Fragments From Floyd

I've had the D70 for less than a week. I've still just barely started up the learning curve for getting the full benefit of what the camera will do. But already I can tell that, because the tool I have now is capable of more, my vision of what is possible is also changing. I'm composing differently because my "eye" can record light differently than it could in the past four years of digital visioning. I love how the camera handles skyline detail and shadows, flashes of light on water and out-of-focus shapes. I had forgotten the gratifying clunk of the mirror flipping up and back in an SLR versus the sad little beep of most digitals. The instantaneous shutter and recycling time is a wonderful improvement over the slow response in the Coolpix ! I like the way the heftier body feels in my hands, but when the heavier camera around my neck bounces off my bony sternum, I wish I had the pectoralis major padding of my weight-lifting thirties and forties.

I miss the LCD viewfinder, swivel body and simplicity of the Coolpix, and am thinking I will always carry it in the camera bag for special times when a smaller final image is okay and the shot can only be captured in those odd configurations that camera is made for. I've come across the most magnificent display of spider webs on a neighbors property; I'll call tonight for permission to go where I've already been--and spend one morning this week down there. With the Coolpix, to get the low-lying webs (after wading the creek up to my knees) I'd hold the camera down at ankle level in a squatting or on-one-knee position and compose with the LCD. With the D70, I'm going to have to be prone on elbows in the very wet grass with my eye and the viewfinder at ankle level. I'll need to take a piece of tarp for a ground cloth for sure.

The expense of lenses is no small consideration. The 18-70mm lens that I purchased in the "kit" with the camera body does pretty well, close up to about 14". But I will some day want a true "macro" for the detail I enjoy in nature's patterns and textures. And I will need something with more telephoto capabilities--at least up to 200mm. But the fact that the camera takes larger images of high resolution lets me grab pieces of the 6MP images and blow them up--the poor man's macro and telephoto--at least for webpage-quality pictures. Of course as the full images become more impressive, the teeny low-res web versions become more disappointing by comparison.

I could go on (as you are perhaps well aware) but for the sake of the non-photo-geeky majority of visitors, I'll just hush. But for certain, the composing of pixels has taken precedent over composing words til the new wears off. I'll need to find a balance between the two with time left over for the garden, the grass mowing and all the other projects that loom pleasantly in coming months. As usual, I'll bring Fragments visitors along for the fun and foolishness!