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Articles and Reviews
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A
Brief History
It certainly wasn’t the first time I picked up a camera as I had had limited experience with my father’s Canon FTb and my own Polaroid instant camera that my mother bought for me when I was about seven years old. My Aunt Peggy bought me the matching flash unit for it a little while later. My father was outraged that I had the nerve to ask my visiting aunt for such an expensive gift ($40 back in 1978). He went straight out and bought my cousin Margaret her own Polaroid camera and flash unit to make up for my childish nerve. I probably took a couple hundred photos with that Polaroid which is surprising given how expensive Polaroid instant film was back then ($10 per pack of ten shots in the late 1970s). It helps when your father was the owner of a small convenience store that carried Polaroid film and compatible flash bulbs (what I used before I had the flash unit). However, he was only willing to part with such expenses for a limited time as the film, flashes and batteries were eating into his profit margins. He limited my picture taking and I became bored with the Polaroid kit so it eventually went into a cabinet, unused for years. I still have the kit but have no idea if they even make film compatible for it anymore (now a toy for my kids).
I learned the basics of developing and printing black and white images and I helped with the layout for our fledging school paper and yearbook. Some of my pictures even made into the paper and yearbook but I never really paid much attention to photography though. It was just another aspect of the class that I had to learn and get through. I thought of myself as more of a writer then anything else as most of my contributions to the school paper were stories or editorials. After the writing and photography stages were completed, I didn’t pick up a camera seriously again for another ten years. June 1997 and a quick trip to Montreal Kenny is from Montreal and he hadn’t been back home for a few years. He gets the urge to go back and visit and party it up on Crescent St., one of the major bar and nightclub strips of the grand old city. Kenny scans the papers for good airfares to Montreal and sees a time-limited offer of about $450 round trip, Vancouver to Montreal. He says to me, "Here it is, are you in?" I ponder it for a minute and said,"What the hell, count me in." What this entailed was not some leisurely trip to Montreal to catch all the sights but a very fast whirlwind trip on a weekend. We were to leave Friday night via the redeye and come back Sunday evening local time and then be back at work the following Monday. As we still had some time before our little trip, I decided that I should buy a camera to take a few shots of la belle province. I had budgeted some money to buy a headphone amplifier but those plans fell through when the store I had ordered it from called me and said that they would not sell me the unit I wanted for the price they quoted me as they had made a mistake in pricing. The store said I could order a cheaper unit for the price I paid but I decided to review the potential purchase further. Since this was right around the time that I was slowly winding down my status as an audiophile, I decided to nix the headphone amp and buy a decent camera. Being completely new to what was available, I wasn’t really sure of what to buy and didn’t know how to go about researching what to buy. I bought into the Canon marketing machine and thought that a Rebel G was what I needed or wanted. During my time in university, one of my roommates had a Rebel circa 1988. I thought it looked pretty good and given the immense hype over the Rebel series of cameras from the Andre Agassi posters and commercials and given that my father owned a Canon, I thought I would go for it. At that time, Kenny and I would often spend our lunchtime walking around downtown Vancouver and taking advantage of all the shops close by to our work place. So he was with me when I went into a Blacks Photography store to shop for a new camera. He demurred when I mentioned that I was going to buy a Rebel G. He said serious photographers bought Nikon cameras (ironically, Kenny ended up buying a Rebel G later). Since Kenny had taken a photography course during his college years in Montreal, I acquiesced to his superior knowledge of the subject and bought a Nikon F50. In one fell swoop; I went from being a Canon man to a Nikon man. I don’t regret it in the least but I also think that if I had bought the Canon, I would not regret it either. I bought the F50 in a kit that included a 35-80mm f4-5.6 lens, a strap, batteries and a roll of film. I had a two-week trial period with the camera in which I could either return it or upgrade it if I felt it wasn’t suitable for me. I should note that Minolta and Pentax never even entered into the equation for me, as the Canon marketing was very powerful. I had, to that time, only heard of Nikon in even lessor terms then that of Pentax or Minolta. If I had any notice of Nikon at all, it might have been through seeing the photos of the National Geographic photographers at the back of the magazine as they had photos of themselves taken as they worked. It seems that most of the NG photographers used Nikon F90x’s. Anyway, back to the F50. Within the two-week trial period I had with the F50, I decided to go whole hog and purchase the matching 80-200mm f4.5-5.6 tele-zoom lens to compliment the 35-80mm lens. I also picked up a leather camera bag that just reeked of amateur photographer, but altogether, I was a happy camper with my new kit. Since I had planned a trip to visit some good friends over in Victoria on Vancouver Island, I thought I would put the new camera through its