Go ahead, shoot

I am really a point-and-shoot sort of photographer. Perhaps hit and miss might be a better way to describe the photographer in me.

“Just take as many shots as you can,” said my photog friend F to me. “There will be one that you can use among the hundreds you take.”

I have taken this advice to heart. It explains why I always have a “teka, teka” moment when shooting pictures.

I have been in coverages out of the country where I tell my subjects, “Teka, one more try.” Thank god for patient subjects. But, when the coverage requires a professional I leave it up to the many great photographers here at The STAR.

My lack of skill and talent as a photographer has not in any way gotten in the way of my love for gadgets. I take my gadget-loving craft seriously. And so when I am asked to try out a high-tech camera I give it a shot. I never know what I might be able to do with a great camera — take a great photo perhaps…

Trigger Happy

There it was in an over-sized photographers bag, the Olympus E3. A daunting sight for sure. But, I always tell myself that there is no gadget any person can’t figure out if they give it a try. And, so I gave the Olympus E3 10.1 mega-pixel camera a test run.

Off to the park we went. My subjects? My three canine companions, Gorby and Tasha my toy poodles and Nik the mini schnauzer. 

I am of the mind that only the best photographers can take great shots of dogs. If you don’t believe me, try. Olympus in bag and dogs in the lead, we make it to the park in one piece.

I take out the rather big and bulky camera and I sit on a bench, as the dogs go their merry way chasing whatever crosses their paths. 

I had asked around about the Olympus E3 and I was told that this model was eagerly awaited by the Olympus faithful users. “It’s been great over the last two years for Olympus DSLR cameras,” added F, a once-in-a-while Olympus user. “There have been three camera models, the E3, E510, E410 and also a few new lenses, the 12-60mm ED with 24-120mm equiv. focal length, the 70-300mm ED with 140-600mm equiv. focal length, and two new small lightweight ED kit lenses.”

But it is with the Olympus E3 that the company seems to have taken the biggest leap. The E3 is a high-speed focusing camera with several revolutionary advances.

What I first noticed when I held the E3 was that it is quite pretty. I felt that I could go around with it and not feel like I was a wanna be photog. The buttons and dials are small and refined. 

The best thing was that it didn’t have a dial mode on it. Just a push of a button and a turn of the wheel and the changes I wanted were made. It took me two fingers to change speed or choice of lighting. It was that easy to handle. In quick succession. When you are shooting doggies, there is no other way to do it. One, two three, four five six seven eight nine, 10, it was that easy. Ten shots in ten seconds. The camera responded with out a glitch. I began to feel like a pro. Good I had an easy camera to work with. I got a

good feel of the E3 and also one good shot of the doggies. Not bad for starters.

Ergonomically, the E3 is a comfortable camera in the hand. I t has a very solid feel and I had no problems no matter how long I used the camera I really liked the rubberized grip that the E3 has on the lower left hand side of the camera. The view through that oversized prism is nice and roomy, very bright, and all the shooting information can be displayed along the bottom. 

The best part is that the body is weather proof to Olympus standards, which I was told means that it’s just short of being waterproof. No matter the clouds starting to darken our day in the park, I was confident that the E3 would still do a good job.

The E3 has an external sensor which gives the camera great white balance. 

The LCD on the back is a twist and flip, which allowed me better use of the of live view as I shot away.

So Far, Just Great

When I think of the Olympus-moments that day, I smile. It felt good to be a “pro” for a few hours. 

To capture really cute doggies in moments like these, the E3 with its quick reflexes and technology advanced enough to overcome hurdles of focus and exposure of each pose is really a must. The design of the camera kept me in control of the situation at all times. After all, the camera is just the gadget that shoots the photos, it is not the subject.

If you need a tough, durable and very capable camera to endure harsh conditions, the E3 is a good choice

The E3 is great when it comes to auto-focus, live view, dust reduction, internal image stabilization, lens line-up, and environmental sealing. It produces great, photos, right out of camera. And it’s possible to assemble a smaller, lighter kit than competing systems offer.

I shot and shot and shot. But, my out of this world photos are better kept in my flash drive.