GETTING INTO DIGITAL PHOTOGRAPHY
For Jeanette and I it was the usual long delayed decision as all the options were canvassed, all the other digital owners questioned, our own research completed, re-done, and even then the decision put off again.
I have lost track of how long or how many years that process took. Suffice to say we did not rush into anything!!
Of course part of our dilemma was that we were taking photos on 35mm film and a few years ago the “real” photographers were still giving the opinion that for reproduction of prints, particularly landscapes, that digital images did not enlarge well.
But in this technological age wherein computers are outdated before they can be manufactured and digital cameras are computers doing a more or less specific function, new camera models appeared on almost a daily basis.
That aspect contributes enormously as a relevant factor when trying to decide which camera to buy.
Our Nikon 35mm camera is now some years old, but is still capable of producing very good images, suitable for significant enlargement, should we so desire. That also contributed to delaying our purchase of a digital.
Then in 2005, in Darwin part way through a trip, having just suffered an expensive and time consuming mechanical breakdown, it seemed the time to do something had arrived. (I have no idea if any of that has any bearing whatsoever!)
So once again around the Camera stores, listening to both knowledable sales people, and those simply trying to guide us to the sale providing them with the most commission.
From our reading over several years we had decided that our proposed use required, a camera that was not prone by design or manufacturing quality to easily allow dust into the camera body.
Also a zoom lense with more than three times optical zoom. (completely discounting digital zoom)
A genuinely knowledgeable man whose professional photographer wife had been using the same model 35mm as us spent hours of his time demonstrating the pros. and cons. of the several brands and models of digital we were short-listing.
One additional factor become apparent, not all cameras were going to feel comfortable to Jeanette.
This was quite important, because Jeanette had found using the 35mm difficult due to bulk in the handgrip and the overall camera weight difficult to hold steady. As it seemed appropriate to plan on Jeanette having the majority of use of the digital
while I continued to use the 35mm, it was necessary to ensure that whatever camera was chosen it must be comfortable for Jeanette to use.
Curiously when we looked through the 10 times optical zoom of the lenses on the camera we chose, I recall comments that we would probably never need the capability of getting that close up! How mistaken that was!
In regard to that zoom lense, an important factor in our choice was that the movement of the lense was protected to minimize the possibility of dust intrusion, which the other cameras in that similar category were not..
Our other criteria was the camera had to utilize standard AA batteries, not some expensive, difficult to replace in remote areas battery. We were aware of photographers having batteries die on trips being unable to readily replace them.(also applies to 35mm)
And equally as important to everything else, the camera had to have an eyepiece viewfinder, optical if possible.(it wasn’t)
It is not practical to try taking photos through an LCD screen, when in brightly light areas, particularly with the sun behind you, and how people imagine they can hold a camera out at arms length, in one hand, without their images displaying “camera shake” is beyond me.
So our choice ultimately was a light digicam, looking like a small SLR with electronic viewfinder, 10x zoom, 4 mega pixels, using 4 AA rechargeable batteries, with a 512 MB card. The camera has many controls similar to the Nikon 35mm, and that is in part due to the fact that many of the included features are made under license from Nikon. In fact the high-end digital camera version of the brand we chose, first came out placed inside a Nikon 35mm camera body!
As part of the deal we got the matching camera bag, and a matching backpack, both items being left over from a promotion that had finished. During the negotiations I recall telling the saleslady that we had no use for the backpack, but took it anyway.
I was very wrong again!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The backpack is now well used for lumping camera equipment around in the bush, and in the boat. I also recall saying we didn’t need an extra tripod, that one between us would do. Wrong again. (not having much luck am I?) Once we got Fair Dinkum about using two cameras at the same time, it was obvious we needed a tripod for both.
So now we are fully set up---------------------or are we?
As I now begin “borrowing” the digital to just take some “quick shots”, so we can see straight away how they turn out.
Never having intended enlarging the images we set the resolution to get the maximum number on the 512 card, again mistakenly thinking that we would be back home before the card was full, both wrong again!
This is a story to be CONTINUED;
If you wish to view some photos, please go to our home page; http://www.caravantravel.blogspot.com
