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I giot this Pentax Optio 330 GS as a birthday present -- my first digital
camera -- and I'm thoroughly annoyed with it.

Mind you, I have a lot of respect for Pentax, having used their 35mm
cameras a fair bit, and this digi is well made and functions as designed.
The problem for me is that the design is poorly thought out and I'd like
to let Pentax know it.

Just one example of many: The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
technical instructions. Also everything you can think of is automated
(without any real manual override).

So the designers are working on the two assumptions: 1) that the users
are too dumb to understand such matters as shutter speed, aperture, ISO
numbers and focussing and 2) that said users are at the same time smart
enough to understand 108 pages of technical instructions (poorly written
in type so small I literaly have to use a magnifying glass to read them).
Don't add up, do it?

There would be no point in calling the company's customer relations
department -- all I'd get would be some amiable young woman whose job it
is to sooth down my annoyance. Nothing would happen.

What I'd really like to do is write personally to the guy at Pentax
(probably in Japan) who is responsible for putting this absurd design on
the market. Or maybe the president.

He OUGHT to be glad to recieve what OUGHT to be valuable input. Doubt
that'll happen though.


Anybody got any names or addresses I could use?




--
Jim Garner, sage and dogsbody. (filtered, see below).
E-mail is filtered out unless subject line includes "GRAN"
(613) 526-4786; 759B Springland, Ottawa, ON K1V 6L9 Canada
"Buy the steak, not the sizzle"

So the designers are working on the two assumptions:

1) that the users are too dumb to understand such matters as shutter speed,
aperture, ISO numbers and focussing .

The majority of the public want a camera that goes into 'p' mode & stays
there. When I worked in a major 35mm printing shop 99% of the printed public
photography was crap. Every possible photographic cock up was covered, and
some even wanted enlargements of their crap. Given this hit rate Pentax are
onto a winner.


2) that said users are at the same time smart
enough to understand 108 pages of technical instructions

Nope - 99% of the users don't read the instructions past page 1 - 'quick set
up' - put into 'p' mode.



(poorly written
in type so small I literally have to use a magnifying glass to read them).
You need some glasses.


Don't add up, do it?

yep- its consumer, it is in the hands of photographic gorillas, who scratch
their heads when the OOF & distant flash pic they took of London bridge
didn't light up the whole Thames also, as they thought it should.....

Buy a DSLR if you want a proper digi

Betty

"Jim Garner" <> wrote in message
news:bop2cf$7t$...
>
>
> I giot this Pentax Optio 330 GS as a birthday present -- my first digital
> camera -- and I'm thoroughly annoyed with it.
>
> Mind you, I have a lot of respect for Pentax, having used their 35mm
> cameras a fair bit, and this digi is well made and functions as designed.
> The problem for me is that the design is poorly thought out and I'd like
> to let Pentax know it.
>
> Just one example of many: The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
> technical instructions. Also everything you can think of is automated
> (without any real manual override).
>
> So the designers are working on the two assumptions: 1) that the users
> are too dumb to understand such matters as shutter speed, aperture, ISO
> numbers and focussing and 2) that said users are at the same time smart
> enough to understand 108 pages of technical instructions (poorly written
> in type so small I literaly have to use a magnifying glass to read them).
> Don't add up, do it?
>
> There would be no point in calling the company's customer relations
> department -- all I'd get would be some amiable young woman whose job it
> is to sooth down my annoyance. Nothing would happen.
>
> What I'd really like to do is write personally to the guy at Pentax
> (probably in Japan) who is responsible for putting this absurd design on
> the market. Or maybe the president.
>
> He OUGHT to be glad to recieve what OUGHT to be valuable input. Doubt
> that'll happen though.
>
>
> Anybody got any names or addresses I could use?
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jim Garner, sage and dogsbody. (filtered, see below).
> E-mail is filtered out unless subject line includes "GRAN"
> (613) 526-4786; 759B Springland, Ottawa, ON K1V 6L9 Canada
> "Buy the steak, not the sizzle"

>Just one example of many: The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
>technical instructions.

I wish all manuals that came with a camera were as in-depth as that.
Sounds great to me.

>Also everything you can think of is automated
>(without any real manual override).

Pentax (like all other manufacturers) have simple point-and-shoot
cameras, and more fancy ones where you can override all the manual
settings. It's the camera you chose to buy.

I'm not sure what you are complaining about.

>What I'd really like to do is write personally to the guy at Pentax
>(probably in Japan) who is responsible for putting this absurd design on
>the market. Or maybe the president.

What's so absurd about the design? You bought a point-and-shoot camera
and that's what you got.

I agree. You bought a cheap ass camera. What do you expect?

"Jim Garner" <> wrote in message
news:bop2cf$7t$...
>
>
> I giot this Pentax Optio 330 GS as a birthday present -- my first digital
> camera -- and I'm thoroughly annoyed with it.
>
> Mind you, I have a lot of respect for Pentax, having used their 35mm
> cameras a fair bit, and this digi is well made and functions as designed.
> The problem for me is that the design is poorly thought out and I'd like
> to let Pentax know it.
>
> Just one example of many: The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
> technical instructions. Also everything you can think of is automated
> (without any real manual override).
>
> So the designers are working on the two assumptions: 1) that the users
> are too dumb to understand such matters as shutter speed, aperture, ISO
> numbers and focussing and 2) that said users are at the same time smart
> enough to understand 108 pages of technical instructions (poorly written
> in type so small I literaly have to use a magnifying glass to read them).
> Don't add up, do it?

