Good cameras – bad weather

Olympus Tough

Way back when taking a camera out in lousy weather was not a big deal. Cameras were made mostly of metal and glass and had gears. We took a reasonable amount of precautions, a few calculated risks and away we went. For the most part these were mechanical wonders and the worst that would happen is a bit of nasty corrosion – eventually. If the camera was somewhere near pro level we might send it out once in a while for a tuneup, clean and lube. If it was a snappy – well those cameras were built like bricks and could take all sorts of abuse and not fail.

Over time a bit of electronics were added until cameras became all electronic with bits of glass attached. They also became fragile, complicated and a bit demanding. We now worry about dampness zapping the electronics and ruining the cameras. There are a few cameras that are weather proof but not all modern cameras are.

I finally got down to two cameras, a rare thing for me. Then the weather changed. I thought we might have a mild winter. I was wrong. I sold my Olympus 850SW a while ago. Now I wish I hadn’t. I don’t feel at all comfortable about taking the Olympus E-P1 or E-510 out in the cold and wet. It’s very obvious these cameras are electronic more than manual. I’m also one of those people that don’t feel quite complete without a camera with me. Old habits, and all that. So I bought yet another pocket camera. Sigh. I know I’ll sell this one off in a few months. I always do. This time I played it smart. I looked for a discontinued model and a good deal.

I have a problem with small, snappy cameras lately, namely too many megapixels and smudgy, blurry JPEG’s. The ones I’ve had were good 4″X6″ cameras but the minute I start looking at the images at 1:1 it’s been a let down. Then I start wondering why I’m spending good money on cameras that create smudy, blurry images. I don’t need dozens of scene modes, HD movie recording, a billion megapixels, long zoom lens and high f/stops if the sensor is too small and too overworked to make a decent 8X10. I think less is more applies here. Give me less features and more quality.

But the real issue is I would not have thought twice about taking an old mechanical camera out in lousy weather. I did it many times. The cameras survived without any problems. Of course, I protected them as best I could – in a common sense kind of way. They didn’t get soaked in the rain or frozen solid. I wasn’t deliberately trying to destroy them but they were tools with a job to do. I feel completely different about these new electronic cameras. They seem so fragile – unless they’re “rugged” cameras.

I’ve pretty much settled down my camera “collection”. The Olympus E-510 handles the SLR work, the Olympus E-P1 handles everything else. They’re brilliant. I sold the Panasonic FZ8 and Canon SD1100IS, both nice cameras. The Panasonic created excellent RAW images and the lens was excellent. The Canon SD1100IS was a very good camera but I’m still looking for that ultimate pocket camera. I picked up a little Olympus snappy to carry when the weather gets a bit too rough to carry something expensive. I suspect I will be going back to another rugged camera before too long.

The PEN Story

The PEN Story

I missed this European marketing campaign somehow: The PEN Story. The image is from the website but the entire production has to be seen to “get it”. There’s a great video, a downloadable theme song and even a ringtone!

What makes the whole thing interesting to me is that Olympus is not only marketing a camera but a life “accessory”. They’re showing how a camera can play an important role in recording history. In a word: brilliant.

There’s very few links on the page, very little to distract you from the message – except for one big word: curious? That leads you to page with information on the history and legend of the previous PEN cameras and the current PEN cameras.

Throughout the site Olympus avoids categorizing the camera as anything other than a PEN and defining the concept as SLR quality in a compact camera. This completely sidesteps the journalistic need to make neat categories for cameras and, since only Olympus can rightly use the phrase PEN, it locks the category and title to them. It may be many things but it’s a PEN camera…

Update: Olympus PEN 50th Anniversary website.

In the Gallery – February 21, 2010

I’ve added a few more images taken during my waterfront walks. The melting snow is making a bit of a mess but it’s good to see signs of spring and wildlife.

You can see the latest images in the Noble Wolf Studio Gallery.

Note: Old images have been moved to a new section on the Noble Wolf Studio website: Past Galleries.

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Noble Wolf Studio Gallery
Noble Wolf Studio Notebook
Thinking In Images
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Using what works

I couldn’t think of a better title than this but I want to touch on a few topics.

