troy_parish

<p>I've always been a fan of the print size versus viewing distance aspect of the question. One of my most treasured captures is this one:<br>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/4951791-md.jpg" alt="" width="680" height="510" /><br>

It was done with a 3.9mp Canon Powershot G3. If you look at the file, you'll see soft pixels at 150%. The thing is, this print hangs over my couch. It's 36"x24". It looks razor sharp. When I used to do fleet graphics and billboards, with image resolutions of 36 or 18dpi, I was horrified at first, but then an experienced designer showed me the difference by doing two prints side by side, one at 36dpi and one as 300dpi. After we walked across the plant floor to the intended viewing distance of 50' or so, the 36dpi print actually looked clearer, due to the lack of now-tiny details that were in the 300dpi version. I've found that in my own prints at least, I can get away with lower res or upsizing in larger prints, simply because I'm not going to be looking at them from the same distance that I would an 8x10 or 11x14. That's simply my $.02. Also, I'm poor, and the Oly system offers me the best cost/quality balance in their excellent ZD glass.</p>

Thanks all. I feel a lot better. I think I'll poke around the net for someplace unlike

anywhere I've been before and take it from there. Any suggestions in South/Central Texas?

I'll pack a bag of camera stuff and tote a GPS receiver so I can Geocache and not force the

photography if it's not coming. Seems like this is something a lot of you have gone

through, and I genuinely appreciate all of the suggestions, experiences and

encouragement. Many thanks.

PS - I'll upload anything good that might come of the trip.

Sorry for the lack of specificity, just need some somewhat anonymous input. Any of you

ever run into a shooting slump? I've hit a wall. I used to shoot at least every month for a

few hours, and didn't do too bad for a non-professional, but it's been a year or so. I really

miss the creativity and good feeling that comes with a great shot, but I can't seem to get

any ideas into my head that I'm excited about. I'm supposed to go on a bit of an excursion

with a friend in Sept, and I have no idea where we'll go or what we'll shoot. I'm more that a

bit afraid that I'll discover that I'm no good at it anymore or (maybe worse), that I dont like

photography anymore. Again, sorry for the sob, but I thought maybe someone had been

here before. If not, coming soon - One eclectic Mamiya TLR rig for sale. Thanks all.

I used a 124G for a couple of years and really liked shooting with it. It was light, easy to use, and had reasonable image quality. Recently I bought a C33, and the difference is notable. The C33 offers multiple exposures, optional backs, an optional parallax-compensation device and feels more solid. Because it's a bellows-focusing camera, close-up pictures are also much more straightfoward (with parallax and exposure compensation). I find it to be much more of a pro camera. As an earlier post stated, it's definitley a tripod camera. Mine perches atop a Bogen Geared Head, and I am in love with the setup. As for the differences in 3/33/330, as far as I know, they are mostly functional. The 33 cocks the shutter for you, dosn't allow shutter release under certian boneheaded circumstances, and more. I think the C3 lacks some of that. The 330, from my limited understanding, incorporates more plastic in the camera structure, so is a bit lighter.

Hope This Helps