When I was a young journalist working on Motor Cycle magazine I was in awe of our freelance artist, Lawrie Watts. Lawrie, a “technical artist” worked for most of the Iliffe stable of technical magazines specialising in transport (Autocar), air travel (Flight), photography (Amateur Photographer) and farming (Mechanical Farming).
He had the knack of depicting the insides of a piece of engineering, such as a motorcycle engine, in fabulous detail. Most times, we see only the outer shell, attractive as it is, but forget the complexity of what does on inside.
This is never more so than with modern auto-focus lenses. Focus and aperture motors, stability systems and other technological wizardry is all hidden behind the the bland façade that we think of as “the lens”. So smooth, so perfect that nothing can possibly go wrong.
Obsolescence
It comes as a something of a shock, therefore, to see a lens such as Leica’s new SL 24-90mm zoom stripped down and naked. Lens Rentals in the USA has gone a great job on this large full-frame lens and the detail is quite stunning—not to mention a wee bit worrying.
All this all begs the question: How long will modern autofocus lenses continue to work flawlessly; over how many decades? It’s one of the reasons the manual Leica M lenses are timeless, why you can mount a 1933 lens on a 2016 camera and still make perfect pictures. They can still be repaired after a lifetime of service. And it is one of the main reasons they hold their value so well, even appreciating in price in normal inflationary times rather than in the current unusual atmosphere of deflation.
Interestingly, Lens Rentals have also been let loose on Fuji’s bargain 55-200 zoom and have found a very complex and well-constructed interior.
Sadly, I do not think that many modern auto-focus wizards will last 80 years. They’re only a chip away from obsolescence.
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You can read about Lawrie Watts’s career in a book by my late friend and colleague, David Dixon. It is available from Amazon here:
Watts My Line?: The Life and Work of Editorial Artist, Lawrie Watts by David Dixon
What a coincidence.I have a copy of "Watts my line".I bought it when it was published some years ago.I have not looked at it for some time yet yesterday I dug it out to loan to a friend who has just retired as a pilot after flying for nearly 50 years and who used to look at the wonderful cutaways in UK Flight magazine.He is a Porsche 356 guru and also a fan of anything mechanical.Hence the loan.
Imagine my surprise when I logged onto your blog first thing this morning and saw mention of the book.
When one takes a superficial look at the concept of auto focus… auto everything cameras, the concept seems somewhat compelling…
The reality of course, as demonstrated by that Korean reviewer "Kai" when he did speed and accuracy tests (among others), is that this is not so, and even with an M camera starting, out of focus, can be focused as quickly as any auto focus camera.
Zone focusing is even quicker…
Add the complexity of the mechanisms, and the increase in size and potential lack of longevity and the old fashioned concepts become even more compelling.
Valise well and truly reposed Mike.
Well I don’t disagree with you on this. Manual focus still has a lot going for it and, of course, non-electronic lenses stand the test of time, just like a Model T Ford.
Could you be referring to the effervescent Kai Man Wong of Digital Rev? If so, you are thinking of Hong Kong, not Korea. By all accounts he is currently residing in a new build house in Bishops Stortford. Still effervescing, though.
Yes that’s the chap Mike…
He also did a good spoof of Top Camera, in the style of a certain Mr. Clarkson, late of this parish…
Apparently the Nikon something or other is the "Best camera in the wooorrld"… or something like that.