Lens Envy!

I miss being taken for a serious photographer. I mean, I do a half-decent job (if I may say so myself) of taking pictures, but nobody takes me seriously when I'm in the act. Of taking pictures, that is. I'm not talking about you guys reading this blog, or the ones looking at my collection online. I'm referring to complete strangers, the people that are around when you're trying to get into position for that perfect frame - the ones that move away from your field of view, the ones that point their own cameras hopefully in in the same general direction as you are, and the ones that feel flattered to be part of your composition, patting their hair and sitting up a bit straighter as your lens swivels in their direction.

Except, nobody does that any more, as far as I'm concerned. And the reason? Because ever since I went digital, nearly four years ago, I've been using a Canon A710. It's a great camera. Takes good pictures, you can zoom a decent amount and has a lot of the features an SLR has, like manual mode, aperture priority and all that. But it is not an SLR.

That works fine for me. SLRs are bulky, large pieces of equipment and need even bulkier bags to carry the accompanying extra lenses. That's what used to get me, earlier when I used to sport a film SLR. Now, my compact A710 does most things an SLR does (with a few notable exceptions), and fits nicely into my pocket most times. And it's hardy - it's taken knocks that, had they happened to a dSLR, would have had you on your knees, tears of remorse streaming down your face wishing you could turn time back just those few seconds.

But I've got to admit, hefting an SLR is something else. That macho little twist of your wrist as you cradle that 70 - 300 lens, that satisfying click as you press the shutter release, the array of buttons and controls that would confuse an airline pilot...with an SLR slung around your neck, you're the Aperturenator. And people respect you. They scuttle out of your way as you swing that barrel of a lens, then stand transfixed as you centre that little red laser dot between their eyes. People around you look on in awe, and tourists hesitatingly make their way to you to take their picture, as "you look professional".

Not so with a little compact. No matter what you do, people just think you're a bit weird. Or a tourist. Or both. At best, you're just another annoyance with a camera in the midst of many others, albeit one that acts weirder than the others by squatting, getting on all fours or taking inordinately long to focus. At worst, security people get a bit fidgety and (it's happened to me) ask you to delete your shots of their building / the general vicinity/ themselves. Possessing an SLR, on the other hand, gets understanding nods. After all, whoever heard of a terrorist who was a keen photographer as well?

But us little compact guys have our advantages as well - you're a sort of guerrilla, an ambush predator - take candid shots, for example - your subject wouldn't know what hit him in the time that you've palmed your camera, clicked and holstered it (okay, pocketed it). Nobody expects a guy in a suit to suddenly whip out a camera from an inner pocket and start clicking - you can flummox all those security types with your corporate camouflage. Also, compact users tend to be opportunists, taking pictures at random in all kinds of situations and environments, which are interesting in a way that does not necessarily involve technical perfection (which dSLR users, with their planned hunts, often achieve).

So...SLR or compact? The decision's yours! I don't mean to put either dSLRs or compacts down. I enjoy using my compact, but I know that sometime in the near future, I will succumb to the lure of a dSLR, fall in love with it, and spend endless hours tinkering with it and getting to know it. But my faithful little compact will always be somewhere handy.