Another Year Gone

Perhaps it’s the winter season or the calendar, but this time of year seems to lend itself to reflection and recollection. My yard is blanketed with over a foot of snow and the roads still have icy patches from the freezing rain on Christmas night. This weekend the temperature will dip to single digit highs. Not exactly conducive to getting out there to make pictures. Even the birds seem to be suffering from depression having deserted my feeders for the time being. So, it seems like a good time to stoke the fire and dream of better days past.

I will remember 2009 as the year the economic melt-down of 2008 really hit home. New cameras and a lot of other stuff got put on hold hoping for better days ahead. I did manage to acquire some top-notch photo-books which I will write about soon and the Complete National Geographicon DVD. At under $44.00 it is the deal of the decade.

Speaking of the decade, although it is not really the turn of the decade, 2009 is the last year of the 00’s. This was the Digital Decade, not just digital photography, but all things digital. From music to movies and books to buying, we went mad for digital. As of January 1, 2000, there was no Facebook (2004), Twitter (2006), Apple iPod (2001), iTunes (2001), Lightroom (2006) or Flickr (2004). Amazon.com had gone live five years before in 1995 and the first DVD player had just become available in 1997. As of the previous August, Blogger had just been launched. A flat screen HDTV was the stuff that dreams were made of.
In January, 2000, the digital camera was only nine. In 1991, Kodak had released the first professional digital camera system, the Kodak DCS-100. It was a Nikon F-3 camera equipped by Kodak with a 1.3 megapixel sensor and it cost $13,000. The first consumer digital camera with a liquid crystal display on the back was the Casio QV-10 introduced in 1995 and the first camera to use Compact Flash was the Kodak DC-25 introduced in 1996. The first DSLR developed entirely by a major manufacturer was the Nikon D1, brought to market in 1999. A 2.74 megapixel camera it was, at a cost of under $6,000, affordable by professional photographers and high end consumers. Since it featured a Nikon F-mount, photographers could use many of the same lenses they already owned.

I did not acquire my first digital camera, a Nikon Coolpix 5400, until 2003. That only lasted me only two years and I acquired a Nikon D50, my first DSLR, in 2005. Since then, I have bought and sold nine digital cameras. In fact, 2009 was the first year I did not buy a new camera although I badly wanted one.

I will also remember 2009 as the year of Micro 4/3s. Announced in August of 2008, the first Micro 4/3 camera, Panasonic’s G1, was introduced in September of 2008. As of year-end there are five Micro 4/3 cameras to choose from and eight lenses with more on the way in 2010. There are other mirror-box-less cameras either announced or under development. Truly amazing.

On the personal front, The Online Photographer was kind enough to publish some of my stuff. Thanks Mike! I also discovered and experimented with the impressionistic technique. Although I don’t have anything worthy of my Tenset, I’m still working on it. In 2009, I said goodbye to the HP 9180 pigment printer and hello to the Canon Pixma PRO9000MkII dye transfer printer. So far I am very happy with the results, although some papers have proved problematic. I still need to diagnose that. Speaking of printers, I acquired a couple of prints this year and am looking forward to making my choices from Ctein’s gallery in 2010.

I am hopeful that 2010 will see some actual economic recovery instead of just signs of same. That could open up a lot of possibilities. I’ve also got my fingers crossed that 2010 will be the year I finally get my DMD. It’s been a long time coming. One thing I do know, “Best of” lists are on the way including The T.O.P Ten Cameras of 2009 and my own Camera of the Year. Any guesses? I also know that, barring some unforeseen circumstances, I’m going to keep plugging away at this in 2010. Maybe the New Year will bring my first dollar of revenue from this endeavor. One can always hope. Happy New Year!

Proud Papa

I have always maintained that my family members (including my dog) were better photographers than I. Now here’s the proof. My daughter won Third Place Newspaper Sports Photo awarded by the Minnesota High School Press Association. The MSHPA took into consideration images from high school newspapers from all over the state. Maybe I can post the winning picture sometime soon. Congratulations!

Merry Christmas!

As we dig out of round one of Snowmageddon, I wanted to take a moment to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas. Take lots of pictures of your loved ones regardless of the camera you use. Thanks for reading.

Christopher Lane, Prop.

The Christmas Without A Camera

Those of you who read this more than occasionally know that I have been to-ing and fro-ing about a second camera for over a year. While I am more than satisfied with the Nikon D700, I don’t think it wise to rely on a single body. I also want something smaller to carry with me in the car and on walks and hikes. Although my needs could be met, perhaps, by a smaller DSLR, nothing really trips my trigger. Besides that, I hoped that my second camera would be something different.

Since the introduction of the Sigma DP1 in 2006, several companies have announced cameras that would fill the bill. To date the best reviewed cameras have been those using the Micro 4/3 system, including the Panasonic GH1 and GF1. The GF1 is selling like hotcakes in Japan and my friend Mike Johnston even bought one. I tested a GH1 for a day or so in October and it just didn’t grab me. Frankly, none of the available models are “just right”. Nevertheless, when the GF1/20mm kit came in stock at Amazon I “added to cart”. The other night I got the notice that it was to ship for delivery on the 22nd, just in time for me to put it under the tree (gotta love that Santa!). I stared at the screen and contemplated all the accessories I would have to order. The clip on Live Viewfinder was a must. Also, I would need a Really Right Stuff L bracket and a remote. A new bag? Of course! I paused for a bit and cancelled the order. Even now I can’t say exactly why. Am sure the GF1 is a very fine camera, suitable to my needs. In addition, it is very flexible.

My father always used to say: “If it doesn’t feel right, don’t do it.” It didn’t feel wrong, just half-baked – too many compromises. I just couldn’t bring myself to jump into the pool right now. Besides that, I have high expectations for 2010. Certainly other Japanese manufacturers must be taking note of the success of the GF1 in their home market. Only a behemoth like Canon can afford to ignore a whole new segment of the market. We know that Nikon has filed patents for a mirror-box-less camera and others are certainly working on alternatives. Certainly, Panasonic and Olympus have other offerings in the pipeline. A GH2 and GF2 are no brainers. So, I will wait to see what the New Year brings with PMA in February and photokina in the fall. Darn shame though, I was sure looking forward to the un-boxing on Christmas morn.

Got Paper?

Well Ctein does. From his latest e-mail newsletter:

I'm selling off my supply of Ektacolor Endura paper: 23 100-sheet boxes of N surface, 8x10 paper, all frozen at 0 F since I purchased it:

10 boxes of Portra
9 boxes of Supra
4 boxes of Ultra.

All boxes are factory sealed, save for one box from each batch: I pulled 3 or 4 sheets from each batch to test, confirming the paper's good.

I'm asking $425 for the lot (<$19/box; less than half of dealer cost) plus shipping to anywhere in the US. Ground shipping will run anywhere from $45 to $125, depending on how far you are from San Francisco, where I live. If you're local to me, you can pick the paper up and save shipping (and I'll throw in some free chemistry, to boot).

E-Mail him at ctein@pobox.com.

Voigtlander 15-35 Viewfinder

Much of the criticism leveled at the current crop of Micro 4/3’s cameras concerns the lack of an optical viewfinder. With the introduction of the Voigtlander 15-35 Multi Format Zoom Viewfinder, that concern has been at least partially addressed. While I have not seen it, it appears to be quite small (42.5x49.5x65.4mm, weight 98 grains). The Type B is designed specifically for Micro 4/3 cameras. The viewfinder can be had here for $529 from one of my favorite websites, Stephen Gandy’s CameraQuest. If you are contemplating a Micro 4/3 purchase you should take a close look at this as well as Stephen’s other offerings.