Cosmos

Purple Cosmos [Cosmos bipinnatus]

So before I took the digital camera back (Canon EOS 20D) I thought I would really see how it compared to my trusty AE-1 and Velvia. I took it through some of my favorite situations, unfortunately it was a hazy day so the lighting was not the greatest. Then again, if it was perfect conditions that wouldn't make for a very interesting test would it?

This is the result of my flower close-up test, I'm pretty happy with it! And, of course, I already know it preforms nicely in low light with a moving subject.

I did, however, find a couple of weaknesses. Velvia is much more forgiving in high contrast environments, especially right into the sun. (Yes yes, I know, "don't take pictures into the sun". but that's something they just tell amateur photographers so they don't get frustrated) :-D     I do, however believe I would be able to overcome this limitation to a certain extent with a little more practice with the camera's finer controls.

The really interesting thing I found was the reloads. I liked not having to reload film, and I was dreaming about 4 Gig CF cards. Then the reality hit me. It is not the Card that runs out first, its the battery! I could not fill up the one gig card without killing the battery (and that's without the built-in flash). The only saving grace was the fact that the battery charged quickly. I assume it is the auto-focus that killed it so fast, and I can do without that in many situations so it is not a deal breaker. But this is an important bit of information for anyone trying to prepare for a long shoot, you have to invest in as many batteries as CF cards.

Lastly, I love the saturation of Velvia. But that is more personal preference. I would imagine that I may be able to compensate a bit for this too with enough experience with the camera. But I felt like my landscape and architecture shots were a little flat.

In the end, I am convinced this would be a worthy tool to add to my bag of tricks. I loved using it, and I believe it has some real strengths. But, as with everything, you have to choose the right tool for the job and in many situations that is still gonna be my AE-1.

(BTW Cosmos is from the Greek "Kosmos" meaning ornament.)