Csquared Thoughts

cameras and temptation

One of the great delights of being at Jenner two weeks ago was getting my camera in my hands again. For some reason I haven't had it out nearly enough this year and it's such good therapy for me.

I own a Nikon D70 digital camera. It has the same heft and feel as a 35mm SLR camera, and in fact I still have some of the same lenses that I used with my old Nikon N80 35mm film camera. That is one of the reasons I bought it.

From time-to-time I think about getting a newer camera. The Nikon D200 is tempting. It has a much bigger LED display and a number of new features. It also has twice the megapixels. And I could use all my existing lenses. I'd only need to buy the body.

But, I think, my D70 does everything I need it to do, and it has features I don't even know how to use. And twice the megapixels is nice, but I have a print on our dining room wall that I had blown up to 19x15 inches that looks just great. So what do I need twice the megapixels for?

And besides, twice the megapixels means twice the file size for every single shot I take. I'm sure my computer can handle it, but storage becomes an issue. We'd probably be talking about buying a new external drive to support my photography. Yes, storage is cheap these days. But still.

I continue to think about it and be tempted, but I think that for the time being my D70 will continue to serve me quite well.

Kodachrome

Kodachrome is being discontinued.

It shouldn't bother me. I've been shooting digital for several years now. Before that, I most recently used Fuji Velvia and Provia and Kodak Ektachrome. There is only one lab left that processes the film.

But it's the end of an era. My grandfather shot with Kodachrome. My father shot with Kodachrome. I shot with Kodachrome into the 1980s.

The loss of Kodachrome doesn't really change my life, but I still have to shed a tear.

Kodachrome They give us those nice bright colors They give us the greens of summers Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, Oh yeah I got a Nikon camera I love to take a photograph So mama don't take my Kodachrome away —Paul Simon

Photoshop

On Sunday I spent some time touching up the picture we're using for our Christmas card, which we took at Cambria. I don't spend enough time with Photoshop. It really gives me the chance to do some creative work. It's a great outlet. Just not enough hours in the week.

Photography

I've displayed some of my photographs here, but I haven't written much about photography. That's odd, since it's one of my passions and my main hobby along with cooking.

For a long time I used film. I had a Nikon N80, which I loved, and used slide film, which allowed me to take more frames at a lower cost than print film. But even so, you needed film. Out of film, no more pictures. And then you had to get the pictures developed. That's two-to-three days for slide film, at best.

In May 2004 I bought a Nikon D70 digital camera. I thought I would use both for a while, but I never turned back. I didn't need to buy film. And there was much more data in my digital images than in the scans of my slides when I opened the files in Photoshop. When Terry and I take a trip, I bring along my laptop. At the end of the day I transfer the images from the Compact Flash card to the laptop, erase the card, and am ready for the next day.

I suppose that you could say that using film enforces patience and the need to be more deliberate in one's work, but on the other hand digital allows one the freedom to experiment without penalty. If you make a mistake you can delete it without cost.

I love being out with my camera in my hand. I need to do it more often.