My cameras and I

People who knows me will know that one of my interests is photography.

I used to own a Canon A1 since 1981 but then it failed on me sometime in the mid-1990s. I took it for repairs but the camera shop told me that it would be very expensive to replace the parts. Also, our humid weather did not help. The camera shop showed me that my lenses were all starting to develop molds. Some were rather deep in my lenses. What a disappointment. I really loved that camera. It allowed me years of pleasure.

But what could I do but to replace it? I thought...ahh, perhaps I should go for a Nikon SLR. I really didn't need a complicated camera. Just one that could serve my basic photography needs. So, the camera shop introduced me to the F50. I liked this camera too but by comparison to the A1, it was much more simpler. But at least, I could still do a point-and-shoot and there was a macro mode. Oh well....

The Nikon also followed me everywhere and then, the inevitable happened. The zoom lens failed. Every time I turned the barrel, I could feel a grating movement that gradually became worse until one day, I couldn't use it anymore.

For a while, I did not bother to replace it because I couldn't decide on a digital camera. That dang-fangled new technology. A new model seemed to be coming out each week and I was confused. I wanted a camera but what should I get? There were no more the five famous makes out there - Nikon, Canon, Minolta, Olympus and Pentax. Now, there were also Fuji, Panasonic, Casio, Sony, etc etc.... Every company wanted to get into the act. That really complicated matters for me.

But finally, I decided to buy a digicam and I saw this Konica Minolta Dimage Z5 going for a steal. So it has been with me the past three years, a constant companion even on my trips in and around Penang.

If you have been looking through this blog, you will already have noticed some of my photos. I must confess that not all are of good quality but it's because I have to work within the limitations of the camera. For instance, I find the wide angle is not wide enough for me. The maximum aperture is still too small for my liking. Low light photography can be miserable. But at least, I can appreciate the maximum 12X optical zoom. And of course, I have my favourite macro mode too so overall, it's still not too bad. But my wife complains that it's still bulky. She prefers one that is slimmer, like her.