Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 1998/11/26
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]Thursday, Thursday, November 26, 1998, budcook@ibm.net wrote: > I'd like to point out that a lot of folks on the LUG might be a bit weary > of this *just an amateur* syndrome. By Walt's criteria, the guy shooting > tourists on a cruise ship with a battered old Nikkormat is a Professional > but I'm just an amateur. Bud, Not to put words into Walt's mouth, I think he is fully capable of speaking for himself, but I think you misread his post. He was saying, I think, that those of us who use our cameras on a daily basis to put food on the table, pay the rent, ect look at our cameras as tools. I for one don't care if the strap rubs the camera, if they bang into each other while running down the street to cover something, or to get away from something (run away?? something I have very seldom done as I am rather stupid and foolhardy). My cameras are tools. I do not carry them in a bag, they are on the car seat in easy reach with lens mounted, loaded and ready to shoot if needed. A camera kept in the bag is about as useful as tits on a bull. DO I take good care of my gear, you bet you butt I do. After all I paid thousands of dollars for it, but do I coddle it, NO. I buy the gear I do because it has the reputation for performing. It better be able to handle being used and used hard. I agree with Walt re filters. I use them because in the heat of shooting I very seldom put the caps on the lenses, never use the front cap at all. I simply don't have the time to waste taking off front cap, rear cap mounting the lens, replacing the caps placing it gently back into the bag. NO I take the lens off, using feel only, not looking, select the lens I want mount it, drop the other lens in an empty slot in the bag and fire away. A matter of seconds, not the 30 seconds to replace caps and such. Now if I am shooting for pleasure, or working on something where speed is not important to getting the shot I do take time to replace caps and such. And yes when shooting where the filter will be a problem I remove it, time permitting. All this boils down to how YOU feel comfortable using YOUR equipment and it really does not matter what Jim, Ted, Eric, Walt, I, or anyone else says. Do what you think is best and worry about something important, like will the M7 have a vertical shutter or will it be digital. ;) Best regards, Harrison McClary http://people.delphi.com/hmphoto preview my book: http://www.volmania.com mailto:hmcclary@earthlink.net Everyone has a photographic memory, some just don't have film.