"BYELORUSSIAN PRESIDENT"

Lukashenko - bullet in the head or shotgun blast in the face now - lot cheaper than an invasion and a lot less blood shed than a revolution.

dee too eks

I am allergic to film developer. It is something I discovered in school. I was allergic to most of the oils used in metal work as well. The latter did not matter; I never became a metal worker. I did become a professional photographer.

Part of the process was always denied to me, but I was happy with a Leitz projector and Kodachrome Professional.

I used to be a Canon fan. Then one day I sold my Canon FD system and went purist for a while. No lugging a bag of lenses around - just a rugged "compact". A Nikon compact - with a stunning 35mm lens. That and Kodachrome made me money.

Then, eventually, a long time after I got a job with far higher remuneration than your average professional photographer, I decided I missed the options of a decent 35mm SLR and lots of lenses. So I looked at the options: Leica is nice - in the same way as a Rolls Royce; love to have one, but not for everyday use. Contax - I have used professionally with loaned kit - very good, but not state of the art. Olympus - at the time had lost their way. Pentax - not for pros, not these days anyway, Yes, it was Canon or Nikon.

So I tried them out - top of the line. ASM, decent metering, mirror lock-up, depth-of-field preview. Both are good brands. Canon had a wider range of newer lenses. Nikon could use virtually anything with a Nikon mount. Nikon's MMI was more traditional - that is what swung it for me.

So I bought an F5. I have several lenses - the best are Nikon; the others are oddities not available in the Nikon range.

In the meantime I had discovered scanning and Photoshop. Kodachrome had given way to Royal Gold and Supra [negative film has a higher latitude than positive - and if you want it, you can get the slide "look" by manipulating curves]. I was finally in the "darkroom" - albeit digital.

However, something has now happened to "wet film". It is hard to get it developed well. The pros have mostly gone digital. A little while back I costed it out; a new scanner [Scan Elite 5400 II] and three years of film at my current low, amateur, usage versus a new D2x. Did not justify a D2x.

So I wait six months and Nikon annouces the D200 - at a compelling price even before it hits the streets and gets lowered. Time to go fully digital? It seems so. So courtesy of Grays [where else?] I have tried out the D200. Well it is lighter than the F5, and smaller, and almost as solid. It has a stunning imaging chip and all the on-board controls you could need [with the exception of vertical controls that you can get by adding the dual battery pack].

BUT

I don't like the viewfinder. I don't like the screen with the little AF boxes; I miss a proper eyecup; the titchy pentaprism seems too close to the lens [especially with a big, fast, "pukka" lens]. Don't believe everything you read in the press - try before you buy.

I want a D2x. I don't want to pay twice as much as a D200 for it*. I will consider a little more than the list price for a D200 with MBD200. If Nikon brings out the rumoured D3h and prices it between the D2x and the D200 I might just run to it - once the street price starts to bite. Bugger, 'cause I also want one now!

[*On this subject why does eBay continue allow so many scammers? - just ban email addresses inside postings and put these little shits out of business]

World's Shortest Personality Test

Thanks to Starlet who in turn thanked Deepblue

Your Personality Profile

You are elegant, withdrawn, and brilliant. Your mind is a weapon, able to solve any puzzle. You are also great at poking holes in arguments and common beliefs. For you, comfort and calm are very important. You tend to thrive on your own and shrug off most affection. You prefer to protect your emotions and stay strong.

The World's Shortest Personality Test

Bowing to the inevitable

Sir has moved. Now who is going to get the play on words that sound like the name he has in the other place? Am I here and not there. I don't know yet. For now I am in two places at once. But I don't like the way things are going - blogs are dividing the other place and not in a good way. So this is the blog for the rest of me. It will be silly, it will be serious, it will be unconstrained by anyone opinions but my own.