by Mike Eastman
Subject: Choosing a Camera
hen taking photos in the eld there are two types of 35mm cameras that I will pack. The large-body is a Canon EOS V with a 28mm to 70mm lens. The other, a compact, is a Yashica T4 super. However taking a large body 35mm in your backpack takes up a lot of room and adds to the weight. These objections are the reason most hunters just dont pack a camera. But the development of point and shoot cameras makes packing one very practical. I put my Yashica camera in my shirt pocket while hunting. With it I have taken set-up shots that were good enough for full-page spreads in the Eastmans' Hunting Journal. In a point and shoot camera look for the aperture range of the lens. The problem is that most of these types of cameras have a zoom lens. It sounds great to have a zoom lens that will bracket your photothat is, let you include more of the background or less, without walking closer or backing up. However the tradeoff is that a zoom lens aperture is slower. That means when you are shooting with 100 ASA lm, and the day is overcast, the photos will be on the dark side. Personally I move around to get closer or farther away to bracket the photo. Using the wide angle without zooming in I can use the fastest f-stop of the lens. So in a point and shoot camera I look for a fast lens even if its not a zoom. All point and shoot cameras have a built-in ash and selftimer. However only a few of the Olympus models, Pentax IQZoom 95WR and the Yashica T4 are weather resistant. I recommend a camera with that design feature. I use the Yashica T4 because of its 3.5 aperture Zeiss lens. Unfortunately, Yashica discontinued making the T4 this spring. If you can nd one in a camera store pick it up. The Olympus 80 wide DLX is a good point and shoot camera. It has a 28 to 80mm lens with an f/4.5 to f/8.4 aperture (smaller numbers are better) making it one of the fastest point and shoot on the market now. Because its weather resistant its more functional in the field. Both cameras go for around $150 in the discount camera shops. But look at all the models and manufacturers each model has different aperture ranges and other features that might t your needs better. Next issue we will talk about large-body 35mm cameras and lenses for set up photos.