Well done, Charles.
Charles Packard wrote:
> >From the depths of cyberspace......
> One morning at work last week I received an anxious call from my
> sister-in-law. It seems that her brother had decided to get married that
> very afternoon. Why the rush to get married? is a question I didn't ask,
> you have to know her brother. Anyway, she told me that the minister
> would not allow her to use a flash inside the church and she didn't feel
> her camera an old Nikon Nikormat? with a cheap Soligor zoom would work
> well in that situation. Could she borrow a camera?. I heartily agreed
> with her, but I had to think a little about how to set her up.
> She's a pretty good photographer even with that Soligor lens, but
> she has limited knowledge of cameras/lenses, etc. and she has never used
> an SLR with auto exposure capabilities. She once complained to me that
> her photographs were becoming more and more overexposed and was afraid
> that the meter had broken down. I asked when she changed the batteries
> last, all she said was "OH.... I didn't think of that" and hung up the
> phone. A couple of days later she phoned me again, called me a genius
> and said "...the new batteries did the trick, thank you." With that in
> mind, I decided to keep it simple. I drove home at lunch and picked out
> my -2n with a Vivitar S1 28-105 f/2,8~3,5 lens, tripod and threw in a
> T32 just in case the situation changed regarding the "No flash rule" or
> if there was some sort of reception afterwards. For film I had acquired
> several rolls of Fuji NPH 400 pro and threw a few rolls into the bag as
> well. As an after thought, I set the -2n's flash sync switch to 'X' and
> flipped the calculator panel on the T32 to "Auto control".
> When she came by work to pick up the kit, I gave her about 3 minutes
> of instructions on using the -2n. Since she is used to setting both the
> shutter speed and fstop, I told her leave it on manual and on the tripod
> for the no flash shots. Also keep one hand on the tripod and the other
> on the camera body when shooting to minimize vibration. If a flash was
> needed and "allowed" put on the T32, flip the switch to 'Auto', set the
> shutter to 60 and start shooting. Then she left and I started suffering
> separation anxiety.
> The next day I went to pick-up my gear, the separation anxiety was
> getting really bad by then, all she had to say was "the pictures came
> out fantastic!" Unfortunately I didn't get to see them, the parents of
> the bride and groom had them all. She so was impressed by the OM's ease
> of use and the quality of the photos that it produced she started asking
> about availability and prices. She was surprised when I told her my -2n
> was pushing twenty and the lens was a least fifteen years old. You know
> and I know that it takes more than a good camera and lens to produce
> quality photographs but she was convinced that it was the camera that
> made all the difference. Come to think of it, she is a pretty good
> photographer already, so by loaning her my OM (a better tool) she
> produced better work. I guess its like a musician who has been playing a
> cheap practice guitar for years, suddenly becomes more proficient when
> he/she starts playing a Taylor.
> When it was time for me to go I saw a sad look on her face as I
> picked up my gear, but the gleam in her eyes told me loud and clear
> "Another Zuikoholic has just been born". As I walked toward the door she
> remarked to her husband "Honey, I think I want a new camera for my
> birthday". My brother just rolled his eyes, slapped me on the back and
> said "Thanks, Charlie".
> So to all you Zuiks and Oly heads, be careful who you loan your gear to,
> Zuikoholism is definitely an infectious disease!
>
> P.S. I've already told my brother, that I my birthday present to her
> will be a new, used camera. The OMPC I recently purchased and a couple
> of lenses. Now if I can just get my hands to release their grip.
>
> - Charles "Zuikoholism carrier" Packard
> Birmingham Alabama USA
>
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