Sunday, February 22, 2015
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
My New Camera
For several years I have been thinking about buying a high quality single lens reflex digital camera, but up to now I have hesitated to make the commitment.
Twenty years ago I bought a Hasselblad medium format film camera, which I loved. It was a very high quality camera, totally mechanical - no autofocus, autoexposure, or auto-anything. It didn’t even have a light meter. But it took great pictures.
Ten years ago, just as the digital revolution was well underway, I found a used Leica M6 camera for a good price and I loved that camera also. It used 35mm film, had a light meter, and was solid as a rock. It too was a mechanical camera - no autofocus or autoexposure. And it took wonderful pictures. Using it was a joy.
I thought these cameras were timeless when I bought them; I thought I would hand them down to my sons. But time did it’s terrible dance, and the cameras became obsolete almost overnight. Film became scarce and darkrooms scarcer. The other day I took the cameras out and realized I had forgotten how to load them. So, after all this time and indecision, I finally decided to sell them and buy a new digital camera.
In digital photography size matters - the size of the sensor (more than the number of pixels.) The bigger the sensor the better. Of course cost is a limiting factor, so a new digital sensor for my Hasselblad was not a reasonable choice at $20,000! But a full frame sensor, one that is the same size as a 35mm film negative, was. Although Leica makes a wonderful digital camera, at $5,000 for the camera body it seemed too expensive for my needs (but not for my wants!)
Now I am the proud owner of a Nikon d750 with a 28-300mm zoom lens. I downloaded the 500 page owners manual and am trying to understand it. What a change from my first camera, a single lens reflex all mechanical film camera. Will the Nikon make me a better photographer? Not directly but it will encourage me to take more and better pictures. Now I won’t be able to fault my camera. Now it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and seeing the right picture. If I can see it, the camera can certainly take it.
Twenty years ago I bought a Hasselblad medium format film camera, which I loved. It was a very high quality camera, totally mechanical - no autofocus, autoexposure, or auto-anything. It didn’t even have a light meter. But it took great pictures.
Ten years ago, just as the digital revolution was well underway, I found a used Leica M6 camera for a good price and I loved that camera also. It used 35mm film, had a light meter, and was solid as a rock. It too was a mechanical camera - no autofocus or autoexposure. And it took wonderful pictures. Using it was a joy.
I thought these cameras were timeless when I bought them; I thought I would hand them down to my sons. But time did it’s terrible dance, and the cameras became obsolete almost overnight. Film became scarce and darkrooms scarcer. The other day I took the cameras out and realized I had forgotten how to load them. So, after all this time and indecision, I finally decided to sell them and buy a new digital camera.
In digital photography size matters - the size of the sensor (more than the number of pixels.) The bigger the sensor the better. Of course cost is a limiting factor, so a new digital sensor for my Hasselblad was not a reasonable choice at $20,000! But a full frame sensor, one that is the same size as a 35mm film negative, was. Although Leica makes a wonderful digital camera, at $5,000 for the camera body it seemed too expensive for my needs (but not for my wants!)
Now I am the proud owner of a Nikon d750 with a 28-300mm zoom lens. I downloaded the 500 page owners manual and am trying to understand it. What a change from my first camera, a single lens reflex all mechanical film camera. Will the Nikon make me a better photographer? Not directly but it will encourage me to take more and better pictures. Now I won’t be able to fault my camera. Now it’s a matter of being in the right place at the right time, and seeing the right picture. If I can see it, the camera can certainly take it.
Sunday, February 8, 2015
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Tuesday, January 27, 2015
Thursday, January 1, 2015
New and Old Year's Resolutions
Last Year - with outcomes:
Enjoy life more — Maybe, not sure
drink more wine - Yes!
eat more chocolate - I think I did
visit at least one new country - Yes, Burma
visit at least one old friend whom I haven’t seen for more than a year - Yes, Lena, Volodya, and Vanya from Almaty
complete both speech therapy and physical therapy programs - Yes
write in this blog once a week, every week - No, sorry about that
read a book every 2 weeks - not quite, but did read some good books
write another draft of my Greenland memoir - nope… not even close
get my financial affairs in order - yes
have a photography show of my Bhutan pictures - Yes, in Gallup, a success!
And my new 2015 New Years Resolutions:
Go to Iceland for my 70th birthday in July
Go to Thailand with my family this spring
Drink more whisky
Write more letters - keep in touch with more people
read more books
Produce books of my photos - Spiti, Australia, Alaska
Exercise regularly
Eat good chocolate regularly
Be a better man - husband, father, grandfather, friend
write my blog every week
Enjoy life more — Maybe, not sure
drink more wine - Yes!
eat more chocolate - I think I did
visit at least one new country - Yes, Burma
visit at least one old friend whom I haven’t seen for more than a year - Yes, Lena, Volodya, and Vanya from Almaty
complete both speech therapy and physical therapy programs - Yes
write in this blog once a week, every week - No, sorry about that
read a book every 2 weeks - not quite, but did read some good books
write another draft of my Greenland memoir - nope… not even close
get my financial affairs in order - yes
have a photography show of my Bhutan pictures - Yes, in Gallup, a success!
And my new 2015 New Years Resolutions:
Go to Iceland for my 70th birthday in July
Go to Thailand with my family this spring
Drink more whisky
Write more letters - keep in touch with more people
read more books
Produce books of my photos - Spiti, Australia, Alaska
Exercise regularly
Eat good chocolate regularly
Be a better man - husband, father, grandfather, friend
write my blog every week
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