Hi all,
Kierstan's questions and everybody else's replies about her looking at
a 300mm got me to thinking about my own use of zooms. And when I think
about it, I usually use them at thier maximum or minimum lenghts. My 1st
zoom was very nice Vivitar Series 1 70-210 that I got with my 1st OM
1(n?) way back in 1977. I was very enamoured of zoom lenses because all
I had ever used before was my father's argus C3 that only had the fixed
lens. I have many shots that I took along the then East/West German
border of the time taken with the Vivitar/OM. We were not allowed to get
too close to the fence, so of course I had to use the full extension. I
took many shots also as I toured the the beautiful German country side
during my 1st tour of duty. Almost every one was at full extension.
Where do I use my zooms properly? I use them on people shots. They
allow me to compose as I want, and keep people at a comfortable working
distance for me and them. I am not a good photographer by any stretch of
the imagination, however, I have some shots I took at a family picnic
with a Zuiko 65-200 last summer on a sunny day under the trees though
that are reasonably good-all beacuse I could relax and shoot without
moving to a new position each time. If I had used my 100 or 135 r 200, I
would have been moving around all the time, or changing lenses all the
time-just a hassle.
I must also qualify all this by saying that prior to this, I had not
shot with a 35mm for 10 years except 2 or 3 times I borrowed my FIL's
wonderbrick and occasional use of my Fuji half-frame, and so I was not
exactly comfortable with my OM2S, so I took the easy route with the
zoom. I had gotten back into photography 18 months prior to that but
disdaining any 35mm for my large-format gear. I still prefer my LF for
landscapes, but that is not always possible.
Today, after 100 more rolls of film, I am a little more comfortable
using my cameras, and now I might just try my old scratched up 85/2 to
see if it has any bokeh left in it. I would defintley relive my
anxieties a little bit though, and take along the 65-200.
This brings up where I use my primes. I use them on my landscapes. I
use them on the tree or blossom that will not move so I have time to
compose. That's it, I use them when I have time to compose. I must
confess to being in too much of a hurry most of the time, and it is why
I took up LF when I came back to photography. I wanted to think more
about my photography in the form of composition, and not worry about the
fanciness of the equipment. I still do. I use what I need to.
And before anyone gets on me about wasting all this equipment when I do
not take good pictures-forget it. I do it cause I like to. You can not
have my Zuikos, and only Zuikos. :-)
Thanks if you read it,
John
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|