Cameras Continued and Le Tour de France Begins

The SLR camera I left off with in yesterday's post was my last film camera. It did everything I wanted in a camera, but then the internet, digital imaging and the electronic revolution hit and everything changed - so dramatically that cameras would never be the same. Although SLR cameras are still available on the shelves of camera shops, the majority of them are digital - saving an image on a memory card to download at a later time. Suddenly it wasn't about capturing that perfect shot any more, it was about taking hundreds of photos at no cost except time and memory, then finding that perfect shot.

My Nikon Coolpix 950 with the split body style was versatile and
opened up the world of digital photography to me. I had to
give up on this camera when the magazines required pictures
with more pixels. 

My first digital camera was a purchase for the shop. I was setting up the store's web page, working on graphics for advertising, photographing products for quotations and mail order, and taking photos of my own work for sale ad for competitions. Magazines had specific requirements and photographs had to meet digital specifications. I didn't have the money for a digital camera in those early days, but it was a business expense and so I bought a Nikon Coolpix 950. It became my favorite camera and I used it for years. I think I still have it in a box at the shop somewhere. It was dependable and made great photographs.

My current point-and-shoot digital camera is an Olympus FE-4030. It's
not the best camera I've ever owned, but it fit my budget when the
point-and-shoot I had before it suddenly died. I recharged it
yesterday and will try some test shots over the weekend to make sure
I remember how to operate it and how to download the photos to
my computer. 

I've been looking at digital SLR cameras with interchangeable lenses for years now. I really do need one. But I'm hesitant - I just haven't found a camera which will be comfortable for me to use as a beginner, but still able to expand with me over the years. Instead, I've been settling for digital point-and-shoot cameras and just improving my surrounding equipment instead. I learned about lighting, enclosures and back sweeps, and I've had my eye on some back drape framing and a larger sweep for larger items. I'll be working with an older camera, but I'll be pretty comfortable with my output.

Stage 1 - Time Trial
Today is the beginning of the 2017 Le Tour de France. It kicks off with a
14 km Individual Time Trial in Dusseldorf. 

Finally, it's July and July means Le Tour de France. Today is Stage 1 - starting in Dusseldorf, Germany with a 14 km Individual Time Trial. All of the major riders are at the starting line again today - Froome, Contador, Cavendish, the wily Columbian - Quintana, and so many others. Of course bike racing is painted with a paintbrush of drugs and scandals, but at its basics, it's athletes against the elements of terrain and weather for most of the month of July. This year's course has lots of mountains and hills and I'm sure it'll be a great Tour. Yippee - Le Tour is starting once again!

Stage 2 - The First Sprint
Stage 2, on Sunday, will take place mostly in Germany. The 203.5 km course
for Day 2 is mostly flat, but there will be some hills to keep things interesting.
A sprint finish might be the first chance for Cavendish to shine. 

I hope you have a great weekend. I'll be off on Monday and Tuesday also, but I'll post the Le Tour de France route profiles for Monday and Tuesday on Monday morning. Just not at 4:00 am - I'll actually be sleeping for a change. Enjoy your weekend, and if you're like me and have several days in a row off, make sure to indulge in some fireworks, friends and great food.