[Leica] Need advice on a "car camera"

[kcarney1 at cox.net (Ken Carney)]

Peter,

I have a Canon G10 for that purpose.  It is in a well-padded case in the
glove box all the time.  So far no issues with heat or cold.  It uses the
Canon raw format and the print size at 300 ppi is 11.5 x 14 at the default
aspect ratio.  Image quality is excellent, IMO, and its only fault so far is
that it is a 15mp sensor, so ISO 200 is about tops and default 80 is better.
Retail is $500.  I set it on aperture priority and use exposure comp to get
what I want.

Ken

> -----Original Message-----
> From: lug-bounces+kcarney1=cox.net at leica-users.org [mailto:lug-
> bounces+kcarney1=cox.net at leica-users.org] On Behalf Of Peter Klein
> Sent: Saturday, May 09, 2009 3:08 PM
> To: lug at leica-users.org
> Subject: [Leica] Need advice on a "car camera"
> 
> Yesterday I was walking along Seattle's Lake Union during lunch time.  I
> spotted a female mallard duck standing at the door of a marine financial
> and brokerage firm, as if she wanted to get in. It would have made a great
> picture, just the kind that I like to take.
> 
> Except that I didn't have a camera with me.  Why?  My employer now bans
> all
> personally-owned cameras in the workplace, including cell phone
> cameras.  It's not negotiable. I would have to either leave my camera with
> the receptionist every day and pick it up at lunch and after work, or
> leave
> it in my car. I'm not comfortable with the first choice, as it makes a
> non-work activity impact the workplace (bad politics). And I certainly
> don't want to leave a Leica in either place.
> 
> All this is a big PITA. So far I've just left my cameras at home, and I've
> missed a few good shots.
> 
> Maybe I need another camera.  One that I could leave in my car, and if it
> were stolen, it wouldn't be the end of the world.  The question is, what
> camera?  I'm thinking of either a fixed-lens rangefinder like a Canonet or
> an Olympus XA, or perhaps a decent secondhand digital.  I hate autofocus
> lag on P&S cameras.  And I'm not sure I want to deal with film again on a
> regular basis.
> 
> I'd like the camera to be pocketable (or at least fit in a belt pouch). It
> should be focusable (no fixed-focus or guess-focus). Autoexposure is OK,
> but I'd prefer to have full manual shutter/aperture control available, and
> not so hard to use that I wouldn't use it.  I want sufficient image
> quality
> that I wouldn't be embarrassed to show the pictures.  I'd prefer a 40-50mm
> f/2 lens or thereabouts, as Seattle is often very gray.
> 
> A final wrinkle--if I left the camera under a car seat, would it get too
> hot if I park outside during the summer?  At work we have an indoor
> garage,
> but invariably the camera would sometimes get left in the car during
> errands, in the driveway at home, etc.
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 
> --Peter
> 
> 
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