powershot g10

I recently came across a Canon Powershot G10 from 2008 in good condition. I’ve always liked the design of those cameras and I’ve been interested in buying another older digital point and shoot, preferably one with a CCD sensor and the ability to shoot RAW. Luckily, the Powershot G10 has both. I bought it and have been using it pretty consistently around town and when I travel. Obviously given the size and age of the sensor you’re not going to get the kind of highlight recovery or shadow detail that you can extract from a more modern digital camera. But under the right lighting, you can do a lot with this little guy. And, I’ll say, these CCD sensors really do render a little differently than the more common CMOS sensors, and I think it makes for a nice effect.

With all of that said, here are some photos. I edited all of these in Lightroom with the use of some presets to get the look I like. Places visited include Poughkeepsie, New York, Bridgeport, Connecticut, New York City, Washington D.C. and, of course, Charlottesville.

a kid’s eye view

Back when the weather was warmer, I took my five-year-old out to a classic car show. I gave him a camera to use and he had a good time walking around and taking pictures of everything he was interested in. We recently got the film developed and, with his permission, I wanted to share some of his favorites from the day. I think they’re pretty good.

ithaca

Made a brief stop in Ithaca earlier this fall — ask me sometime about the insane travel mishaps that almost derailed this trip — and took a few snaps. These are the ones worth sharing! The camera was a Leica M4, the lens(es) were my usual set of M-Hexanons, and the film was Fujicolor 200 (the old emulsion).

reds

Some fall foliage! The predominant color in most of these photos (other than the first, really) is red. I took each one on a Yashica-D camera with Kodak Gold film.

trick or treating on the lawn

Every year, at the University of Virginia, the students who live on the lawn host a big trick or treating party for families in the area. We go each year, partly because it is a very easy way for the kids to get an insane amount of candy, partly because I always run into friends and acquaintances, and party because it is always a great opportunity for photos. It’s a bit hard to take pictures and wrangle two small children, but I managed to get a few decent shots to share this year.

snapshots

Part of a continuing series of photos taken while I’m running errands on my bike. Here, I used a Yashica-D medium format camera and Ilford FP4 Plus film.

And here is our obligatory photo of an old car.

charlottesville cars & coffee

Every first and third Saturday local classic car enthusiasts gather in a parking lot near a coffee shop and show off their rides. I try to stop by every so often, always to take pictures. Here are my latest snaps from the last time I went over to see some cool cars.

florida ave. grill

A little while ago, during a stop in D.C., I walked by the famous (to locals at least) Florida Avenue Grill. As always I had a camera on me, and the light happened to be exceptionally good. I took a few pictures, about half the roll of film, and these two are the ones that looked best: one capture from head on, and the other from an angle, with a view of the sidewalk.

I used a Yashica-D twin-lens reflex camera and Kodak Gold 200 film. The film was processed by Pro Camera in Charlottesville, Va. I did the scanning myself.

Olympus Infinity S

A little while ago, I dropped a few dollars on a cheap 35mm point and shoot. It was an Olympus Infinity S, released in 1987. A fully automatic, zone-focus clamshell compact with a 35mm f//3.5 lens and a maximum shutter speed of 1/400s, it was a more or less a “next-gen” update to the Olympus XA series of compact cameras. You can’t quite tell in this photo, but it’s even about the same size.

There’s nothing bad about the camera — the only feature that doesn’t quite work are the buttons meant to adjust the focus to either close-up or infinity — but there’s nothing great about it either. Other than a nice big, bright viewfinder, it’s just a camera. I put two rolls of film through to test the lens — a roll of Kentmere 400, a black and white film, and a roll of Kodak ColorPlus 200 — and came away basically satisfied with the results. The lens is sharp enough to produce good scans and, I assume, good prints.

I’ll say, that the sheer simplicity (and apparent durability) of the Olympus Infinity S makes it an excellent camera for a small child, and my five-year-old has had a lot of fun using it to take pictures when we go out on errands or to do activities. Once he finishes a roll, I’ll have the film developed and maybe I’ll share the pictures. Until then, here are the shots I took during the month or so I kept this in my pocket.

lake george

My wife and I spent a weekend in upstate New York over the summer and while we were on our way to Lake Placid, we stopped to have lunch and walk around in Lake George. I took a few pictures with a camera that has become something of a personal favorite, the Panasonic GX8. It has its limitations, but when I’m in the mood for using something with modern conveniences — versus my usual vintage equipment or all-manual digital Leica — the Panasonic is my first choice.