to a Canon point-and-shoot (Digital IXUS 400), and it took a while until I learned how to use the LX3 properly. And it took much longer to really know what is good in the camera - what works and what doesn't.

Currently, there is very little that I change in my custom settings, except for exposure compensation, which I put at +2/3 when there is snow and at -2/3 when it is summer. I may change the auto-ISO setting once in a while, but not permanently. (Usually I leave ISO at 100.) The differences in the three custom settings are minor: one has b&w mode switched on ("Dynamic b&w") and another has the square aspect ratio. Otherwise, everything stays as it is good to have it.

Some say that you should read the manual when you get a new camera. Well, perhaps, at least it may not hurt much. But I feel the best is to approach the camera with an attitude of rationality: find out those things which help to do what you want the camera to do (storing custom settings etc.) and try one thing at a time until you get it right.