[Leica] IMG: Blue Angels

[drodgers at casefarms.com (David Rodgers)]

I drove to Gulf Breeze, FL for the weekend to watch the Blue Angels at
the Pensacola Airshow, and to see my son who was there from Portland.
The images linked here are from the Friday run through. Saturdays show
was cancelled due to weather. 

http://www.purplehen.com/images/blueangels.htm

Equipment: Older 80-200/2.8 with outdated D200 (which I shall limp along
with until Nikon or Canon offers an affordable FX-chipped-D40-sized
body)

The trip really brought home the variety of functionality in camera
equipment today. 

I had a Fuji F30 in my pocket everywhere I went. I took lots of
snapshots. I brought home and displayed on the big screen (LCD TV). The
workflow is so simple. Copy form XD to SD and plug into the WI. It was
like going fishing and catching a bunch of little fish. Fun, but no
great rewards. 

The DSLR was fun, too. I couldn't have made the same shots using a
rangefinder or P&S. OTOH, using it wasn't much of an adventure. The
photos are impersonal. It's like catching fish from a pond that you know
has been stocked, and you don't even need to leave your car.  

Finally there's the paradox of the film Leica M. It's the most difficult
camera to use. The workflow is also very time consuming. It'll be
several weeks before I can process the film and make prints. I'm not
even sure which developer I'm going to use. In spite of all that it's
the most rewarding camera to use. 

Using a film M is a photographic experience unlike any other. It's
risky. You can put in a lot of effort and get skunked. Perhaps that's
what makes any success that much more rewarding. It's like Marlin
fishing (though hopefully the success rate is higher).  

Digital was great for recording the trip. Using film was a trip within
the trip. Everything has its place. 

DaveR