My web sites have forced me into undertaking photography as another pastime. While creating my web sites I used a fine old Sony Mavica MVC-FD71 for all the photos. It was generally satisfactory, but the quality of many photographs was marginal at best. The first attempt to make better photos was to get a Matte Board with two 13W Flip Lights. This improved the lighting but did not solve the clarity problems. I finally realized that there was no way I could get the photos I wanted of pipes in my collection with this old camera so I went shopping for a better one. After consulting with several friends and camera shops, I finally settled on a Canon Rebel XT Digital SLR camera body with a Canon Speedlite 580EX II and a PROMASTER 18-200mm, f3.5-6.3 MACRO lens for general use plus a Canon 100mm f2.8 Macro Lens) with a Canon MR-14EX Ring Lite for the pipe photos. The results are evident throughout this site as well as the site devoted to my pipe collection.
The Promaster Zoom is heavy and didn't like the 35mm setting which was equivalent to 50mm film so I popped for a Canon 28-90mm zoom lens. But, even then, the rig was too heavy and cumbersome to wear around my neck all the time. As it happened my cell phone was dying and my Palm Zire was also having trouble, so I got a Palm Centro for daily use. The 1.2 megapixels seem to be sufficient for the web postings I do. It looks like I will be using the Palm for most shots and keep the Canon for detail work in the "studio.". Alas, the Centro finally passed away and so I got a Canon SD780 which did a fine job on our World Tour. But after that work-out, it was time to get another small camera and I opted for another Canon, this time a PowerShot A2200 HD.
Dayton Landmarks, Holidays, and Kitchen Remodel are a few photo slide shows that I have created to demonstrate the progress I have made in handling this very fine equipment, which is far better than I deserve. Another is Favorite Photos from our 2011 World Tour.
EQUIPMENT
Sony Mavica Camera
Canon Rebel XT Camera
Promaster 18-200mm Lens
Canon 100mm Macro Lens
Canon Ring Light
Close-up stand
Infinity Board
Flip Light
Canon Flash
Canon 28-90mm Lens
Palm Centro
Canon SD780 Camera
Canon A2200 Camera
DAYTON LANDMARKS
U. S. Air Force Museum
Boonschoft Museum of Discovery
Carillon Park
Dayton Institute of Art
Paul Lawrence Dunbar House
Dayton Masonic Temple
Packard Automobile Museum
Schuster Center for Performing Arts
Sunwatch Indian Village
Wright Brothers Memorial
Wright Cycle Company
HOLIDAYS
KITCHEN REMODEL