The online journal, notebook and playground of HFM

Olympus Evolt e420 Camera

For my 40th birthday, Stephanie got me a great new DSLR camera. I’ve been dithering around about wanting one for quite a while, but hesitated for a couple reasons; I just got a new camera in 2006 and kinda felt guilty about wanting another so soon. I also couldn’t decide what I wanted – compact or DSLR. I carry my point and shoot everywhere with me, and take tons of photos, and was afraid a DSLR would be too bulky to have with me at all times. I was also hesitant because it’s been 20 years since I last took a photography class and taxed my brainz with apertures and shutter speeds and such.

But at the same time, I’ve really been feeling the limitations of my point and shoot camera, and wanted to take better pictures; to shoot photos with greater depth of field or in low light situations that compact cameras really don’t handle well.

For a long time I’ve been reading reviews, looking at stats on Flickr about camera usage, and lurking around the websites of photographers that I like and learning about what equipment they carry.

For a long time I had my eye on the Canon G9, a high-quality point and shoot. I also considered the widely popular Canon Digital Rebel series, but never could quite bring myself to go that route, given the $800+ price tag. That’s quite a bit beyond what we spend on birthdays or Christmas, and is hard to justify spending on something recreational when we’re trying save all we can.

But my birthday rolled around, and Stephanie completely vetoed my campaign for a new toilet for the upstairs bathroom. I couldn’t decide what I wanted at all. And then Digital Photography Review came out with this review on the Olympus Evolt e420 DSLR Camera. It was highly rated, small and light-weight, but a real DSLR. And it was under $600. That’s still a lot of money for a birthday, but I only turn 40 once. And it’s cheaper than a mid-life crisis sports car.

The e420 is pretty great so far. It’s quite light and easy to carry around, although bigger than point and shoots. There’s a lot I need to learn about it, but it takes some pretty great photos so far. This is a shot I could never have gotten with my old camera, which would have flattened out:

Drusilla

A nice night shot that wouldn’t have come out:

July 4, 2008

And the colors are really rich:

Walking Tour of Old Northside

I’m looking forward to really digging in and learning how to use it.

Continue ReadingOlympus Evolt e420 Camera

links for 2008-07-07

Continue Readinglinks for 2008-07-07

links for 2008-07-06

Continue Readinglinks for 2008-07-06

It’ ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

Over there at stAllio!’s digs, he’s been keeping a good hand in at critiquing the local political situation.

Just to sum things up a bit for you out-of-towners – Indianapolis has a bunch of dirty cops; after a string of high-profile drug shootings, Mayor Ballard frantically tries to keep it together; and Jon Elrod quit his District 7 race like a little girl and went running back to District 97.

ANYWAYS, stAllio! had a particularly insightful take down of radio personality Abdul Hakim-Shabazz’s recent major public malfunction: “what this town needs are a couple good police beatings.”

Abdul apparently didn’t have any adequate defense to stAllio’s post, so he shot back with this:

Steph,
Go get a drink and relax. You are way too uptight. I thought you would have mellowed out after getting married.

To which I pop my head up from gardening the front flower beds and pronounce a particularly insightful: “What? WTF is he on about?”
I guess he thinks Ben Berg and I are the same person? I kinda wish, actually. He’s a better writer than I am, and a cool local artist. I do have a lovely piece of his art in my home:

Evil Fever by StAllio!

Abdul, perhaps you should lay off the coke a bit.

Continue ReadingIt’ ain’t me you’re lookin’ for, babe.

links for 2008-07-03

Continue Readinglinks for 2008-07-03

Anecdotal Evidence

People I know who have either been laid off or are on the verge of having it happen, or who are otherwise struggling financially:

8

Yes, that would be 8. Eight.

There’s no way you can tell me we’re not in a recession. And I’m frustrated with anyone thinking about voting in more of the same old crap. There’s at least one guy I work with that I really want to kick in the shins every time I hear him start in on politics. Even the sound of his voice sets me off now.

When it was one person, we thought, “oh, we could help them in an emergency, if things get too bad.” When it’s eight people – OMFG. We can’t float loans to eight people.

And though we’re doing okay, it’s bound to swing around and affect us soon, so we’re frantically saving every penny, which is good for us, but bad for the economy as a whole.

I’m as anxious for January 20, 2009 as everyone else, but it won’t mean a thing if McCain “Four More Years” gets in office.

Continue ReadingAnecdotal Evidence