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    Piazza San "Empty" Marco

Piazza San Marco is the most visited attraction in all of Venice, Italy.  The masses that flock to Piazza San Marco during the day take something away from the essence of the Venetian square.  By visiting San Marco Square before sunrise I was able to visit this remarkable piazza without the buzz generated by hordes of onlookers.  A remarkable experience!

Ago vita vos somnium (live the life you dream)
    Polar Opposites: Travel with Nikon D3 or Canon S90

I will leave San Diego this summer and venture to the northern stretches  of the European continent.  Hopefully my journey will take me into the  Arctic Circle to experience nearly 24 hours of daylight!  With this northern  exposure in mind, I am preparing a list of camera items I will need  for my backpacking excursion.  The real dilemma comes down to which  camera system I should take, the Nikon D3 or the Canon S90 (article link: The Canon S90, to Asia and Back).

Every camera is a balance of factors; my two choices  are no different.  The Nikon D3 and my 17-35mm f/2.8 weigh nearly 4.5  pounds.  Once a camera bag, filters, memory cards, batteries, charger,  tripod, and ball-head are factored in, my Nikon D3 travel photography  kit weighs over 10 pounds (on top of 50 pounds of gear)!  This weight directly translates to quality, flexibility of composition and printing alike.  My inclination is  to take the Nikon D3.

After traveling Asia with a brand new Canon  S90, I realized that this little compact  camera is the best I have owned.  The weight of the Canon S90 is not  worth mentioning, and the size of the camera is negligible.  The Canon  S90 was an afterthought while in Shanghai, Hong Kong, Hanoi, and Ha Long  Bay because the camera slipped easily into tight-fitting pants.  The  S90's manual control rings and custom settings are the best I have seen  in a compact camera, but the resolution leaves something to be desired  (e.g.: very sharp at the center and blurry from the image's middle to  periphery).  For this reason, I lean towards taking the cumbersome Nikon  D3 on my upcoming European adventure so I will not have to rely on  center crops for prints.

As I decide which camera compliment I will take on the journey, I am perplexed by two issues: weight and  quality.  The Canon S90 is revolutionary for what it is; a pocketable,  high-resolution, low-light capable, image-stabilized digital camera.   Ergonomics are good.  Weight and size are not worthy of consideration.   (The Nikon D3's charger is twice the size of the Canon S90!)  However,  image quality is my biggest concern.  When I get to picturesque  locations I will want to record the scenes on the D3's full-frame sensor.  On the other hand, the Canon S90's tiny  package allows photographers to go unnoticed whereas the Nikon D3  draws all sorts of unwanted attention.  What is a photographer to do?

If  you have any suggestions, do not hesitate to comment or email me.

Ago vita  vos somnium (live the life you dream)

June 3, 2010