Tools of the Trade

Ricoh XR-2s SLR I can’t seem to remember how I got interested in Photography. Ever since, my family has been fond of photos and we got piles...

Ricoh XR-2s SLR

I can’t seem to remember how I got interested in Photography. Ever since, my family has been fond of photos and we got piles of photo albums and pictures to testify. Maybe tinkering with those toy cameras that my Tito’s (Uncles) gave us also piqued my interest. But what really got me into serious Photography was in college when we had a Photography subject on our senior year. Since I needed a camera badly at that time, I asked my relatives if they could spare me one. My Uncle gave me his spare SLR camera Ricoh XR-2s, since he was now using those early releases digital camera at that time. It was a nice tough camera, but heavy as well. From there, I learned all the basics of Photography from shutter speed to aperture to composition as well as developing. Photography subject was really fun as every week our professor gave us photo assignments to test what we have learned.

Canon AS-1 Underwater Point and Shoot Camera

Since I started on the outdoors back in 2002, I still carry my precious Ricoh SLR, but it’s heavy build is taking a toll at my pack. Soon it was acting up as well, I had to bring it to a camera repair shop in Hidalgo several times due to stock-up. I decided to buy another camera at that time which can stand different weather conditions and fall, thus I decided to get a Canon AS-1. Though it’s only a Point and Shoot, I must admit I like the photo quality of this camera above and underwater. It has been a useful companion in my travel, but it’s fixed lens leaves you only a few rooms to experiment. Even though, I still bring it with me whenever there are beach or snorkeling trips in the itinerary.

Olympus C-750 UZ

Photography isn’t cheap, especially with rolls and rolls of film to spend on and not all the shots are worth developing. I knew Digital was the way to go so with a friend of mine, we marched to Hidalgo and bought ourselves an Olympus C750 UZ. It was a hard choice between a Canon A70 at that time but Olympus won in terms of features versus price. I was very satisfied with this camera and it has gone many places during my travel. A lot of photos from this cam has glossed some print materials. Though during assignments, even if the camera has some SLR controls, it lacks the speed of a true SLR. Burst mode is slow and focusing in dark or lowlight conditions has been a problem. Still I was able to work around it. I still enjoy this cam until now, but it’s internal capacitor has somehow drained that I have to reset the camera’s settings every time I change batteries.

Olympus E-500 DSLR

For the past few months I’ve also been contemplating on getting a new SLR so I can take on some other Photo assignments more confidently. And now to add to my roster of cameras is my recent acquisition, an Olympus Evolt 500 DSLR. I know a lot would ask why not a Canon or a Nikon? I guess I’m just a sucker for the underdog and I’ve grown to love Olympus since using the C750. Olympus has many innovations in the camera industry in the past and now I think it’s heading towards a new direction with the Four-Thirds system and the digital from the ground up build. Olympus has also developed the first Dust Reduction System in a camera called Super Sonic Wave Filter which now other major camera players like Canon, Sony and Pentax are implementing on their new models as well. And as of this writing, the E-500 is the lightest DSLR Camera out there so I can carry it around easily. And best of all I got it for almost half the price it was sold here from a travel buddy of mine who needed the money badly. I was eying this camera for some time as well so I guess it was a perfect timing.

Well as they say, it’s not really on the camera but on the eye looking through it. But I must admit, a bit of technicality helps and I hope to take a lot of picture with this new toy in the coming days. 🙂