Not really the top picture? Well, it is a absolute premiere and just phantastic
to show!
No, it's not because a Capricorn is such a rare animal.
No, it's not because it is the most beautiful light.
No, it's not because the environment is extraordinarily beautiful.
No, it's not because it is made under any special circumstances, in 5000 meters
height just after a heavy thunderstorm.
It's a simple wildlife park photography, which likely can be taken in the park
in Hundshaupten at 200 days in the year by everyone.
Yes - it's one my first pictures ever taken with a digital SLR!
The opportunity to test the Nikon D70 one complete weekend hit me at a time, when discussions were burning hot in any photography magazines, internet forums - and with friends in photography. Just in advance: Canon may forgive me that blooper with Nikon :-))
I am a hybrid freak for quite some time. Taking the pictures was in my opinion still an analogue domain. The digital world has lots of advantages on the other side - regarding printing, web publishing and manipulation with my beloved experimental quirk. So a slide scanner was necessary and is rendering a good service for some years now. Both sides were kept in parallel, and high digital resolutions could be obtained in times, when digital SLRs stopped at 6 Megapixel. Digital SLRs were far away ...
Now the cameras improve, higher resolutions, better prices, more alternative bodies. Professionals in nature photography such as Fritz Pölking first time switch over without regrets. The digital domain before only served it's professional purpose for sport&news photographers, where fast transmission to the receiver was more important than high resolutions or perfect quality - or have you ever seen a newspaper in high gloss look and fine art prints?
My first contact was interesting and ambivalent: I realised the threat of downgrading to a snap shooter, as you don't think that much about the right light, perfect display window or moment - it costs no film material, you can just delete it after triggering. I felt the threat - and lost. I took likely three times more pictures than normally, but had only a third in yield regarding usable ones. But everyone can learn - so I believe just this experience will help for any next time with a digital SLR.
Don't expect the contrast or colour saturation of a slide - digital cameras are still far apart from a slide projection. But who anyhow prefers prints compared to slide shows can relax: The print can anyhow not reproduce a slide in those aspects. Another result after this weekend: 6 Megapixels are not enough for my ambitions, but 8 and more Megapixels are just on the run since the last Photokina fair with affordable prices.
Let me end with my personal planning: I will now start saving money for a digital SLR body - maybe not to replace the analogue part, but to complement it. In this spirit I first bought a new slide scanner with higher resolution ...
Decide yourself,
your Mr. Mooseman !