First Shots

2/9/2003

Today I'm planning on heading out to the woods for a few minutes before we head on off to the last hockey game in the current series.

Last night the boys won, and if they win their last game next Saturday, we are off to the state championship games. Many of the parents were super nervous, but I, clueless as usual, was concentrating on the camera.

One reason why I chose this camera was the fact that my brother called me from Norway a couple of weeks ago and was praising the zoom from here to tomorrow. Zoom is important to me since sometimes I can't really get that close to the action on either the ice, or the football field. We probably have only one season left of both hockey and football, and I'd like to get some good images.

A couple of weeks ago I took this with my Olympus at full zoom plus a zoom extender. Since they were skating on the University of Michigan ice, we were limited as to where we could sit in the rink.

Last night's game was probably taken from a little less height, but the distance between me and the goal was pretty similar. The image is the same size as the one from above.

That's the boy giving a friendly push to the player in white.

One other reason to choose this camera was the fact that the film speed can be advanced to 800, which, although not as crisp and clear, allows me to crop up close and personal and still have a half way decent image. Hopefully the telephoto extender for this camera will arrive next week before I head out to LA.

I must confess however, that this camera is only the first step up. I've made the mental commitment to go up another level and buy the professional stuff, sometime after the camera show that runs in March. The choice will be the new Nikon D100, or whatever model replaces the Canon EOS D60. (Incidently that camera shot the most used images that you have seen of the shuttle breaking up and streaking across the Texas sky.)

Retail therapy... I like that thought.