When was this written?

[studiocygnet]

I was reading through an older photography book I got at Half Price Books, and found the article below, written by Ed Hannigan. Except for a couple references to film and darkroom equipment, it sounds like it could have been penned yesterday. But what year do you think this is? I'll leave it off for a while so y'all can guess.

The article starts:

"Out of the somewhat transitory position into which photography has been plunged by the swing to automation, the past year or so, have come several revolutionary advances. These herald a remarkable future for the photographic industry and foreshadow a potentially dismal situation for the hobby.
With most all cameras today featuring electric eye automatic exposure setting, everyone can take pictures with the assurance of getting virtually 100% results. No longer does one have to tax the thinking processes to set the focus, shutter speed and diaphragm to ensure a sharp, properly exposed image on the sensitized film.
Some of the fun, being able to control the density and scale of the image, has been removed to make it easier for the masses to take pictures. By so doing more cameras, more film, more processing, more projectors with be sold to enhance the P/L statements of the manufacturers. By so doing, sales of accessories, chemicals, darkroom equipment and related items are threatened. Who needs them when everything is automatic and it is so easy to have someone else do the time-consuming work? Where will the hobby turn, will it wither away? Only the next few years can give the answer."

The article ends with a summary that states:

"Whatever happens, one thing is sure. Photography, in general, is in a confused state insofar as how much automation is enough, how much is too much. By the time someone has concrete answers to this we will have completely surrendered to electronics. There is so much electronics in photography today there is no escape."

[kneemeaux]

I'll guess the mid 60's.

[Dobick]

I'm gonna guess mid 1940's let's say 1947 to be exact

[Steaphany]

My guess would be mod 1960's to the mid 1970's.

The references to electronics is a big clue.

[bondarnes]

The Konica Auto-Reflex of 1965 was the first focal-plane-shutter auto exposure 35mm SLR; hence the name.

Konica C35 AF (1977) First autofocus camera, 1,000,000 sold.

[studiocygnet]

OK, it's from the U.S. Camera Annual 1964.

[brewercm]

Kind of makes me feel like when I tell friends that I wish they'd take the idiot "Auto" mode off of SLR's. I know when I bought my first DSLR I'd use it many times because my reason for getting the camera was to keep from missing shots of my daughter due to lag time.

Taking it of "Auto" and placing it in M mode was the best thing to happen to me as far as forcing me to learn about the true aspects behind the image. Just my own personal thoughts as reading that easily made me think about that in my mind.