Say cheese...

Photography. You know, the act of pointing a camera at some or other object and clicking away until the batteries wear out; that kind of thing.

I like that. Taking pictures I mean -not the batteries running out.

I started off way back in the early eighties of the last century, with a clunky Zenit 35mm mirror-reflex camera. Mainly taking pictures at rock gigs, using the most sensitive film available at the time: 400ASA dia-film from AGVA-Gevaert.

Sadly, most of my negatives have gone missing over the years -thanks to moving places every so often and everytime leaving more and more stuff behind you deem not worth the trouble of shlepping around any longer. Of course, once in a while you leave behind a box of "junk" which also containes stuff you'd never want to throw away.

As in most cases, you only notice something is missing when it's too late.

I took up photography once more when I went to New York City, spring of 2007. Got a small digital compact from my sis; an HP PhotoSmart C935. Not too bad a camera, that one. Fairly compact and very easy to use, with satisfying results.

The reason I got it from my sis was because she in the meantime had bought a Canon PowerShot S2 iS, a compact with DSLR features.

Now, while I was walking around at J&B on Park Row -just across from City Hall Park, I saw a Canon PowerShot S3 iS for $300, including a Lamborghini bag, a 1GB SD card, four AA batteries with speed charger and a miniature tripod.
Having checked prices back in Belgium, I was amazed that this camera would cost me the equivalent of $600 back home.

So, I did the only reasonable thing an irrational man would do and I bought that Canon S3 iS, with a little (read: big!) help from my sister, I must add.  Never regretted it either.  My sister on the other hand...

In 2010 I stepped up a notch and bought the Canon PowerShot SX1 iS, which carried a 20x zoom and a DIGIC 4 sensor -the same sensor most DSLR cameras have. Was a little less satisfied with that SX1 though. Quality of pictures was slightly better than with the S3, but it is slightly bulkier (didn't fit in the Lamborghini case) and most buttons were switched around which made holding the camera without altering the settings a bit of a sport. I've got fairly big hands, you see, so I inadvertedly hit this or that button every time I took a hold of the camera.

Just the other day, I found a Canon EOS600D -in the USA & Canada also known as the Rebel T3i- on ebay. Came with a standard 18-55mm lens and everythig that was in the original box: manuals, three disks with software, belt, the lot.

Also found a 75-300mm USM zoom from Canon and a 500mm mirror lens (MTO MC 3M-5CA 500mm f8). The latter seems to be one of the best 500mm mirror lenses that money can buy, according to some research I did.

Anyway, everything is in the mail and I expect the camera and the lenses to arrive sometime next week. So, it'll be snapping time again...

I'll keep you posted.

JJ