new camera gear
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
This morning I had a dream that I bought a used camera lens sight unseen (I have actually done this, with poor results). This lens turned out to have some fine beads of material like puffed rice. I cleaned that off and found that beneath it there was a smattering of green paint on the lens. Very frustrating.
But it was just a dream. I haven't bought any lenses for a while now, and think it's all in the past, now. There are a variety of reasons for this, such as:
+I have all the lenses that I can use (and then some!), with four main lenses that get regular use (and another that is very infrequently used, and one other that's on long-term loan)
+I'm in the process of leaving my job to start my own business
+The cameras I have are venerable all-manual Minolta's, and it doesn't make a lot of sense to overinvest in my used bodies
But none of that stopped me from buying yet another camera bag last night. I'd taken shelter from the sheeting rain while stumbling around in the dark looking for an address that ultimately eluded me. Curiously, my shelter was a camera store that was open past 21:00 on a Friday. What can I say, my feet must have known the way.
I bought a wee bag from the same "Salios" line from which my main bag comes-- made by the Hakuba accessory "brand". This one was a Y1800 miniature perfectly sized for the gear I typically take when drifting around the city: my Olympus rangefinder plus two rolls of film, a filter case, some lens papers and a spare battery (which I've been meaning to buy for six months now). Somehow, this off-brand line of bags has hit the perfect spot for me: padded without becoming boxy and heavy; wide zippered openings without extensive velcro; long adjustable shoulder straps; good weighting that prevents tip-overs that spill the contents; completely washable materials; non-descript looks that don't scream "expensive camera equipment within".
I've had a variety of camera bags over the years (actually managed to give an old one to a friend who'll use it this year, which was nice) and have to say that the major manufacturers just don't seem to get it. They build stiff, heavily padded boxes that jab you in the ribs and tip over with the slightest provocation. And their products cost a fortune. I just don't get it. So, hats off to Hakuba.
edit: here's a photo of the line-up of these bags from Hakuba. Coincidentally, the two I own are the top-left and lower-right bags. I stole this image from a Korean forum.
