I'm not sure how it happened. I walked into my favourite camera store (Teamwork Photographic) to buy a few packs of Fuji Velvia and ended up walking out with the brand new Canon 1ds mkIII.
With over 20 megapixels of resolution and a slew of new features, it really is a beast of a camera. However, I’m finding the old adage of being careful what you wish for is extremely apt in this case.
Having taken the camera to India and Switzerland last week, I am finding the files are simply too big to manage effectively. The camera filled up my new 16GB memory card in a day, the images took ages to transfer to my laptop and finally they were simply too large and unwieldy for quick previewing.
Ultimately, I realise that the problem may lie with me and my ancillary equipment and in the end the camera will prove itself beyond worth (I particularly like the new automatic sensor cleaning function, for example).
However, it says a lot for my trusted Linhof 617 film camera. It hasn’t changed one iota since the day I purchased it and will in all likelihood retain its sharpness and resolution during the course of at least the next decade. A faithful soldier indeed!
