Back In the Saddle

Back from holidays and ready to write.

A plane trip these days is either heaven or hell, and it is no always a question determined by which ticket you purchased. Of course there is something to be said for the front section of the plane - the seats have leg room, you can put them back to sleep, and they give you a blankey to cuddle up into. When the champagne takes effect. Back in cattle class you at least get a free beer, so that is nice.

Note for new travellers. before you go, go. Go every time you can, because when you are up in the air, going is problematical.

 Now on to cameras. I used a Fuji X100 for the trip - you'll see some results from it in coming blogs. Perfect solution for the pictures I knew I wanted. Kudos the the Nikon people for making their SB 700 flash so easy to adjust - it was the other partner in success for this venture.

 I used a bag that worked well, but as I travelled about with it I kind of wished I had popped for a small Billingham bag from the shop here. They are so light but well built, and the top flap is easy to open and secure...it makes a deal of difference to the user when they are not fumbling through a big zipper or awkward buckles as they try to haul their camera out for use. The Billinghams are derivatives from English shooting bags, I have no doubt, and these are some of the best accessories you can get.

 Of course I did observe other photographers at the events. I felt for the ones who seemed to be carrying large back packs, though to be fair they might have been packed with sandwiches and bottles of beer, in which case I admire them for their foresight. In any event, I think the people who were getting the best experience out of the shows were either doing it with dedicated mirrorless Fujis like me ( and don't we all like to have our on judgement applauded, even by ourselves...) or the users of the lighter DSLRs with moderate wide zooms. In particular I noticed the fine results one chap was getting with a Nikon D610. He wasn't lugging a full bag of glass and consequently could go hard all day.

 One final note - there were a few people who were using tripods for some of the interior work. Good idea, as they probably got to maximise their depth of field over the shots, but I noticed that their mobility was a little compromised between shots. If they were carrying tripod bags they could stow the legs in there when they were on the trams. Good idea - protects the tripod and stops you from putting out the eyes of the other riders...

 One more final note - Perth's Multirider card system on the trains and buses far outstrips either Sydney or Melbourne for convenience of use. They may send more people on journeys, but they don't touch on or off with as much speed as we do. But I did like the airport train in Sydney. Fast, clean, and efficient.