On the topic of Google…

“Google bashing” seems to be a popular sport these days. I’m not sure why. I remember when Google was just a simple search page. That was back in dial-up days. Google did a few things exactly right: it loaded quickly, it delivered relevant results and it did it in text. What ads it did have were also in text. Nice fast text. Not on top, not disguised as search results, just info in the right hand column. It was not a portal or trying to be one. I was using other search/portal sites at the time. Not only did they take forever to load the search results were not great. These sites wasted my time. Look at where they are now. So instead of bashing Google for delivering what people want and what works, let’s think what things would be like without Google.

Of course, this topic will lead to the “privacy at all costs” people. I appreciate and respect your concerns but forget the better or worse/good or bad argument. It’s pointless. Unless you are taking extreme measures the moment you flick on a computer connected to the net you’ve spilled info out all over the place. By computer I mean all electronic devices capable of communicating with other electronic devices. This is even before you launch a browser and get to Google.

But lets stay on the topic of Google. They took all that search success and rolled it into other browser based services that are as good, or will soon be good, as their search service. All this has to be paid for somehow. You either pay with data or dollars.

I use Google for many things. Their services work very well, some I pay for with cash others I pay for data. I think we have a nicely balanced deal and I applaud their success. Google did what previous giant tech companies did not (but could have).

And then there’s Flash bashing…

Adobe’s Flash is what it is and that’s just about everywhere. It’s an incredibly good media design program and player. I’ve seen some incredible work done with Flash. I’ve also seen horrible things done with it as well. Maybe Flash could be better but there’s Flash content that could be better. I can’t think of the last time I’ve had a Flash enabled web page crash so I have no idea what anyone is talking about. Mine don’t and they’re far from light weight pages. This reminds me of the Java bashing that went on years ago. Rather than bash Flash (catchy, yes?) let’s get some constructive criticism out there or maybe the bashers should come up with something better. Before anyone leaps in with HTML5 remember that H.264 is not open-source or royalty free.

On to something different: Olympus cameras…

I use Olympus cameras and have for many years. I’ve used many, many cameras over the decades but I prefer Olympus cameras. Not all of them. The SLR’s and higher end cameras do it for me. There’s something about the feel of these cameras and the lenses that resonate with me. Maybe it’s the company’s philosophy being public that does it. I understand what they’re thinking and doing. Few other tech companies showcase their people and history. It gives the cameras a bit of mystique, heritage and soul. I swear, my E-P1 and E-510 feel organic. Then there’s the images. The lenses are very good. When I review images after a long day I just don’t see any ugly optical flaws or flaring. I don’t know if it’s all optical or a combination of optical and digital but, overall, it works.

And to wrap this up: Mac computers…

I use a Mac, two actually. Well four. Two at home and two at work. Setting the topic of software aside, the OS and CPU’s are very good, very well made and a great bang for the buck. I’m fussy about keyboards and mice so I’ll leave that out of the equation. I did the PC thing for years. I’m done with Windows (and Microsoft). I like PC’s but I’m onto other operating systems for that architecture, such as Linux. These days OS’s are getting to be very good and it really comes down to three questions: will it do what I need to do, will it do it at a price I can afford and will it do it reliably and securely? Maybe there’s a fourth question: can I work it without going bonkers? I seen some wacky interfaces. I turn on the Macs and they work at whatever I need to do. Sometimes there’s a fuss but most times it’s all very flawless.

So what’s the point of all this?:

The point is there’s many options to all things, nothing is all good or all bad and there’s still no free lunch. Explore, ask questions, try and find out what works for you. It’s really not that complicated. Despite all this electronic wizardry common sense still prevails just like it did in the old days. For me it’s Google, Olympus and Mac’s. There’s other things, too, like Lightroom, RapidWeaver and WordPress. That’s a pretty short list but I’ve distilled things down over the years…

In the Gallery – February 15, 2010

There’s a few new images in the Gallery. The weather has been very variable the last few days. From snow to hints of spring it’s been a challenge…
• • •
Noble Wolf Studio Gallery
Noble Wolf Studio Notebook
Thinking In Images
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In the Gallery – February 7, 2010

