Not sold on Velvia

So this weekend I went to various places in San Francisco and shot some pictures using Fuji Velvia 100F. Got the results back yesterday and today, and I'm not really that impressed. I can't say that it's significantly better different from Provia, at least in the shots that I took (mostly landscape photos, with some sunsets). The colors looks good, certainly, well-saturated, a little bit of a blue cast when underexposed in shadows (to be expected), tight grain, tons of resolution under an 8x loupe. But it seems like Provia 100F actually has *higher* contrast, whereas everywhere I had read that Velvia is the higher contrast film. This showed up when I scanned in the slides and under Photoshop's Levels there was frequently very little information at the white end of the spectrum. Plus I didn't get any super-saturated colors, which is the point of using Velvia, right? Maybe I got a bad batch of Velvia? Not sure. At this point I'm content to stick with Provia 100F for most of my tasks, although right now Adorama as Velvia 100F on sale for the same price as Provia 100F, so I'll probably pick up a few rolls to try again at a later date.

Taking Pictures in SF

So apparently I need to start investing in different clothes and equipment if I am going to continue trying to take pictures at sunset in San Francisco. Today I went to the Presidio, which is at the most northwest point of the city. There is quite a large park area in that corner, featuring the Palace of the Legion of Honor, the Veterans Memorial Hospital, and Cliff House. It's an amazing place to take photographs, because looking west is the ocean, with its associated beaches, cliffs, and especially the setting sun, and looking east is the Golden Gate Bridge. Of course picturesque Marin County is just to the north as well, not to mention all the beautiful trees that surround you. So it's quite the interesting area to take pictures.

However, there is absolutely no respite from the wind out there. I was wearing a long sleeve shirt, a sweater, and a pea coat, and the wind just cut right through that, especially going down through the top of my coat and just whipping all the heat right out from my clothes. My hands too began to get very cold after a while, making steady pictures a difficult endeavor. Even though it was not a cold day at all, the wind made things very difficult, especially towards sunset. Apparently I need to start wearing windbreakers, scarves, and gloves when I try to take pictures from now on.

I also discovered that the $30 Sunpak monopod that I bought from Best Buy is pretty much useless. The bottom portion pulls out and "clicks" into place (no locking mechanism!). Needless to say, with the EOS-1v plus my 17-40mm f/4L, the bottom leg kept collapsing, and usually just as I applied the pressure required to release the shutter. What's truly annoying is that I could have bought a high-quality Manfrotto-Bogen monopod for only a few dollars more! Oh well, live and learn.

The sunset was truly beautiful today though! I will have pictures posted at my Yahoo! 360 account soon.

First impressions of the EOS-1v

So I've shot two rolls with the EOS-1v so far (I know, hardly anything at all! I need to get out there and shoot more!). My first impressions are that the camera feels PERFECT in my hand. I used to think that big cameras were too much, back when I was carrying a Rebel Ti around. Now that I've used the EOS-1v, I can't imagine how I took all those photos with the smaller bodies. It's just not very comfortable, my fingers are in all the wrong places on those bodies. The EOS-1v offers fantastic grip, and it's easy for me to reach all the buttons I need to without excessive twisting.

The other thing I really like about the 1v is the action of the shutter. There's just a very solid feeling when I press the shutter release. The heavier body probably contributes to that. The weight of the body also helps me steady the camera. I took a few shots at 7/10 second shutter speed and under an 8x loupe it doesn't look blurry at all! With my Rebel Ti, I could never get anything under 1/10 second, and with my Elan 7 1/2 second was about as long as I could go. Of course, my hands and body have gotten steadier in that time too, but I know the camera has made a big difference as well.

Finally, having everything operate in 1/3 stops is an interesting experience. From the aperture stops to the shutter speeds to the +/- exposure, I feel like I'm constantly seeing new numbers pop up in the viewfinder that I've never seen before. But I definitely appreciate the ability to fine-tune exposure. And obviously the camera is capable of taking much more accurate pictures since the metering system doesn't always have to round off to the nearest 1/2.

Overall it feels pretty good, I'm definitely glad I made the switch, considering the cost!
A very rugged body. I'm looking forward to using it more in the coming months and years! :-)

The elusive Canon GR-E2 grip found!

For the past week since I bought the EOS-1v, I've been scouring the 'net, trying to find the GR-E2 grip for it (the non-power-booster grip). The reason is simple: the power booster is crazy heavy and bulky. I can barely fit the EOS-1v into my Orion photo pack with the PB-E2 on, and the camera is damn heavy too! I don't need 10fps or hours of continuous operation since I'm not a professional photographer, so it just doesn't make sense for me to deal with all the extra weight and bulk of the PB-E2. So, for day to day usage, I wanted to use the GR-E2, which substantially decreases both the weight and the bulk of the EOS-1v.

Problem is, I was coming up with nothing online. No photo store had it in stock, and when I started bidding on eBay for one, it ended up selling for $60, which is exactly the retail price for a new one! I called up Calumet Photo to have them special order it, but they said it might take several months for me to get one. So I kept going to every camera store I could find in the San Francisco area looking for a used one.

Finally, I went to Keeble and Schuchat Photography in Palo Alto. Despite the fact that I had called ahead and they had told me they had none around, when I got there I discovered that they in fact had TWO! And they would sell me one for just $20, 1/3 of the retail cost. It looks brand new, too! Needless to say, I was quite happy to buy it. So finally I had obtained the elusive GR-E2 grip. :-)

The camera is so much more manageable now. It's kind of scary though that nobody had this grip in stock, not even any online merchants, and that they thought the wait to special order it would be over a month! It's pretty clear now that film cameras really are dead, and if you can't find what you need on the used market you probably won't be able to get it anymore. Time to grab all the accessories you need for those film cameras before they all disappear!

Used film cameras are a fantastic value

So ever since I discovered that the Canon EOS-3 could be had used for well within my budget, I've been searching for used EOS-1v cameras that might be close to my budget as well. This past weekend I went to Samy's Camera in LA, and they had a used EOS-1v with PB-E2 power booster for $750. I decided to take the plunge and buy it. The camera itself is in fantastic shape, no major nicks, looks almost completely flawless. The power booster has a bit of wear on it, but I intend on buying a GR-E2 grip anyway so that won't really be an issue. Basically, I got a $2000 retail camera that is almost new for about 1/3 of the price. That is just insane. This is the top of the line Canon camera, used by professional photographers around the world, and it costs less than the Digital Rebel XT. Looking on eBay, there are a ton of these cameras for sale, each for less than $1000. With some careful bidding, I'm sure you could get a cheaper price than what I got. This is a fantastic value, in my opinion. I finally have a camera that can store per-picture camera information, that's built solidly, with spot metering, 10 fps capability, and it cost me so much less than even the entry-level Canon digital SLR, nevermind a digital SLR that would be comparable in build quality (like the 5D or 1DsII).

The bottom line is, if you are still using Canon EOS film cameras and need a new body, the used market has tons of great cameras for you. Definitely check it out.