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After the usual 24-hour trek I arrived back from Upper
Michigan yesterday evening. (Car ride, plane ride, layover,
plane ride, bus ride)
It was a great trip and I was able to really relax
and recharge my batteries. The weather also decided
to cooperate with my while I was there, and not once
did I see snow fall. But there was a small snow storm
the day before I arrived so I was not totally denied
a look at the white stuff.
If I had to use one word to describe the photos I took
in Michigan I would have to say "slow". Slow
in the sense that I used a neutral density filter on
a lot of my shots in order to attain a slow enough shutter
speed to give any moving water a soft effect. Nothing
evokes the motion of a stream or river like using a
slow shutter. (Needles to say a tripod is a definite
must)
In true U.P. (Upper Peninsula) fashion, the sun seamed
to make only brief appearances. Usually the lighting
was very soft and diffuse, kind if like florescent lighting
on a grand scale. And as depressing as it can seem,
it is the perfect kind of light for getting good photos.
No harsh shadows or highlights, allowing the cameras
limited dynamic range (compared to the human eye anyway)
to more fully capture the scene.
And speaking of cameras, I decided to upgrade my camera
while I was there. My 10D has been working very well
for me but ever since the 1D mark II came out i have
been lusting after it. And seeing as I had finally earned
enough by selling prints locally to buy one I decided
to go ahead and get one.
While the quality of the photos you see here will probably
appear no different, the 1D mark II is quite a step
up in the usability department.
It is built like a brick and is so fast it is almost
ridiculous. There are not many times when I would need
to shoot at the full 8.5 frames per second (fps), but
when I do happen to need that capability it is good
to know I have it. And couple this speed with the extremely
accurate focusing of the 1D Mark II and I now have a
camera that will stand up to the most challenging of
conditions and allow me to get the shot.
But in all fairness, the 10D is no slouch, and I have
been able to get some fantastic fast action shots with
it, but 3 fps is nowhere even close to 8.5, not to mention
the HUGE buffer on the 1d Mark II. (40 frames in JPEG
and 20 frames in RAW, compared to the 10D buffer of
9 shots)
Part of me wants to keep the 10D since it does have
some sentimental value for me. It has seen the top of
Mt. Fuji, wandered with me through the back alleys of
Gion, dutifully captured the flashing neon on a hot
Shinjuku night, all the while producing fantastic results.
Not to mention it is a featherweight when compared
to the 1D Mark II, which can be nice when one wants
to travel light or be a little less conspicuous, but
realistically it will probably just sit on the shelf
and get only periodic use. I was thinking about keeping
my 10D as a backup, but since I am afraid it would just
sit on the shelf most of the time so I have decided
to sell it.
So if anyone is in the market for a used 10D with an
eye piece extender (Great for people with glasses) ,
battery grip and 4 batteries, drop me line. I have all
the original boxes, cables, charger, and software.
The first $975 takes it. (Shipping via Insured USPS
Priority Mail included) Sale price does not include
any lenses.
If I don't get any interest here I'll just post it
to ebay. I hate to see it go but this will help me to
somewhat defray the cost of the 1D mark II.
--
As the old "R" and "L" thing works
here in Japan, this seems to be erection
day plus one and I still don't know who will be the
next President of the United States. Let's hope it doesn't
take as long as last time, as I am sure everyone can
agree just how ridiculous the United Stated looked after
the fiasco in Florida.
Why can't the whole process be simplified so that the
popular vote is used to elect a President? I think the
Erectoral College is an antiquated
system that harkens back to the time when the ruling
elite considered the great unwashed of the country unfit
to choose their own leader. How far have we really come
in the past couple of centuries?
It makes you wonder...
--
It's good to be back.
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