If you asked for this camera for your birthday, you should have researched
its capabilities first. I am not familiar with Pentax's digital camera line,
but there may be a higher model with the control you desire. I think the GS
model was lower end.

> There would be no point in calling the company's customer relations
> department -- all I'd get would be some amiable young woman whose job it
> is to sooth down my annoyance. Nothing would happen.
>
> What I'd really like to do is write personally to the guy at Pentax
> (probably in Japan) who is responsible for putting this absurd design on
> the market. Or maybe the president.
>
> He OUGHT to be glad to recieve what OUGHT to be valuable input. Doubt
> that'll happen though.
>
>
> Anybody got any names or addresses I could use?
>
Go to Pentax's Web site. You should find a email address there. I sent them
email once asking about lenses and got a response. But why should you? Other
companies sell basic cameras with limited manual control. That is not a
fault!

I have Fuji 6800z. It has many features, but limited manual control (no
direct shutter or aperture control) and the manual is rather long and small
in size (small text).

Sheesh. I hope you aren't one of those chronic complainers. Who needs them.
John
>
>
> --
> Jim Garner, sage and dogsbody. (filtered, see below).
> E-mail is filtered out unless subject line includes "GRAN"
> (613) 526-4786; 759B Springland, Ottawa, ON K1V 6L9 Canada
> "Buy the steak, not the sizzle"

What a whinney little "kid". Just be happy you got a digi-cam, and learn how to use it. You'll be better off! Yours was FREE... I
had to pay for mine!


"Jim Garner" <> wrote in message news:bop2cf$7t$...
>
>
> I giot this Pentax Optio 330 GS as a birthday present -- my first digital
> camera -- and I'm thoroughly annoyed with it.
>
> Mind you, I have a lot of respect for Pentax, having used their 35mm
> cameras a fair bit, and this digi is well made and functions as designed.
> The problem for me is that the design is poorly thought out and I'd like
> to let Pentax know it.
>
> Just one example of many: The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
> technical instructions. Also everything you can think of is automated
> (without any real manual override).
>
> So the designers are working on the two assumptions: 1) that the users
> are too dumb to understand such matters as shutter speed, aperture, ISO
> numbers and focussing and 2) that said users are at the same time smart
> enough to understand 108 pages of technical instructions (poorly written
> in type so small I literaly have to use a magnifying glass to read them).
> Don't add up, do it?
>
> There would be no point in calling the company's customer relations
> department -- all I'd get would be some amiable young woman whose job it
> is to sooth down my annoyance. Nothing would happen.
>
> What I'd really like to do is write personally to the guy at Pentax
> (probably in Japan) who is responsible for putting this absurd design on
> the market. Or maybe the president.
>
> He OUGHT to be glad to recieve what OUGHT to be valuable input. Doubt
> that'll happen though.
>
>
> Anybody got any names or addresses I could use?
>
>
>
>
> --
> Jim Garner, sage and dogsbody. (filtered, see below).
> E-mail is filtered out unless subject line includes "GRAN"
> (613) 526-4786; 759B Springland, Ottawa, ON K1V 6L9 Canada
> "Buy the steak, not the sizzle"

On Tue, 11 Nov 2003 02:43:47 GMT, "Seymore"
<> wrote:

>What a whinney little "kid". Just be happy you got a digi-cam, and learn how to
> se it. You'll be better off!

A great photography pioneer, Edward Steichen, once said "No
photographer is as good as the simplest camera."



Chuck Gadd
http://www.csd.net/~cgadd/aqua

> Anybody got any names or addresses I could use?

Ya.
1 (800) W-A-A-A-A-A-A

>What a whinney little "kid". Just be happy you got a digi-cam, and learn how to use it. You'll be better off! Yours was FREE... I
>had to pay for mine!

I suppose if someone gave him a small GM base model compact car he'd
be writing to the head of GM that it doesn't go 200kph, no leather
seats, no AC,,, etc! What a crappy design! LOL!

This is the funniest thing I've seen al day. It must be a joke and
this guy is pulling our legs!

Jim Garner wrote:
>
> Just one example of many:

Please bring on the other examples - I don't believe anyone has yet
understood what you are complaining about.

> The camera comes with 108 pages of fairly
> technical instructions. Also everything you can think of is automated
> (without any real manual override).

Everything on that camera is NOT automated - that's why there is a 108
page manual.

I have not used this camera, but it seems to be a fairly intelligently
made P&S. For instance, it is exceedingly rare to find a camera - in
any category - where you can bracket exposure, white balance,
saturation, contrast and sharpening. Too bad some users don't
appreciate this flexibility...

> He OUGHT to be glad to recieve what OUGHT to be valuable input. Doubt
> that'll happen though.

And your valuable input is WHAT, exactly...?
--
Tore