A long
time ago when cameras used film, I was a wedding photographer. When shooting an
afternoon wedding we often had a photo session before the dinner. By that time the
wedding party had had a few drinks and everyone finally started to relax.
Summer
evenings in Vancouver are magical. The sun bathes everyone in a golden glow and
light breezes caress like fine silk. But it is at this fleeting moment that
wedding photographers have to work as fast as possible, burning through film and
profit, hoping to capture 2 or 3 truly memorable moments. I can remember daydreaming
about a digital camera that could capture in a few seconds hundreds of images
of a glowing bride. Then afterwards pull an image from this brief “video” (or
series of images rapidly taken) at the exact moment everything was perfect. All
without film.
At
that time I was shooting formals with a Bronica 6x6 SQ system and my candids
with a Canon EOS 1n and L lenses. Generally we shot 20 rolls of 36 with the
Canon and 10 rolls with the 6x6. At a pro lab, this cost about $300 for processing
and print proofs.
Old
news, but guess what, pro-series cameras can now do just that, rapid shooting
and HD video. Engadget reported that the last season of the TV series “House”
was shot with a canon 5D Mark ii. The 5D Mark ii can also shoot 30 frames a
second!
Until
recently, this has come at pro price of about $3000.
While
watching the 2010 US Open tennis (http://www.usopen.org/en_US/index.html ) an
Olympus EP2 video ad caught my eye, it stated that this little camera was used
to film the ad in HD video. It can be bought for about $550. Amazing stuff. My
dream came true quicker than I thought.
Here are wise words you should not forget: Buy the cheapest digital
camera that will do what you need and the most expensive lens you can
afford.
In other words, put your money
in the lens. Entry level cameras made by the big companies are all pretty good.
But we can’t say that for all entry level lenses. In fact many kit lenses are
very poor. It’s all in the “glass”! For a well developed argument and longer
explanation follow the link. (20/09/08 Entry) http://lyndersaydigital.com/brain/pix_files/lens_primacy.html
September is almost here, and this year is especially
interesting. Two great camera companies have released upgrades to two
fantastic compact cameras. We have the new S95 (was the S90) and
the new LX5 (was the LX3). The battle for the best compact is set to
start in Cologne, Germany at Photokina in September. You can
already hear the saber rattling in the forums, but until these two guns come to
market it will be just talk. Looks to be an action filled fall for camera
lovers!
The cameras presently
on the market are excellent, almost approaching the perfect everyday
camera. Here is a list (debatable) of 5 compact/smaller cameras
that I really feel will take some great pictures and be small enough to
use keep close by and use everyday.
We get emails daily asking about how the Flipbac works on this popular camera. We decided to see for ourselves. If you are interested in reading our observations, have a look over here. Any others out there who have tried the Flipbac on their LX3? Send us your comments and we will post them for our readers.
When
I think of my grandparents, I always picture them as older
people. My grandfather was a veteran of the second world war. He
smoked a pipe, sat at the head of the table in family dinners and took me
fishing. To me, my grandfather could never have been a child. He was always an
older adult.
True
I have seen pictures of him when he was young and when he got married, but because they are black and white photos they are some
how veiled from reality.
In the
1960's cheap color photography became available to the masses. Introducing the
missing element of color, photos were now much closer to the reality we
experienced.We
see in color, remember in color and now photos were in color. Accurate color
photos removed the mystery.
These
thoughts started to crystallize when I stumbled on a picture of myself taken in
1975 on my first day of elementary school. A 6 year old boy ready to go to
school, holding his lunch box while standing in front of our neighbor's
garden. It has accurate color, it hasn't faded. I like to think I was a pretty
cute little guy, but there is no mystery to the photo, it could of been taken
last fall. (Well, my wife says the pants give it away). But it was taken 34 years ago, about 1/2 a lifetime.
In
times past, the wealthy had portraits painted to record their likeness. But
these paintings were even more veiled in mystery than black and white
photos. But
then in the last century, for the first time in human history, color
photography enabled middle class people to accurately and vividly
document our lives.
What does this expose? It exposes our
fleeting youthful years, the shortness of life, our mortality. But on a more positive note, take a look at what it has allowed this family to do: Smile!
Butterflies
belong to the order Lepidoptera. This name means “scale-wing” in
Latin and refers to the scale cell structures found on butterfly wings. I
had read about butterfly scales and thought about trying to photograph this
beautiful feature of their design.
My
opportunity came when I noticed the wing of a
fallen butterfly on the street side and brought it home. By window light I photographed
the piece of wing laying on a piece of black paper with my compact
digital camera.
When
I look I look at this picture, it feels as though I am gazing at the stars
of the midnight sky.
The abilities of common compact digital cameras constantly amaze me. This
shot was easily taken without any special equipment. I first took several
shots then removed the memory card to review the images on my home
computer. After a couple tries I found what I was looking for.
I
am not sure if this is technically called macro photography or close-up
photography, but either way, the macro feature on most of today's compact
digital cameras gives the casual photographer access to a miniature
world that was previously not accessible.