paces during that trip. I would also get a chance to meet with another friend who was also a photographic enthusiast and solicit his advice and opinions on my kit. Looking back on that experience, I have say I was such an idiot. I knew nothing about photography. Even when I was in highschool, taking photos for the school paper and yearbook, I was never taught how to take pictures. Nothing about aperture, shutter speed and film speed utilized together to get an exposure. The teacher basically loaded some 400 speed B&W film and gave us the cameras (probably Pentax K1000s) and said go out and shoot, and oh yah, make sure the needle is in the middle. When I think about that, I’m amazed that any of us actually got usable images (the regular dark room student must have had a hell of a time getting enough from the negatives to print onto paper). So, I know nothing about photography and here I have a sophisticated (it was to me at that time) SLR (I didn’t even understand what that term meant) that I could only use in P mode. I might as well have bought a point and shoot. I did what any self-respecting person would do; I bought books. I eventually bought lots and lots of books and magazines but I started with Kodak’s Joy of Photography and John Shaw’s Landscape Photography. These two books laid the foundations for my continued interest and learning into my new hobby. I don’t remember too much about this camera since I had it for such a short period of time and I never even bothered to learn how to use it fully. I do know that it was very basic. Too basic in fact. I wasn’t aware of the limitations of this particular body at that time but I’m shocked that Nikon could get away with selling such a basic, featureless body for so long. No wonder the Canon Rebel series bodies slaughtered it in sales. In fairness to the F50, it did at least feel fairly solid, about the same as the F70. The autofocus was okay and the metering seemed decent as well but since I only shot color print film with it, I can’t say how accurate it was. Why did I get rid of it then? Red eye reduction. The F50 has no red eye reduction and for a person who believed that the on camera flash was a fantastic idea, I couldn’t understand how Nikon would delete such a mass consumer-oriented feature as this from a camera that was geared for the mass-consumer idiot. I shot a few pics of my friends in Victoria in low light and when I got the prints back, I could detect a tiny bit of red eye. I was pissed off. $600 for this blasted kit and I couldn’t even have a feature that almost all $100-plus point and shoots include as a standard feature. I went back to Blacks and stated my dissatisfaction with the F50 (I didn’t say why though) and asked for an upgrade to the F70. I basically traded bodies and kept the other items that came with the F50 kit such as the 35-80mm lens and strap. Now I thought I had a real camera. Full featured and with red eye reduction to boot. I told you I was an idiot back then didn’t I? Now I was ready for Montreal Post Montreal and Post Mortem on
the budget My pictures? Amateur tourist shots. The F70 was usually in one of the program modes like landscape or portrait, as I barely knew how to decipher the instruction manual. I played it safe and didn’t experiment with aperture or shutter values. It would take be quite a bit of time to understand how to use the F70 properly and know what all the features meant and were used for. That should not, however, be taken as a reflection of the F70’s ease of use or ergonomics. It is very much an indication of a photo virgin busting his cherry on a pretty well featured and sophisticated camera. I’m well aware of the complaints of the F70’s ergonomics, of which I have more to say in the F70 review section. It was not until I learned about photography in general before I became comfortable with using the F70. I think that would have been the case with whatever camera I had bought, be it Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Pentax, or any other brand. Instruction manuals take it for granted that the purchaser will already have a basic understanding of photographic principles but these manuals are more or less Greek to newbies such as me back then. After the Montreal trip, I began to research photography a bit more. A couple of more books here and there but one that seemed to make the most impression on me was Galen Rowell’s Vision, The Art of Adventure Photography. This particular book exposed me to new ways of thinking about how to take photos. It wasn’t enough to just seek out a nice scene but the photographer had to play a role in reaching that scene, physically and mentally. The book also had a couple of essays on equipment and it gave me some hints and clues as to what kind of lenses I might need to take my own landscape shots. I should add that landscape photography was my own favorite style. Galen Rowell’s book was the first mention of the Nikon 35-70mm f2.8 lens I had come across. Being new to photography, I didn’t understand the role that prime lenses played in the arsenal of a photographer. As an everyday consumer, I liked zoom lenses, cheaper and far more convenient. But as I got to know a little more about photography, I came to realize that not all zooms are created equal. The professional quality zooms all have a constant f2.8 aperture capability throughout their zoom range. Because of the increased amount of light allowed in, these lenses are bigger, heavier and MUCH more expensive. My photos from Montreal seemed good enough to me and in truth even if I had had the 35-70mm f2.8 lens, I doubt I would be able to tell a difference between 4x6 sized pictures shot with the cheaper 35-80 f4-5.6 and the 35-70mm f2.8. Enlarge the pictures and I’m quite certain that the f2.8 would win out hands down. Anyway, because I have