I realize that typically more emotions are involved than logic in selecting
vehicles and questioning owners generates defensiveness and often hostility
BUT...
I have previously owned an envirofriendly 1984 Ford 1/2 ton truck
that only used Propane (no petrol, benzine, gasoline) and it could haul
cameras but that was pre-Oly for me. I now have a Dodge extended cab 1 ton
dually 4X4 with Cummins turbo diesel, auxiliary overdrive, and an extreme
duty 12000 lb winch equipped front bumper ($3000). I have replaced the
truck bed with a $6000 service body with locking cabinets (think of it as a
compartmented camera case).
The extended cab has a back seat which accomodates the hard case
for my 2000mm f10 catadioptric telephoto which I usually use with one of my
OM-1n bodies. I am considering making a smaller custom foam enclosure for
it to fit in one of the service body cabinets and therfore be a little more
"quick draw" convenient. My Tamarack cases, backpack cases, various tri
and monopods, hiking sticks with hidden tripod head screws in the top etc
fit nicely in these cabinets.
I was apprehensive at first that solar heating might be a problem
for my Oly gear but the relatively light color (Silverwood, a silver
metalic light grey with golden overtones) seems to reject a lot of solar
gain. Nevertheless with the hot summer putting me in plenty of 100+ degree
F. temps, I felt the need for more protective measures than keeping my film
in the on-board freezer. During really hot daytime temps I keep all loaded
cameras (I use 2 ea OM-1n bodies, an OM-2 and an OM-2n) not actually in use
either in the air conditioned cab while driving or in the attached slide in
pickup camper which has a choice of refrigerated air conditioning
(mechanical compressor) and evaporative air conditioning (swamp cooler).
In remote or primitive areas when not wishing to have the auxilliary
generator noise I opt for the evaporative cooler as it can be run all day
on the rooftop mounted solar cells and still keep the 330 AH 12 VDC battery
bank at full charge to permit lavish use of electricity at night while
being real quiet.
Have recently returned from Glaicer National Park and just started
getting my color prints back from the photofinisher. (I love the index
prints that the "Premier" service offers) Really makes finding which negs
are to be enlarged, cropped, etc a lot easier.
The wildflower bloom was magnificient at Glacier this year but I
have no basis for comparison as this was my first time there. I have seen
blooms in Baja California Mexico and across the southwestern USA in truly
historical years but nothing surpassed Glacier.
A campground that I stayed in hadn't had anyone actually eaten by a
Grizzly bear since late May this year. I only saw one bear, a small black
bear, and that was while driving and the bear was long gone before I could
stop. What's a guy to do, make a helmet cam with a little OM P&S with a
remote shutter release? What a terrific opportunity for scenic landscape
shots. Plenty of interesting subjects.
I did see some fellow Oly users but we were outnumbered by users of
brand x equipment. One morning on the trail I was passed at two separate
times by guys carying full-on studio size musta weighed 20-30 lbs tripods.
One with whom I could keep up and chat needed it for his 600mm N*C*N tele.
He wasn't impressed with my Oly 300mm f4.5 and x2 teleconverter. I am. I
got some hand held shots of cute little varmits cavorting at the base of a
waterfall with the 300+x2 combination that look real good in the 5X7
proofs. Surprised me, I didn't think I could hold it steady enough.
Luckily with the OM-2n doing a great metering job for me and not
contributing much extra weight or bulk I was free to chase the squirrels
with the focus and squeeze off smoothly.
A quick stop at the Bristlecone pine groves south of Mono Lake Near
the Ghost town, Bodie in California, took us up to 12000 feet and up grades
marked 15% and other unmarked ones on dirt roads that were much much
steeper. The turbo diesel just didn't care and would have gone higher and
steeper. Another great photo-op, taking pictures of individual trees that
are in the 5000 year old class. Think about it, some of these trees were
3000 years old when Christ walked the earth. They are quite photogenic,
twisted into articstic shapes by the forces of nature over the ages. Many
have a lot of their surface roots exposed like receeded gums in old horses
or people, long in the tooth. Amazingly this is due to their extreme age.
The mountain is weathering away over the millenia leaving more and more
root exposure. Luckily I was equiped with light weight Oly gear as I don't
function at 12000 feet nearly as well as a Cummins turbo diesel.
Hopefully since I included Oly content I will not be flamed for
verbosity or contributing to the BIG VEHICLE thread. My daily
driver/comute car (El Nino permitting) is a Fiberglass bodied Air cooled VW
powered open top Myers Manx dune buggy. I'll just slip into my Kevlar and
Nomex underwear and hop down from my soap box.
Patrick
< This message was delivered via the Olympus Mailing List >
< For questions, mailto:owner-olympus@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx >
< Web Page: http://Zuiko.sls.bc.ca/swright/olympuslist.html >
|