[kergonath]

Fixed focus cameras have been around forever because they are mechanically simple, reliable, and easy to operate. The thing is that they are usually set with a short hyperfocal distance. This means that the manufacturer is not choosing where the focus is as much as putting everything in focus. This removes any opportunity for mistakes and avoid fiddling with any focus ring and concentrate on other things. The trade off is much more subtle than “manufacturing taking freedom away bad”.

There’s also always been manual focus lenses if you want, so I struggle to see where the problem is.