Okay. I’m not ashamed to admit it. When it comes to cameras, I am a real blonde. I’m generally lucky if I get two or three shots out of 24 to come out with the subject in the frame and in focus. But it is usually more by luck than design.
With me being a globe-trotting travel fundi-type gal, it’s a serious shortcoming, as it probably is with a lot of you in readerland. How many times have your holiday snaps done little, if anything, to convey to your friends and families what a really great place you visited. Are you tired of the ”Honestly, it looks much nicer when you’re actually there” line you have to give as your chums in the office look completely baffled by your non-award-winning attempts at photography?
Panic ye not. You don’t even have to become a brunette to improve your technical IQ because help is at hand. The digital revolution is here.
I popped into Etkinds photographic specialists in Sandton City (where else does a girl shop, doll?) and tossed my blonde streaks at Mike Pledger, pleading innocently that I was having trouble focusing and it wasn’t because of too many pina colada moments or pear-shaped parties.
I explained that I feared my malady was one all too familiar with my readers and asked him to show me some really user-friendly digital cameras that would help to put an end to my non-performance in the photographic arena.
Could I become the Russell Crowe of photography, with a gladiatorial performance of epic proportions? Pledger’s answer was yes, and that as with Russ, digital imaging could do wonders for me.
He rummaged around in several drawers and before I could say ”peroxide” had produced four super-looking little machines for me to review. Or rather for him to explain how they work.
First up was the Nikon Coolpix 2100. Measuring 8,5cm by 7cm by 3,5cm, this was the dinkiest of the four, but its size was, said Pledger, no reflection of its performance ability. I resisted all temptation to compare it to certain men I have known and listened attentively.
The Coolpix uses two-million pixels in producing its images and used on its best settings gives good quality pictures, even for complete idiots like moi. It offers a 3x optical zoom with no picture deterioration and has a built-in automatic flash. It also has a movie mode and can take small mpeg video sequences. There are 14 preset modes and programme functions, making it easy to use and, of course, with its small size, it’s very light. At R3 300 its an ideal entry-level camera for holiday photographers wanting to get the best shots possible on their travels without breaking the bank. It comes with software and computer interface leads to enable users to download images onto their home computers.
Next, Pledger showed me the Canon A70. This seemed to me to be a bit more ”fangled” than its predecessor, but Pledger assured me it is just as user-friendly. Coming with an optical converter facility for wide-angle and telephoto options, the A70 is a 3,2-million pixel camera with functions (pre-select modes) on a dial. It offers manual and aperture priority (where the camera selects the aperture width) and has a built-in auto flash. At R4 500 it offers more facilities than the Coolpix and for an extra R1 900 each you can get the wide-angle and telephoto add-ons. It’s a bit bigger than the Coolpix and is compatible with most software, except Windows NT (users of NT require alternative sources of interface, apparently, poor darlings).
Another plus is that underwater photography fans can purchase a waterproof housing for the A70 for R3 200. (Gosh, this photography thing isn’t cheap, is it?)
And so, to the Minolta Z1. My personal fave. Why? Because it can do a lot more and is excellent for wildlife shots. I am a bit of a bush-babe so it seemed that this was made for me. But could I handle the technicalities. Pledger said ”No problem” (I hate it when men say that because if you do have a problem, you start feeling all that gender pressure on top of the problem).
At three-million pixels and a 10x optical zoom — the equivalent of 38mm to 380mm on a standard 135mm single lens reflex film camera — the Minolta Z1 will take additional flash and manual settings if required.
At R5 500 it’s possibly the best camera in its price-range and is ideal for game park enthusiasts who don’t want a complicated camera. I fiddled with it a bit and it certainly seemed quite simple to operate.
Another plus is that you can buy a handy contraption that you can insert the Z1’s memory card into and slot into the spare port on a lap- top, creating a temporary drive.
From here you can download directly into your computer, so if you take your laptop on holiday you have instant picture viewing and editing facilities on tap. Cool!
Finally, to the Nikon D100. Billed by Mike as the all-singing, all-dancing digital camera for the real photography enthusiast, the D100 is aimed at the advanced amateur or professional snapper.
It’s a full Single Lens Reflex camera that accepts any autofocus Nikon lens. It has six-million pixels and the body alone will set you back R18 500. Lenses begin at R1 500. It’s a large, and heavy camera too, weighing in a around 1,5kg.
I tried to look impressed while still swooning over the Minolta Z1, which I’d already decided was definitely the Armani of the group and deserving of being hung around my neck along with the ol’ Gucci chain.
But what about all the paraphernalia that goes with the cameras? There are bags (not Louis Vuitton, sadly) from R80 to R1 500, and lots of little gadgets like the Bushbag — a beanbag that rests on car windows on which one plonks one’s darling little digital to avoid camera shake when taking pics of animals — a steal at R200.
And if digital isn’t your bag (ha-ha) then Mike also has lots of normal, film cameras in stock, with zoom facilities, starting at R800. Or what about a complete camera kit like the Canon 300V with two lenses from 28mm to 300mm and a kit bag for around R6 300?
Just to make sure that Mike wasn’t pulling the wool over my eyes and that gals like me can actually do something impressive with digital cameras, Etkinds and Minolta let me borrow the Z1 for a test run in the bush. My dearly beloved, Pierre, takes up camera duties on most of my travels, and he’s a keen and adept amateur photographer, but could I cut the mustard as well? A trip to the Sabi Sand game reserve produced a resounding ”Yes” as he and I snapped some rather larny pics of leopard and lion with ease. The results speak for themselves and I can now truly place manicured and moisturised hand on heart and say that Mike told no lies, because if I can take a great wildlife shot, anyone can!
Lights, cameras and binos too
Camera shops like Etkinds at Sandton City don’t just sell cameras. There are binoculars too. And if, like me, you’re a bit bird-brained, binos are an important accoutrement on any bush-bound trip. The cost of binoculars ranges from R300 up to about R16 500 but Etkinds’s resident expert Mike Pledger recommends spending between R800 and R2 000 for a decent pair. Makes include Bushnell, Nikon, Minolta, Zeiss, Swarovski and Leica. I tried out a lovely little pair of brand-new Leica 8 x 32s and was impressed with the results. Even blondes can tell when something does its job well! But at more than R13 000 they’re not for the part-time birder or game spotter.
However, spending that amount is a one-time investment in years of great game and bird viewing.
Win, win win
Escape and Etkinds of Sandton City are offering readers the chance to win a fantastic Kyocera SL300R digital camera. The camera has 3,2 megapixels, 3X optical zoom, a slim-line body, 3,5 frames a second for still pictures or 30 frames a second on VGA movie mode with sound.
All you have to do to win is answer the following question: How many pixels does the Minolta Z1 have?
Send your answers and full competition details by e-mail to [email protected] or post them to Escape Camera Competition, PO Box 91667, Auckland Park, 2006. The closing date for entries is Friday December 12.