OK Friends,
Every now and then someone tries to get me to try a Cannon again.
So for my Nikon friends, I have to confess, I have a couple of Cannon Point and shoots.
For my Cannon friends, I shot one wedding with a Cannon Rebel of some kind. I promised myself, “Never again would I forget what my dad taught me about photography.”
I don’t use Cannon for serious work. Why? That day was a dismal failure.
OK, I still have several Minolta SLR’s, a couple of Nikon SLR’s, and a new DSLR from Nikon.
I like how it shoots.
Yes, I want a bigger lens, every honest photog admits that.
Yes, I want a larger flash, but no, I am not a big fan of flash – I think the greatest pictures I have ever seen were done without flash. Every one of Ansel’s were …. and most were exposures longer than a minute ….
I used to be that good.
Now, I am as good, once, as I once was …. or something like that.
Although this new Nikon makes up for some of my mistakes …. it actually does, did, and will do so again. I can tell that already.
May I tell you the one thing that is soooo difficult for me to get used to?
It is SOOO light. Holy cow. I have lenses that weigh more. And then with a body, flash, and motor drive they must weigh three times as much as this camera and lens …. I forgot on the above SLR equipment, I have three of those driven by motor ….
Can you imagine stepping down from a motor-driven SLR with quality glass to that Cannon for the wedding?
OUCH that hurt.
OK, I was retiring the Minoltas when their QC really began to lag – I have heard that Cannon is actually better now ….. please ‘ears’ don’t let me hear that, it hurts!
I gotta admit. Nikon glass delivered consistently better negs than my Mamiya (yes it had a motor-drive).
Someday I might tell you why I didn’t stay with the business …. And why I don’t have several Mamiya 6×7’s …. I might start drooling again ….
OK, what is your best gear? What have been your best shots?
You do remember every one of them, don’t you? I remember most of my best. I can ‘re-create’ the settings used …. My crazy mind was always good at that.
This new Nikon? It will record that for me?
I was always, (ALWAYS), jealous of photogs who had their little notebook (and REMEMBERED) to write down their settings. I forgot as often as I remembered (Outside of the darkroom). Why was I always so good about that? I HAD TO BE IN THE DARKROOM. I wasn’t able to guess, fudge, and reshoot the way I did in real life.
This thing is SOOO light. I may have to have some fun again.
Special Forces wanted me to sky dive with them …. Black Nights and SOCOM …. yes, the pics their photographer saw were good enough he offered me a job on the spot ….
FUN?
AGAIN?
The only downside? It takes a lot of time to be a good photog …. whew!
I got the time. The camera.
What are you shooting with?
What is the best glass you ever shot with? I did shoot with Zeiss, but my Nikon F had much better glass. (Technically it still has).
What is the best you have shoot? As in favorite, because you know as well as I, a great shot is very subjective to each of us.
OK, you don’t have to tell the craziest shoot …. but, I will share mine.
I was at a rodeo … you know those Texas style parties where everyone gets in the ring with crazy bulls and horses and tries to hold on?
Well. I said something like, “I wish I was down there at eye level with the bulls …. ”
One of my friends said, “Well, this is my bull-ring. Tell Joe over there I said to let you in the ring.”
Off I ran. As I am climbing down into the ring, one of the clowns says to me, “We won’t be able to help you much if anything goes wrong to get back out.”
I said, “Just save the camera.”
Have you ever seen a clown smile? NO. Not the makeup, the smile!
They later told me that any time I wanted to take pictures, they would make certain I could get into the ring, at any RODEO any WHERE.
Do you think I was their kind of crazy?
Wayne
luvsiesous 