Photography again - not gadgetry
I don't make a living with a camera so I can shoot whatever I want. My first camera was a an Olympus rangefinder, which I used for 6 years, and then supplemented with a Nikon F3, which I used for 14 years. . . so far (it is still going strong). I have cycled through several DSLRs including the D70, D2Xs and 5D. They are handy tools. Sucking down photons at 8 frames a second, hammering away with the D2Xs. . . shooting usable shots in dark theaters at ISO 1600 with image stabilized lenses. .. I'm in awe of the technology but I wasn't having fun taking pictures any more. I went back to scanning film, but didn't like being dependant on a lab. So I bought an M8.
Actually, 3 M8s in a week before getting a sound copy - but that is another story.
And, I'm enjoying photography more than I have in years. I was shooting my giant DSLRs on manual and using a tiny percentage of their computing power. Now I'm using 100% of the Leica, which is basically as close as you can get to a handheld sensor whilst remaining in the digital domain.
There are technical details worth discussion, to be sure. Software color profiles that try to correct for color shifts are a mixed bag, for one. ACR mangles colors in the .DNG files, so I've had to learn Capture One.
All in all it's worth it. My DSLR will be handy if I need a long lens (which I seldom do). Otherwise, I'll be using the elegant little camera from Germany, which my architect wife refers to as being "graphically beautiful," whatever that means.
That's my "user review" - more about the user than the use of the camera, but I think that my experience will resonate with anyone who grew up with manual cameras and black and white dark rooms. Camera technology is amazing. The new Canon will have dual processors. But for me, photography is more satisfying when I get to exercise the computer between the ears.
Phone Booth © 2007 Nat Burgess