In which Mei seems to say, “My GOD, woman. You’ve been taking my picture for two hours. Give it a rest!”
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Category Archives: photography
Seeing the world through my viewfinder.
Autumn Leaves
Autumn, Eppstein Park, Maumee OH.
Yet Another New Toy
After two years of pondering and saving, I finally bought a DSLR. (For the photography-impaired, that’s a big fancy digital camera.) Amazon.com had the Nikon D50 kit listed for $709, which is about $90 less than B&H wanted for the same camera/lens. Throw in a 512MB SD memory card, a $25 Amazon Gift Certificate from using my Amazon Visa, and free Super Saver Shipping, and I’ll have a usable camera arriving in about a week and a half for about $715.
I can’t believe it. I’ve been wanting a DSLR for so long, and I’m really not one to make big-ticket purchases without days of deliberation. I saw this deal, though, and only took an afternoon to make up my mind. Plus, I’ve got $500 of the $700 in savings, so I’m really only going to charge up $200 of the purchase price, as I’m paying that $500 on my card tonight. Plus, I have a 0% APR on my Discover Card right now, so I decided to charge it to that one instead of one of my other cards with a “normal” rate.
I could blather on about the features of my new camera, but I think I’ll wait to do that until I have it in hand. Suffice to say that I *will* be bringing it to Ohayocon in January, especially since it will be easy enough to operate that Aaron could even take pictures with it.
Early Christmas present for me! @whee!
*does happy camera dance*
Youmacon 2005: Photos
Ladies and gentlemen, this is the moment you’ve all been waiting for: Youmacon 2005 photos!
For a list of other Youmacon photos, check out the Youmacon website. For other pics of our costumes, check out Fan’s View (click “next page” to see Aaron’s pic), Fiery Panda Studios (again, click “Next Image” to see Aaron), and Tastetheneedle’s gallery on Cosplay.com, among others.
Listen to Aaron’s and my con report on the Weekly Anime Review Podcast next week!
Maiden Voyage of the Olympus XA
Got these scans from Snapfish on Tuesday, five days after the film was postmarked. I have no complaints about their service, FYI, except that I wish they processed medium format. 😛
About the Olympus XA: OMG, a rangefinder! I’ve never owned one before. See, you look through the viewfinder, and there’s a ghosted image of your subject superimposed on your little view of the scene. When the subject is in focus, the two images become one, giving you the focusing feedback that normal point-and-shoots lack. I like the fact that this will help train my eye regarding distance and focusing.
This is not a shoot-from-the-hip camera like the Lomo. This is a photographer’s compact camera. The user sets the film speed (ISO) and the desired aperture, and the camera’s light meter reads the scene and displays its calculated shutter speed in the viewfinder. This is a good feature, don’t get me wrong, but I do like the Lomo’s ability to do automatic exposure, as well. With the XA, there is no such option.
There are also several features you wouldn’t expect on a compact camera, including backlight compensation, a self-timer… even the light meter is nice to have on such a tiny axe. The lens appears sharp and doesn’t seem to require cleaning, which is good.
The test images were taken around the same time as the Argoflex pics: late September. For a camera comparison, compare the photo of the telephone poles (left) to the photo taken with the Argoflex, and compare the photo of the bench (right) to the Lomo version. (The Lomo version is a much better composition, though, IMO.)
Overall, I’d say I like my XA. It’s all I was hoping for… except no auto mode. That’s a small price to pay for a decent-quality compact camera, though.