There are a couple of shots at the extremes of my camera kit’s capabilities – based around my Olympus E510.
Both of these were taken in Gilbert Lake State park in New York. The first was the view from our campsite looking straight up. This is was shot at a focal length of 14mm (28mm equ), the widest I can get with one shot. Auto focus, programed exposure, the works.
Camp Site Canopy
The next was taken with the E510 too, but this time mounted on it was my old Vivitar 100-300mm zoom lens from my OM series cameras (I’ve been through a few in my time). So that of course means manual focus (how retro is that?) and only Aperture priority exposure mode available. Nevertheless, I think this picture clearly shows the benefits of in-camera optical image stabilization. This picture was shot hand held at 300mm, which on the E510 is the equivalent of 600mm. Shot at 200 ISO, the exposure time was only 160th of a second with the lens wide open at f5.8. Still pretty sharp if I say so myself. 
Dragonfly at rest
The middle of July found Gerry and I at Housatonic Meadows State Park. We were trying out our brand new, luxurious standing room all over tent for the very first time.
We had had quite a rush to get there on the Friday evening in time to beat the sunset at just after 7:30. The prospect of putting up a new tent in the dark was not welcome. As it happened, we got to our site with very little daylight left and we completed the tent errection by lantern. Phew.
Last week I purchased a new back pack to carry the camera kit. It has room for a fair few lenses, and do-dahs one needs to carry about. There’s all sorts of compartments (Velcro adjustable), pockets and nooks and crannies and lots of ways into the bag. I like this thing because it’s a “swing” type that loops over one shoulder and can be swung around to the front, very quickly where the camera with the longer of my two lenses attached fits nicely and very quickly accessed via the side entrance. Yet it’s not very large. Maybe half the size of a small backpack. This is going to greatly increase the camera’s mobility!
Other nice touches include the soft cloth tethered inside the main compartment – great for covering lenses and LDC panels, and inside the front pocket is a drawstring weatherproof bad to cover the whole shebang in a storm.
So, throwing my kit over my shoulder (if you’ll forgive the illusion) I hoped on my bike and took a spin round the park…
I have the great good fortune to live two long blocks from Prospect Park in Brooklyn. It has a nice easy 3 and a bit mile loop to cycle/run/roller skate around, and many paths inside it’s 300+ Acres and a lake. Consequently I am often to be found there in my free time. Right now the plants around the water margins are looking particularly lush.
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Elephant grass
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Elephant grass catching sun
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Water plants in the lake margin
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Water Lilies reaching for the sky
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Water Lilies reaching for the sky
The lily and the water plant shots were also assisted by my Bogen Manfrotto Magic Arm clamped to the crossbar of my bike. It’s a great portable camera support, and often much more convenient that a tripod. For these shots I also had help from a small tree which I leaned the bike against for additional bracing.
 12.jpg "An ornate urn decorated with dolphin and scallop shell motifs")
 09.jpg "Neptune emerges from the sea")
