Recently I turned over the soap box, stood up and have ranted
about the impending decision of going over to digital. The day
will come when I'll say adios to Fuji Velvia and Portra NC, but
I haven't had a chance to shoot much of it lately, anyway.
Sunday afternoon, after we left church, we went to a park where
the girls could play on the playground equipment and we walked a
big path. I had my Olympus D-380 in a coat pocket and the IS-3
loaded with Fuji print film around my neck. It was good to take
pictures of the family. I love the IS-3's zoom lens, autofocus
and ease of handling. For family pictures, it has been a
fantastic camera. The D-380 got a workout too, but mostly for
pictures to email to friends and relatives.
Later, we went to the prairie and went into the visitor's
center. My wife had never been there before, and it's been a
long time since the girls were there. It was fun and a good
learning experience for all. Even got to see a couple dozen
Bison.
A few minutes after leaving the prairie, the sky lit up like
fire. The sun burst out underneath a cloud layer and caused an
instant explosion of color! I quickly looked for a vantage
point to shoot from and wheeled into a farmfield (jeeps=shooting
opportunities) and setup the tripod while my wife mounted the
quick-release plate to the bottom of the OM-2S.
I placed the camera on the tripod, quickly framed the scene,
racked the aperature to F8 on the 50/3.5 and fired away in auto
mode. Bracketed two shots and the sky faded between the -2/3
and the +2/3 shots because I had to change rolls of film. Went
back to the jeep and exchanged the 50/3.5 for the 24/2.8.
Reframed the shot to include the rather interesting swirls,
grays, blues and oranges that made up the sky. I saw a
composition requiring a long lens, so I mounted the 200/4 on the
camera, reframed and snapped a couple pictures, making sure that
I got an "insurance shot" in case of vibration.
The other night, my daughter had a Christmas program at the
school. (private school means we can celebrate a religious
holiday if we want to) Anyway, it's always a hoot to see the
parents "prairie-dog" with the cameras and camcorders when their
child is performing. "Now the kindergarteners will perform..."
and up pop a couple dozen parents. "Now the 1st graders will
perform..." and down go the kindergarteners' parents and up pop
other parents. I'm glad I'm tall, because I can stand up higher
than the others and shoot over their heads. I shot a roll and a
half of film, and about 20 frames on the digital. With the G-40
flash on the camera and Aperture-Priority Mode set to F8, I was
definitely overpowering the puke-colored lighting in the
gymnasium.
I don't understand why the director was scowling at me.
Or the other first-grader parents behind me.
Ever notice that you can't go to a school function without
getting shoe-horned into some fundraiser project or volunteering
for something?
Got my wife a Kodak digicam for Christmas (she doesn't know
yet). Freebee awards program from work. Anyway, the lens is
sharper than the D-380, the camera is MUCH easier to use and
smaller. But the color isn't as nice as the Olympus, nor is the
flash any good. With the D-380 you can take a flash picture out
at least twice if not three times the distance. But it will be
perfect for her. Kodak, uses the REALLY small USB port, so the
cables aren't interchangeable. Grrrr.
Hey, speaking of the D-380, does anybody have a compatible
junker with dead electronics laying around? My screen got
busted and I'd like to put one in from a doner carcass. Ain't
got no money at the moment, but would be glad to exchange for
B&W lab services.
AG-Schnozz
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