Weekend Update

Just wanted to share some more Xpan shots from the batch that came back from NCPS. I also tried out the new 90/4 down at the East Wing of the National Gallery of Art yesterday; some great I.M. Pei architecture to admire. I just hope my hand-held shots are steady enough.









Also, the Nikon FA thing was a bust. I put the new battery in, but the shutter jams on every other frame. The only way to unjam it is to switch into M250 (mechanical 1/250 mode). Luckily I didn't put any film in before testing it out. Switching the camera back and forth out of mechanical mode may be making the problem worse for all I know. I'd consider getting it repaired, but I can get a used one in excellent condition for about $120, which is probably less than the cost of a repair. I think I'd much rather have the classic workhorse F3 anyway. Now that's a camera you can go out into the middle of nowhere with.

Trois Neopan

Three new friends arrived in the mail today with my Xpan 90/4. I've never shot Neopan before, but I'm looking forward to it.

I also got a fresh CR-1/3N battery for my trusty Nikon FA. I don't know if it even works any more, but there's only one way to find out. The last roll of film I put through it was back in 2005. It was a great camera in Paris, but it let me down in Krakow and again in Budapest, so I just keep it for sentimental value now. I think it will be ok for non-critical, local shooting around DC or something. It will be great to shoot with a camera that has an actual film crank again.

Florida

My film finally came back from NCPS yesterday just before the snowstorm, so I've been busy posting pictures to flickr. We covered a lot of ground, including St. Augustine, Everglades National Park, and South Beach. I was somewhat underwhelmed by my DSLR pictures from the trip. My hit rate seems to be much higher with the Xpan, probably due to the extra time taken for Xpanomics. As such, I've pretty much decided that my Rome kit will consist of a nice P&S (S95, DMC-LX5, etc.) and the Xpan. I finally ordered the Xpan 90mm lens too. I think this will make for a nice, light travel kit. The Leica bug is still in my ear, but getting pictures like these helps me shew it away for a little longer.

This is what I'm talking about

Pictured above is my carry on from a recent trip to south Florida. For the most part, it flies in the face of what I've been trying to achieve in terms of traveling light. The laptop's there, there are two camera systems (Canon and Xpan), the binoculars are there, and I brought along the tripod. I think I'm going to create a new rule of thumb: if I bring the laptop, then I'm probably not going to serious enough to use the tripod, so why even bring it.

The binoculars also come into question. However, they are nice for enjoying the moment or passing the time while waiting for the light.

As for the two camera systems, I'm not sure what to do here yet. Part of me is tempted to just take the XPan and a nice digital point and shoot like the S95 or LX5. However, it's hard to argue with the results of the good ol' 5D. I just wish its lenses weren't so flippin heavy. Maybe I should switch back to my Australian kit: 5D, 17-40/4, 70-200/2.8, and small Slik tripod in a backpack. The 24-105/4 is great, but it can't touch the unique perspectives of 17mm and 200mm.

Regarding my last post on Xpanomics, I think Tokyo Camera Style was either reading my mind (or my blog?) because suddenly there were posts on how to roll and develop film at home and how to improve as a photographer in 2011 with the one-camera-one-lens project. Filmus Monochromus was particularly informative. Unfortunately this also reignited my desire to own a Leica.

A Leica kit would certainly weigh less than a DSLR system, which fits nicely into my goals of minimalism. Hmm. Unfortunately it would also minimize the money in my bank account. :-(

Speaking of which, you can help support this blog by using the product links to Amazon. You don't even have to buy the item I've linked to, just go to Amazon through my blog and The Photo Way gets a small percentage of your purchase at no cost to you.

In any case, I'll try to get some Florida pics up soon. Happy 2011!