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"Actually,
our R & D side and business side came to an almost simultaneous conclusion
about the need for this kind of camera." "Not everyone in the company agreed this type of camera was the right way to go. But those skeptics are gone. The IS series is exceptional in that it unites the best camera element - body, lens, flash, etc, - for the perfect all-in-one unit." IS-3000 - Size and Weight "The IS-3000 does look slightly larger but we tried to compensate by making it so well balanced it almost seems lighter." "This part (referring to a strip of black material along the inner lens body in a cutaway model) used to be metal, but we’ve replaced it with plastic. Normally, plastic has a lower degree of precision, and one challenge we faced was how to make the camera lighter and yet maintain high precision. Where precision was a factor, we retained metal parts." "Naturally, a larger lens is heavier, because glass itself is a heavy material. And the size is slightly larger. But in the course of our market research, there was no particularly negative response over the larger size of the lens. Instead, customers were very complimentary over the camera’s light weight." Lens
Performance "Thinking about the function of lenses, it’s been my experience that the performance of autofocus cameras in general leave something to be desired. But I’m satisfied with the performance of the IS-3000. In fact, the more you use it, the better results you can expect." Original photo of Mr. Kawazoe from Classic Camera Senka No. 20. |
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A
Plain Kimono With a Silk Lining "The lens barrel, for example, features a water-repellent finish. So when the zoom lens is retracted into the body, the edge of its rubber seal sweeps off any water, like the windshield wipers on a car." he says. The
Star Performers Based on a special
advertisement section in Time, 1993. |
"In reducing the weight, we used light-weight engineering plastics to the greatest extent possible. And when precision specifications demanded, certain metal components were incorporated. Doing so has brought together the best features of both types of materials in the design of the IS-100." "To make the IS-100
easier to carry, the lens barrel retracts into the body, making it more
compact. This is one of the ways we managed to reduce the overall body
length from 155 millimeters for the IS-2000 to 110 with this model. While
in use, the lens extends to its full length." |
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Man-machine
Interface The IS-100 is equipped with four shooting modes that can be quickly selected from a large solenoid control called the "Direct Mode Select Button. " Instead of selecting aperture or shutter speed, this lets the photographer make settings according to the desired results. As simple as its
controls have been designed, the IS-100 still retains such functions as
an aperture-priority setting and spot metering. " I see the IS-100 as appealing in particular to users who are dissatisfied with compact cameras but at the same time appreciate such facets as their simplicity of use and light weight," Nagao asserts. Two
Different Attitudes "Outside of Japan, people seem to be more interested in the artistic aspects of photography," he observes, " so they 're more likely to evaluate a new camera's performance in terms of the results. In Japan, photo buffs tend to evaluate a new camera according to its technical specifications." Nagao is confident that his new camera will provide the level of photographic performance - and specifications - to win over users in both camps. Based on a special
advertisement section in Time, 1994. |
On 30 July 2000, the Pen FT designers examined the Pen FT camera that had been sealed in the time capsule buried at the EXPO ' 70 in Osaka Japan. They talked about the stories behind this camera... Pen
(1959) - making photography popular "There's an interesting statistic that indicates the impact the Pen series had. Before the first Pen was introduced in 1959, camera ownership among Japanese women stood at a little over 1%. But after the Pen EE was introduced in 1961, that figure grew to almost 34%." Pen
F (1963) - a new level in the Pen Series Tsunefuji: Pen
FT (1966) - still in demand in the 90's Koike: Maitani:
Shimoyama: A truly original camera Maitani: Koike: Shimoyama: The future of silver-halide photography Tsunefuji: Shimoyama: Based on an article from Pursuit Vol.19, No.4, 2000 |
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Last updated on 20 January, 2002