Re: News Equip, was; odd things

[gregm@world.std.com (Greg Mironchuk)]

At 7:25 PM 11/24/96, J. Redfern wrote:

>        A while back someone who "covers" the Whithouse was mentioning the
>fact that next to no Leica is used by the press corps on that beat. Whilst
>thumbing through my copy of Michael Evans' book "People and Power" (a
>collection of portraits of the Movers and shakers of the Reagan
>administration) I noticed that what seems to be the majority of the
>photographers photographed for the project elected to be shot sporting
>their Leica Ms.
>

That particular book, "People and Power", by Michael Evans (former Time
Magazine contract photographer, Presidential Photographer to Ronald Reagan,
and former Chief of Photography at the Atlanta Journal & Constitution...
although I don't WHERE the Hell he is, now...) is about 15 years old...
well before the Autofocus (read: Canon) Revolution.

In fact... Fred Ward, the person cited above as "... someone who 'covers'
the White House"... is pictured, within this book, clutching a non-and-pre
autofocus Canon, with a 300mm f/2.8 lens.

Much has happened, photographically speaking, over the last ten years or
so, with regards to the equipment used by News Photographers.

While in New Hampshire... for the Presidential Primary Before Last... I was
informally "polling" as to what equipment people were using... a bad habit
left over from my days when I was working within the Camera Industry.

There were the usual Nikons... F3's, and FA/FE-2's... and the regular
Canons... F-1's and a LOT of T-90's... and nearly everyone had an "M" with
a 35mm or a 21mm showing.

After about two weeks of walking backwards, in front of the candidates, as
the candidates strolled from Photo Op to Photo Op... most everyone began to
notice that the Trendier Photogs, the ones with Canon EOS Cameras and 28~70
f/2.8 zoom lenses and "smart" autoflashes for Fill Light, were getting a
MUCH higher percentage of usable, saleable shots than guys who were still
"wetting their thumbs" for exposure, and frantically twisting their
focussing rings, while trying NOT to trip over the twenty or thirty
Photojournalists attempting to do the same thing in the same place at the
same time.

Literally OVERNIGHT, EOS's and 8008's... all sporting 28~70 zooms (Canon,
Tokina or Angenieux)... appeared in the hands of EVERY photographer On The
Campaign Trail... and the "M"'s got left home.

Nothing works as well for Walking Backwards as an autofocus reflex camera,
and 28~70 is the PERFECT lens for same. In fact, the non-availability of a
NIKON 28~70 f/2.8... coupled with the non-availability (at the time) of a
20~35 f/2.8 zoom lens sounded the DEATH KNELL for Nikon amongst News
Photographers. Canon now reigns supreme... and you STILL can't get a Nikon
28~70 f/2.8 zoom lens (nor an Angenieux, anymore, either).

All the same is even more true for Leica... no autofocus, no 28~70, and
only just now a 1/250th sec. flash synch (R8). News Photographers work
under VERY adverse conditions, and look to maximize the percentage of good,
useable frames that they shoot. Autofocus, fill flash, and wide-ranging
zooms are tools that WILL maximize the percentage of usable frames.

There is no excuse for not using the BEST technology available, when you
are paid to "bring back the bacon".

                                                Greg.

                                                      Greg Mironchuk
                                              409 Central St, Saugus, MA 01906
                                              617-941-8030 * 617-362-7417 page
                                                    gregm@world.std.com