this compulsive desire to own the best that I can afford, I determined that I could afford to buy the much more costly 35-70mm f2.8 lens and at that time, this lens was the best in the Nikon line up for normal range zoom lenses. My knowledge and awareness of the other quality photo shops was quite limited, hence the reason why I walked into Blacks to buy the F70. Within the same shopping mall in downtown Vancouver, I discovered another photo store, Lens and Shutter. The store made a good impression on me when I decided to have all my Montreal trip film processed and printed by them. The shots came out quite well (processing and printing, certainly not in artistry and composition) and the sales-staff were helpful. After a bit of browsing around at another store for pricing on the 35-70mm lens, I bit the bullet and traded in my 35-80mm lens for the professional quality zoom at Lens and Shutter. The lens cost me dearly at almost double the price of what the F70 body would sell for but, cliché and all, it was worth every cent I paid. After using it a few times, the bigger size and weight wasn’t a factor anymore as it gave the F70 better balance in the hands, especially for the lens wrapping and supporting left hand. It felt very nice cradled in that hand. It was only the price that hurt me for a time but considering what I’ve spent since then, it’s almost a piddling amount. I thought I had it all after that. A good mid level body with a built in flash, with a top notch lens and a decent consumer level tele-zoom lens. I picked up a Manfrotto 55C tripod shortly after since every photographer had to have a tripod. A Manfrotto 352 mid-sized ballhead with a quick release topped the 55C off. I thought I had a really good kit but the learning curve didn’t end there and neither did the acquisitions. The day that I consider the turning point for my road into photographic obsession is the day that I discovered Broadway Camera. I should have known that it was going to be a bad (or good depending upon how you look at it-bad from my wife’s perspective) omen when Kenny and I first walked in to check out the store. We had heard that it was one of the photo stores to go and shop and that was confirmed for me when we walked in and saw a Nikon F5 for the first time. It was the only store that carried Nikon and had an F5 on display for fondling…I mean handling and perusing. Even though the F5 had been introduced the year before, it wasn’t until mid-97 before all the Nikon sellers were able to actually get bodies into the stores in Vancouver. I got my first exposure to the F5 and I’ve lusted after one since then. Problem was, for most of us, the $3600 price tag that the F5 carried back then. That pretty much killed any idea of buying an F series pro body from Nikon anytime soon. I consoled myself by picking up a 24mm f2.8 wide-angle lens. That was Galen Rowell’s influence upon me as his favorite lens is the 24mm f2.8 for most of his landscapes. But this first purchase of the 24mm lens led me to return over and over again for many more items. I was also encouraged to shop around for prices and then come back wherein my regular salesman, Henry, would promise to beat the lowest price I could find elsewhere.
The purchases didn’t end there but it has been quite the ride into the world of photography as I learn more and become far more serious about it then I ever thought I would be. It is more or less similar to my experience as an audiophile and how I became obsessed with that hobby before embarking upon photography. Currently, I have been attempting to pursue a few side jobs here and there as a means of supporting the hobby and justifying the expenditures to my very reluctant wife. It means that I have attempted to become a freelance wedding and portrait photographer, something that I had little respect for when I started the hobby but has now come to dominate my desire to learn and improve. I’m under no illusions about how far I can go without formal training in photography. I haven’t quit my day job and barring a lottery win, will never be able to do so but I’m enjoying myself and have a new found respect for wedding and portrait pros who do this day in and day out. |
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Correspondence & About this website Copyright © 1998-2008 Edwin Leong |
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I
must admit first off, that I am quite new to photography, as I did
not get involve with it seriously until the summer of 1997. Prior
to this time, my only other real experience with photography was
in highschool. I had enrolled in Journalism, a new course offered
in my last year of highschool. In that course, we learned the basics
of news gathering and disseminating, not only in written form but
also in video and of course photographic form. It was in this class
that I picked up a camera and took photos on a regular basis. 
In
looking over those old photos, I’m appalled by the lack of good color
and sharpness from the instant prints. They look even worse then what
one can get from the modern day disposable cameras. Of course, film
has improved greatly in the last two decades so that even my father’s
prints from his FTb look pretty shabby. So for almost ten years, I
didn’t really pick up a camera until I was 17 years old in my highschool
Journalism class. 
So,
I went back to buy my F90x and MB10 grip. I went back to buy my SB
26 and SB 27 flashes. I went back to buy my consignment sale 80-200
f2.8 lens (older, one touch D lens without tripod collar) and the
50mm f1.4 lens. I went back for my Lowepro Orion Trekker, Nature Trekker
and Magnum AW bag and backpacks as well as my Manfrotto 190 tripod
and 141 pan-tilt head. And ultimately, I went back and purchased my
Bronica SQ-Ai medium format kit with a plethora of accessories for
it. 