Best-Of Digital 35 mm Medium Links Tips

Digital

Update 2003 :  I have completely switched to Digital.  Since I saw 20x30 prints of my  Sony F717,
                      I see no reason to use my analog equipment any more for my own, personal use.

I bought my first digital camera (Canon Ixus, 2MP) in the year 2000 because I wanted to take it on my weekend trips, (especially to the mountains), and have the pictures ready on my computer & on my website on Monday morning. Most digital cameras are capable of that and more:

  • The 2 MegaPixel (1600x1200) resolution was great when using pictures on the computer directly.
    When you use them in eMails and for the Web, you have to reduce the size anyway (~640 or 800 px).
  • The paper prints that you can conveniently order over the internet are pixel-free in normal size (up to 10x15cm at least).
  • When you go traveling, you can take the small digi along with your SLR so you have it handy for snapshots at all times.

Today, there are many camera models in the small portable segment. Still the new models of the Ixus are outstanding in quality and value (see my old Pro & Con List)

To the right you can see my 'new baby': The Sony F 717  
I'll write some more about it when I find the time, but I can say aleady that this is a really great camera!
I've made ~1000+ pictures with it, also many of the ones you can see on this web-page.

 



Foto / 35mm

I still have one Minolta 35mm body and some lenses. Minolta is certainly not my favorite choice in camera brands, although I was never really disappointed by their Equipment. The value for the money was just better that with Nikon, so I chose Minolta.
My camera body is more than 20 years old and still doing fine ;-)

 

 

 


 


Foto / Medium Format

I came to the medium format while studying architecture, when I joined a photography-group for some time. I bought a Kiev 88 because it was an affordable entry to this world, and the reputation of the camera (at least one that is  in good shape) seemed reasonable which it actually was as I found. The Kiev is a russian  copy of a Hasselblad which many professional studio-photographers use.

The big difference to 35mm or digital is that you start seeing photography as an art rather than a means to get funny snapshots:

  • The heavy equipment forces you to use a tripod, which automatically slows everything down: The time until you have set everything up is so long that you then also take your time to compose your picture with much more care. (Choosing the standpoint, angle, ...)
  • The big 6cm x 6cm view finder lets you preview the picture exactly as it will be later on the print.
    You don't look through some lens, you look at the picture
  • The price of a developed print lets you think twice if that is really the picture you actually wanted.

I had:

  • 2 lenses, the regular 80mm and a fisheye which is an interesting piece by itself.
  • 2 finders, the simple waist-level finder seen in the picture on the right, and a TTL 'look-through' finder, that can measure the right shutter time.
  • 2 Film-Backs that can be interchanged on the fly, e.g. one for colour pictures and one for B&W

Unfortunately my other hobbies currently involved too much lightweight travelling (Climbing, Bicycling, ...) so I hardly ever carried it around with me, and I sold the camera.

 


 

 

kiev-diagonal.jpg (74370 bytes)

 

kiev-all-parts.jpg (72430 bytes)

 

kiev-top-c.jpg (70279 bytes)

 

 

 


Foto / Links

Equipment

Galleries


Tips

Some general statements on Digital Cameras:

Note: This was written in Y2K not up to date any more

 

"On-the-Road" Digi-Photographing and sending pictures back home via eMail.

(This is one of the tips I gave in a Newsgroup, but it's so general it can be of help to others as well.)

I have used the digital Ixus on my Peru trip, but have not sent any pictures home via email, because I didn't think it was worth it when I left from home. I would do it next time though and its not difficult once you know the basics. 

I see the following facts:

These were the tips for the standard situation that the usual camera owner of a recently built camera will face. 
Here are some more Tips for rarer cases:

 I hope I didn't forget to list something I might consider as obvious, but it is not ...
P.S.: If you are interested in my Peru-Pics, you can find them Here


Pro & Con for the Canon Ixus  

Note: This was written in Y2K not up to date any more

Here are the Pros for this camera:

Of course there are also some negative points for the IXUS: