ASA and DIN
Panasonic 100-300mm with its own stabilisation works well with Olympus’s own in-camera version. The Olympus 12-200mm can focus down to 200mm so makes a great walkabout lens. I have to admit I don’t use any of my expensive Canon gear now, especially as my entire Olympus kit of camera and three lenses weighs less than my 5D Mark IV with just one lens.
The value of the ASA and DIN ratings on my Zeiss Ikon Contina lla are totally different compared to current 35mm lms. For example 400 ASA is 27 DIN but on my camera 27 DIN is 160 ASA. I am not certain what to set.
John Wade replies: My Zeiss collector friend David Balfour has the answer: ‘The ASA standard underwent a major revision in 1960 with ASA PH2.5-1960, when the method to determine lm speed was re ned and previously applied safety factors against underexposure were abandoned, effectively doubling the nominal speed of many b&w negative lms. For example, an Ilford HP3 that had been rated at 200 ASA before 1960 was labelled 400 ASA afterwards without any change to the emulsion. Similar changes were
applied to the DIN system with DIN 4512:1961-10 and the BS system with BS 1380:1963 in the following years. Being manufactured in the late 1950s the Contina II is, of course, marked with the pre-1960 values for both ASA and DIN so neither will conform to modern
lm ratings, especially as these have been revised several times since 1960. I don’t know of any easy means of conversion, I’m afraid, and in any event it is unlikely that either the meter readings or shutter speeds in such an old camera are entirely accurate, so I think I would suggest an element of trial and error, possibly assisted by a modern meter.’ cameras in future issues?
We endeavour to test all cameras designed for the enthusiast (e.g. with features such as a large sensor and raw shooting). The Sony RX10 IV came out in 2017. We reviewed it at the time and gave it
ve stars. Sony hasn’t updated it since, and it has very few competitors, which suggests that the demand for bridge cameras such as this is not high. We will however test its successor, and any new rivals, if and when they materialise.