>From the depths of cyberspace......
One morning at work last week I received an anxious call from my
sister-in-law. It seems that her brother had decided to get married that
very afternoon. Why the rush to get married? is a question I didn't ask,
you have to know her brother. Anyway, she told me that the minister
would not allow her to use a flash inside the church and she didn't feel
her camera an old Nikon Nikormat? with a cheap Soligor zoom would work
well in that situation. Could she borrow a camera?. I heartily agreed
with her, but I had to think a little about how to set her up.
She's a pretty good photographer even with that Soligor lens, but
she has limited knowledge of cameras/lenses, etc. and she has never used
an SLR with auto exposure capabilities. She once complained to me that
her photographs were becoming more and more overexposed and was afraid
that the meter had broken down. I asked when she changed the batteries
last, all she said was "OH.... I didn't think of that" and hung up the
phone. A couple of days later she phoned me again, called me a genius
and said "...the new batteries did the trick, thank you." With that in
mind, I decided to keep it simple. I drove home at lunch and picked out
my -2n with a Vivitar S1 28-105 f/2,8~3,5 lens, tripod and threw in a
T32 just in case the situation changed regarding the "No flash rule" or
if there was some sort of reception afterwards. For film I had acquired
several rolls of Fuji NPH 400 pro and threw a few rolls into the bag as
well. As an after thought, I set the -2n's flash sync switch to 'X' and
flipped the calculator panel on the T32 to "Auto control".
When she came by work to pick up the kit, I gave her about 3 minutes
of instructions on using the -2n. Since she is used to setting both the
shutter speed and fstop, I told her leave it on manual and on the tripod
for the no flash shots. Also keep one hand on the tripod and the other
on the camera body when shooting to minimize vibration. If a flash was
needed and "allowed" put on the T32, flip the switch to 'Auto', set the
shutter to 60 and start shooting. Then she left and I started suffering
separation anxiety.
The next day I went to pick-up my gear, the separation anxiety was
getting really bad by then, all she had to say was "the pictures came
out fantastic!" Unfortunately I didn't get to see them, the parents of
the bride and groom had them all. She so was impressed by the OM's ease
of use and the quality of the photos that it produced she started asking
about availability and prices. She was surprised when I told her my -2n
was pushing twenty and the lens was a least fifteen years old. You know
and I know that it takes more than a good camera and lens to produce
quality photographs but she was convinced that it was the camera that
made all the difference. Come to think of it, she is a pretty good
photographer already, so by loaning her my OM (a better tool) she
produced better work. I guess its like a musician who has been playing a
cheap practice guitar for years, suddenly becomes more proficient when
he/she starts playing a Taylor.
When it was time for me to go I saw a sad look on her face as I
picked up my gear, but the gleam in her eyes told me loud and clear
"Another Zuikoholic has just been born". As I walked toward the door she
remarked to her husband "Honey, I think I want a new camera for my
birthday". My brother just rolled his eyes, slapped me on the back and
said "Thanks, Charlie".
So to all you Zuiks and Oly heads, be careful who you loan your gear to,
Zuikoholism is definitely an infectious disease!
P.S. I've already told my brother, that I my birthday present to her
will be a new, used camera. The OMPC I recently purchased and a couple
of lenses. Now if I can just get my hands to release their grip.
- Charles "Zuikoholism carrier" Packard
Birmingham Alabama USA
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