jim_hayes4

<p>Photo from sidewalk cafe near Presidio</p><div></div>

<p>Took me a week to get these out of the cell phone. Both were taken with permission - and enthusiasm by the subjects. The corset was on an attendee of the Leather Fetish convention at our hotel in SF last week. No shy folks there....</p><div></div>

<p>Let's try that upload again - hotel connection is iffy...</p><div></div>

<p>I really do find people like being photographed - like this guy in a rest stop on I-5 near Oceanside, CA.</p>

<p>Ralph,<br>

Street photography on Hollywood Blvd. is like shooting fish in a barrel! Be sure to look down too - there are more photo ops than just stars on Hollywood Blvd!</p><div></div>

<p>I do a lot of street photography, esp. here in California - mostly Los Angeles - (see https://picasaweb.google.com/JimHayesGAPPS/OnlyInCA#) where you do not have to be sneaky - here everyone wants "to be in pictures."<br>

While I hesitate to offer advice, following the direction of of the mathematician turned philosopher Kurt Godel who said (paraphrased) - " All generalizations, with the possible exception of this one, are false." - I can say from shooting tens of thousands of street photos around the world, that if someone notices you and does not want to be photographed, they will let you know! (And I obey their wishes.) Most are flattered! Relax and enjoy the work. <br>

I will, however, suggest that instead of shooting at random, pick a theme and shoot for that. I do "whacko" photos and signs mostly, as well as abstracts. And I often use my cell phone camera.</p>

<p>As the owner of an iPad, a new 11" MacBook Air, a 24" iMac and a bunch of other Macs around the office, I feel obligated to comment on my experiences. <br>

We got the iPad to show off my books which are available from Apple and Amazon as eBooks and to develop APPs for our technical specialty (fiber optics.) Having had one for about 9 months now, I can assure you that it will not replace your computer that does photo editing. However, it is the best experience ever for reading, web browsing and short emails. It makes a dandy navigation device as you can actually see the map, but it helps if you have a passenger holding it. I have stored some photos for demos on it and the display is soooo nice. I occasionally download photos from cameras just to view them, not archive them.<br>

I use the Macbook Air for my email because I have lots of archived emails (15+ years) and documents I need when I travel. I use the iMac for graphics, including photo editing, writing and publishing. <br>

When I travel, I will always have the iPad because it can keep me connected and up to date. I usually have the MacBook Air too, since the combo stills weighs much less than a typical laptop.<br>

Personally, I don't think I would give up any of them. Right tool for the job, eh, Mr. Natural?<br>

Funny, I still don't have an iPhone. Maybe 5G.</p>

<p>I have both a E-PL1 and E-PL2 (and in fact a E-P1 my son borrowed for a trip and never returned!) plus the 9-18 and 40-150. <br>

The new 14-42 kit lens is certainly an improvement. Faster and quieter. Reviews indicate somewhat better optical performance too. But it does not yet show up on the Oly website for sale. Look for "II" in the designation. Heck, they don't even have the new "5" batteries yet.<br>

The 9-18 is simply amazing! I use it all the time for architectural photos and it's fabulous. Plus it's practically weightless. Pricey but good value - camera and lens weighs less than the Tamron 10-24 and Sigma 10-20 I have used.<br>

I still use the 14-42 most of the time. Just got some 37mm close up lenses to shoot some macro - works great - best $20 I've spent at Adorama!</p>

 

<p>There are several issues here, but maybe one solution.<br>

Traveling with a big heavy camera and several lenses is great if you consider it a photo safari, but being a tourist toting all that weight around can be a pain. And most of the shots are going to be "street photos" - candids. So unless you are going on a real safari, a high end P&S or a micro-4/3 camera is a fine choice. I've carried a camera on trips for almost 50 years. In the 60s-70s, it was a Kodak Retina IIIc folding camera or a Leica M2 with 35 and 90 mm lenses. In the 80s-90s, a Minox 35 was always in my briefcase on my world travels. When digital cameras became sufficiently high quality, I used high end P&S cameras (Nikon & Panasonic) that fit in a briefcase or pocket. Last year, before a trip to Turkey, I bought a Olympus E-P1 with the 14-42 lens and was extremely pleased with the results. My son who was traveling on through the Middle East and India for 6 months talked me into letting him take it and I brought his Sony DSLR home to CA. Since then, I have purchased a E-PL1 and E-PL2 plus 9-18 and 40-150 lenses. Now I can travel light or take 2 bodies and 3 lenses for less weight than the Nikon D300/18-200 they have supplanted.<br>

The other issue is safety. Buy a army surplus backpack or cheap bag and get some of the padded wraps to keep the cameras safe. Stealth is the word. And in Mexico, avoid crowded clubs - it's war down there!</p>

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Rare fall rain in Southern California beaded up on the bird netting over

our blackberries<div></div>

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<p>Ah, another "P. T. Barnum" edition of a high priced good!</p>

<p>Amir is correct - the photo I posted was the Hagia Sophia Mosque. It is an illustration of how difficult it can be to keep facts straight when doing travelogues - since shooting 1500-2000 photos a trip has become the norm! Below is the real Blue Mosque.</p><div></div>

<p>No, no, not EVIL.<br>

In their documentation, Olympus calls the E-P1 and E-PL1 cameras "Live View" cameras. That designation makes more sense - fitting in the scheme of "rangefinder" and "single lens reflex." So I vote for calling them "live view" or "LVs." <br>

Furthermore, if someone adds a phase focus module for speed to one of these, the DSLR advantage will be severely eroded. However, the new Oly software for these two cameras, IMHO, combined with using a center spot focus (and then reframing the photo) just about solves the focus speed problem. </p>

<p>I've always had "big" and "little" cameras- when it was film, it was a Nikon SLR and a Minox 35, now it's a D300 and a Oly E-PL1. The big camera goes when I'm expecting to need fast response or long teles. The little camera goes on trips for documenting the trip. <br>

I actually bought a Oly E-P1 first and used it on a trip to Turkey in April, (http://www.jimhayes.com/Turkey2010/index.html) but my son who was continuing backpacking around the Middle East and Orient, recognized the advantage of the smaller camera, stole it from me, having me bring his SONY DSLR back to the states. I got tired of waiting and bought the new Oly.<br>

Having lugged big cameras around the world, I was pleasantly surprised to find the E-P1 did 99% of what I wanted to do. So I bought a new E-PL1 plus the new 9-18 superwide. The 9-18 is so good - including the in-camera distortion correction - that I sold my Tamron 10-24 for the D300. I already sold the Nikon 18-200 because of the really bad distortion that required continual fixing (DXO).<br>

I too agonize over whether I need the D300, until I shoot birds or action (rodeos, races, etc.) and realize that like having a Honda and a F-150 pickup, I need the right tool for the job!</p>

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<p>I'm old enough that I learned to program computers when they still had tubes - while I was shooting a Leica M2/Summilux 35. I've started tech businesses. I teach tech too. Been shooting digital for almost 15 years.<br>

Cameras have all those menus because engineers sat and argued about how much complexity to include. Most of all those variables are included because they can be - and they allow the camera to be customized for the user, not necessarily that they should be used all the time. With a couple of hours with the manual and the camera, one can crate a completely customized camera that matches (or beats) the best film cameras and works the way you want it to. In fact, it can be tweaked to imitate your favorite film.<br>

In everyday use, you can tweak exposure (like you would on a film camera) on your customized camera. Concentrate on taking photos, not messing with menus.</p>