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GearPhotographers are generally interested in what gear other photographers use, at least I am. What follows is a list of some of the gear I use in my photography, and also what I use to get to and around parks. These are my tools, and I (usually) choose them carefully!
Digital Photo GearI shoot with both film and digital gear. I love shooting film, but the practical reality is that digital is the better way to go for most of what I do. The ability to shoot away all day without having to reload film, to get instant feedback on my exposure, and to not have to pay to have my slides developed is just too much to pass up. Olympus E-600 - I chose to go with Olympus gear for three main reasons. First off, the bodies and lenses are fairly compact, the E-600 is especially so, so they are easier to carry on long hikes. Second, the Olympus lenses are really quality throughout the range. Third, the 4/3 system is the only one that allows me to mount my old Minolta lenses on a digital body without a reduction in their image quality. To date, I'm very pleased with the Olympus. It does what I want it to do, and it does it well. Lenses - Olympus 9-18mm, 14-42mm, and 40-150mm; Minolta 50mm Macro, 135mm f2.8, and Tokina 100-300mm f4. Of the Olympus lenses, of note is the 9-18 which is (especially for the price) an exceptional ultra-wide lens. The kit zooms to great work in a tiny package, making them very easy to carry around all day. All my Minolta lenses can be mounted to the E-600 with a small adapter, but with the 2-times crop factor of the 4/3 sensor, a wide angle lens, such as the exceptional 24mm f2.8, functions like a not-so-exceptional 48mm f2.8 (and an even less exceptional 48mm f5.6 in terms of depth-of-field). However, longer lenses work wonderfully with the smaller sensor, and the added depth of field becomes an added bonus. The 135mm f2.8 behaves like a 270mm f2.8, and the 100-300mm f4 functions like a 200-600mm f4. That's exceptional reach and light gathering and a real advantage of the 4/3 system. Fuji F470 Digital - A compact digital camera that I usually carry in my pocket to take photos with when I don't want to carry a larger camera. Like any compact digital the sensor isn't very big, and as such the image quality isn't on the highest order, but in good light modern digitals like this really do take very nice pictures.
Film Photo GearSo, why manual focus film cameras, and why Minolta in particular? The answer is that I inherited a great Minolta X-700, along with some other gear, from my grandfather. Grandpa Moore loved photography, particularly photos of sunsets. My interest in photography didn't really take off until after my grandpa's death (I was 18 when he died, and didn't really become interested in photography until my college photo classes), so sadly I didn't get to talk to him about photography, I'm sure we would have enjoyed that if I had. Nonetheless, using this camera gives me a connection to him. Almost always, while I'm out exploring some park and taking pictures, I think about Grandpa. I think he'd find it really cool that I was still using his camera, and sharing in one of his hobbies. The great thing about having gotten into the Minolta manual focus system is that all sorts of excellent lenses and accessories are available, and at much more reasonable prices than modern equipment of equal quality. Developing and scanning the film is a pain, but the results can be great, on par with a high-end digital body. I make my life extra difficult by using mostly Fuji Velvia slide film, but I do love the color saturation and fine grain of positive film. That said I plan to experiment more with color negative film, as processing slides is becoming more and more difficult and expensive. Minolta XD-11 - I picked up an XD-11 to use as a secondary body. Generally considered to be the finest of all of Minolta's manual focus cameras, the XD-11 is a generation older than the X-700, but has a more solid construction (less plastic, more metal) and is just silky smooth to use. It's just a wonderful piece of design, and feels great in your hands. There are two reasons I prefer the X-700 to this, 1) the X-700 has sentimental value to me, and 2) the associated motor drive for the XD-11 isn't nearly as nice as that of the X-700. Minolta Hi-Matic 7sii Rangefinder - This little rangefinder is worth having just as an object. A throwback to when things were made of real stuff (in this case stainless steel and leather), it's just a beautiful, compact, easy-to-use film camera that looks almost like new even if it's over 30 years old. Beyond it just being a cool object, it's really a handy little camera. It has a great 40mm Rokkor lens, and takes very nice pictures. Lenses - Minolta MD 16mm fisheye, 24mm f2.8, 35mm f1.8, 50mm f2, 50mm f1.4, 50mm f3.5 macro, 85mm f2, 135mm f2.8, 35-70mm f3.5, and Tokina ATX-H 100-300mm f4. Of note, the 24mm is really exceptional, my favorite lens. I also love the 85mm, and the 16mm fisheye is compact, wonderfully built, and of top-notch quality. In general terms, the great thing about all the Minolta manual focus lenses is their exceptional build quality. My lenses are all from the MD generation of lenses, which have a bit more plastic than older versions (but are still really solid), while being more compact and having the latest (in relative terms) glass and coatings.
Transportation2001 Ford Focus ZX-3 - I love my little car. I've put over 200,000 miles on this, traveling all over the country to the National Parks. It's reliable, gets good gas mileage, can carry a deceptively large amount of stuff (mine is a hatchback which helps in that regard), and is fun to drive. I couldn't do what I love to do if I didn't have a car that even after 200,000 miles I knew I could take on a 6,000 mile cross-county trip. Waterford Bikes - I love cycling and, being 6'4" tall, have a hard time fitting on a stock bike. So I went and had Waterford Bikes custom build me a bike. It was a wise decision. Taking a bike through one of the Parks is a totally unique way to experience them in all their glory.
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