The
Nikon F4
by
J. Ramón Palacios tell
a friend about this article
|
THE
SMALL NUANCES .....
The
etymology of 'nuances'
is French, of course, from the Middle French, shade of color;
from nuer,
to make shades of color; from nue,
cloud; from the Latin nubes;
perhaps akin to the Welsh nudd,
mist.
|
| Nikon
F4s with Nikkor AF 50mm f/1.4
lit to show the
subtle 'ridges' in the grip.
. |
In English dictionaries,
I found 'nuance' registered as far back as 1781. The word takes
now several meanings:
- A subtle
distinction or variation
- A subtle
quality: a nicety, a refinement, a distinction
- The sensibility
to, awareness of, or ability to express delicate shadings
(as of meaning, feeling, or value).
The
word "nuance" implies "a subtle, delicate degree"; a subtlety
used to accentuate, to stress, to make more prominent various
design features. Because nuances can really make the difference
in feel perception. Maybe the small nuances cannot be recognized
immediately but are definitively appreciated.
The
Japanese are splendid at subtleties, but Nikon®
excels. Some physical examples:
- Roundness
of the entire body, almost sensuous at the touch.
- Rubberized
area of the grip to make it comfortable and hard to slip.
- A subtle
couple of 'ridges' in the grip, for the fingers to perform
a firmer grip.
- Extremely
well balanced, whether long and heavy or short lenses are
mounted.
- Perfect
fit into the hands.
- The speed
settings click into position and lock (no accidental resetting).
- Tightly
fit gaskets in all controls to further protect against moisture
and dust.
- Buttons
distinguishable to the touch, like the AE-L (autoexposure
lock) which is convex, and the AF-L (autofocus lock) which
is concave.
- Viewfinder
confirmation of just about everything.
For the body they
contracted Giorgio Giugiaro, the car designer, whose credo is:
"Form follows function", and indeed it does.
All
of these nuances become even more subtle because -amazingly- they
have never been publicized, at least not extensively. |