New images in the Gallery. I’ve been out capturing images with the Olympus E-510 and the Olympus E-P1. The Four Thirds and Micro Four Thirds concept is a great idea. It’s not easy to see the difference between the cameras in any of the images and that’s the way it should be. They both have their strengths and compliment each other perfectly. Bravo Olympus!
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Noble Wolf Studio Gallery
Noble Wolf Studio Notebook
Thinking In Images
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Motorcycles – how times have changed

Norton

I went to the motorcycle show recently. I really want another motorcycle, a new motorcycle, but I’m not seeing a heck of a lot that works for me. Part of it is seat height. C’mon, not all of us are over six feet tall and have long legs. Those of us a bit closer to the ground want a standard or sport bike, too. Styling is getting interesting – real interesting. As in over the top – interesting. Granted sport bikes pretend to look like race bikes (not quite) but the high-tech standards look like insects – or toys. “High-tech standard” is my new phrase to separate out the “tradional standard” motorcycles. Cruisers never interested me but I’ll give a nod to Suzuki for their power cruisers. Now, figure out a way to get those pegs under me into a more standard position and I’m good to go.

Triumph

And that’s when I realized I wanted something a bit more traditional, like a Triumph or maybe a Royal Enfield. Now that was a surprise for me. This was the first time I’ve seen a Royal Enfield and thrown a leg over one. Nice – very nice. I have a sweet spot for the Triumph Thruxton, too, although I would not mind having a Bonneville or Thunderbird. The traditional styled Ducati’s and Moto Guzzi’s are very nice, too. Sorry, Ducati. The Monster has gotten just a bit too busy looking cluttered looking. It was a sweet thing up until the 695 but then… There’s something about a big ol’ round headlight,

Let me step back for a second and point out that I know myself well enough to realize that I will use as much power and handling as I have available. A full on sport bike would be very nice but all that’s going to do is send me flying a lot farther a lot faster. Been there, done that. I can be happy at 10/10th’s on a slower motorcycle. Apparently I’m wired for challenge of it. The other part of me just wants to plonk along and get there without being ruffled.

Royal Enfield

Back to the Royal Enfield. I had two thoughts when I saw this motorcycle: why isn’t Triumph or Norton making a motorcycle like this? Or anyone? It’s a 500cc single cylinder retro motorcycle, a brilliant combination of high and low tech. Big, standard, street singles are pretty scarce. There’s the Royal Enfield and that’s it. Keep in mind, I’m skimming this list by seat height, too. Much as I’d like a KTM, or any of the dual purpose motorcycles, they’re a tick too tall.

None of this is going to happen for a while. I have to do more research – like the insurance rates. I was stunned by the high insurance costs for a new motorcycle and that was just liability. Adding comp rocketed those figures into ridiculous places. I can buy the motorcycle. I can’t afford to put it on the road. Sigh.

What was surprising at the motorcycle show was the crowds around these “traditional” styled motorcycles. The ones that have a minimum of plastic, that aren’t trying to look futuristic toys or race bikes, the motorcycles that look like motors in a cycle frame, not a bunch of plastic and glitz being propelled by an engine. Times may be changing…

Olympus E-PL1

Olympus E-PL1

Bravo to Olympus for bringing out a new less expensive MFT camera - Olympus E-PL1

Now here’s the odd thing: Now that I own an E-P1 I feel I truly got a hell of a camera for the money. Yes, it’s pricey but it’s got “soul”. It feels like a precision camera, not a disposal or short-term digital camera. I truly enjoy using the E-P1. I asked another E-P1 owner and they felt about the same. Great camera, great value. The few Lumix G users felt the same way, pricey but well worth it. I would have thought there’d be some griping about the lower cost of the E-PL1. Nope. The pricier Olympus and Lumix cameras look more refined, more sophisticated, more metal / less plastic and maybe more “real camera” than this new lower cost camera. Everyone was happy to see a new model at a new lower price and the thought was it was an even better value.

That’s pretty good for a camera that’s not released yet.

I’ve stated before that these cameras would be game changers and I think that’s truer now than before. The E-PL1  is a lot more camera for not a lot more than a Canon G11 or Lumix LX3.

Olympus E-PL1 First Look | Digital Camera Resource Page