NYCkayaker camera

[Robert Huszar]

Hi David,

Sorry to get in on this so late, but I've been swamped. I agree with David 
Gottlieb. First off, I don't consider myself a professional photographer, 
though I have sold and have had many of my photos published. Still, when 
I look at real "Professional" work, I feel that their work is usually a 
few steps above what I can compose. That said, I just want to compare 
notes on some of the points raised.

1/ I love my old film camera and have been shooting with a 35mm Pentax ME 
for well over 30 years. Dave, why do you consider film superior? It seems 
to me, that film still has a slightly better color saturation, but I'm not 
sure how much of that is subjective. I do worry a little about storage 
issues and I have heard of negatives being still viable after a hundred 
years. With digital, it's all a question of making sure you back 
everything up. And think about it, how many storage mediums have we gone 
through in my lifetime. 15 years from now will my digital saves on CD 
still be usable. I'm not sure, but I think my negatives will be. Why else 
do you prefer film???

That said, I also have a Cannon Powershot that is fabulous. Takes great, 
clean, clear crisp images (well that's discounting those that are fuzzy 
due to operator error). I love shooting with it, and the things you can do 
with your images in photoshop are truly amazing. So I do have a foot in 
the digital world.

Which brings me to my last point. Pentax has recently come up with a 
digital Pentax, which will accept all my old lenses. So I am tempted to go 
fully digital. But I so love my film cameras. The problem I am now having 
with film, is that since my lab shut down, Alkit on 16th & Park, all the 
labs I've since tried, seem to generate soft prints. Any recommendations 
for a good lab, that do nice sharp prints, that doesn't cost more then 
some cameras.

Thanks,
Bob Huszar

On Fri, 15 Jan 2010, David Gottlieb wrote:

> OK David.. Time for another David who is a photographer and also kayaks.
>
> What David says about megapixels on point and shoots is correct. For fun I
> have a 15 mp Canon G10, which contains too many megapixels for a lens that
> size, but does have a great optional waterproof housing, and it shoots RAW,
> for those that care.
>
> However, Canon has just come out with both a G11 at 10 megapixels (they
> finally realize that more megapixels on a P&S is hype) and an S90. The S90
> has a faster lens and has some features that make choosing options like
> aperture much quicker to do. I believe the S90 also has a waterproof housing
> that is optional. The great thing about both these new cameras from Canon is
> that they shoot with much less noise at higher speeds. In fact, I am amazed
> at their ability to shot in low light with much less noise. Because of the
> faster lens I would get the S90 over the G11. It is also smaller and lighter
> than the G11. Both these cameras cost more than the Olympus that Richard
> mentioned. And David, I would check the S90 out. You won't want the G11 if
> you pick up the S90.
>
> For a P&S, Cannon makes the best. But for SLR cameras I would go with
> Nikons, which I shoot professionally (both digital and film) along with
> other larger format cameras. But that is another story.
>
> If you don't use a waterproof housing, you will probably get better pics but
> the problem is that the water and salt will eventually ruin your camera....
>
> P&S are not great for taking action shots, but at higher ISO the S90 may be
> able to achieve this with little noise...
>
> By the way, Film is still best....
>
>
>
> On Fri, Jan 15, 2010 at 12:38 PM, David Wanderman <xoshooter at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Hi Richard,
>>
>> I noticed your post and thought I might chime in as a photographer that
>> kayaks. The most important thing for me is whether it will take good photos.
>> Most point and shoots take average photos with a few just barely giving
>> better than that. By and large the olympus cameras though 'rugged' don't
>> provide the best image quality either in water or outside. That is not to
>> say they are bad, just not good. Canon makes a water proof and rugged camera
>> that does take decent photos but is somewhat bulky compared to the other
>> offering. I personally own a Pentax Optio W60 that I chose because it takes
>> above average images and movies. It is NOT ruggedized but I have taken it
>> white water with me and it sits on my vest and gets knocked around. No
>> problems. I think the rugged feature is nice and makes for good laughs when
>> you drop it on the floor at a party and pick it up and take a photo. Pentax
>> has come out with their own version of ruggedized cameras as well but I
>> again went for image quality. Panasonic also makes a decent underwater point
>> and shoot. Not sure about ruggedized. The best system would be to get a
>> canon g11 with a housing and you have a semi-pro level camera that will take
>> incredible photos. Only problem is it is big. Also, if price is a factor the
>> Pentax I have was about 60-90 less than all the others but again, I am not
>> sure if it is still made.
>>
>> The big problem with point and shoots is obsession with megapixels. More is
>> not better and often less is more. What matters is the size of each
>> megapixel. The more megapixels crammed onto a sensor the greater likelihood
>> of noise (grain) in the image and it only gets worse at higher ISO's (film
>> speed). Not bad during daylight but if you need anything over asa 200 the
>> quality drops dramatically. Hope that helps.
>>
>> My 2¢.
>>
>> David
>>
>> David Wanderman
>> xoshooter at gmail.com
>> 917-763-4040
>>
>>
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