Next month I will be attending the wedding of a close friend of mine. It's sure to be a blast and while they have hired a pro to cover the event, I really want to take some great pictures. Normally, I would probably cover a wedding using a pretty typical equipment kit. Two DSLR bodies, three or four lenses and a couple of TTL strobes would probably do the trick. But, for this event I have decided to try and do something a little different. First of all, I plan to shoot the entire event in black and white. Second, I plan to use only available light. That's right, no flash whatsoever.

I think I have a few options here. The ideal digital tool for the job would be something along the lines of a Canon 5D MKII, or some other small DSLR that does really great in low light and high ISO. This camera coupled with a fixed, fast lens like the 24 f/1.4 or 35 f/1.4 would be just about all I'd need.

Of course I don't currently have any of this equipment, so I would have to either borrow or rent.

Alternatively, I could try and shoot this event on film using Tmax p3200.  I have used this film plenty of times in the past, and it's really great stuff. The grain is HUGE, but smooth and pleasant, and you can even push it a stop or two if you really need to. Of course, I'd need to acquire a bunch of it ( please tell me Kodak still makes this stuff ) and, I'd need to set up a processing line to get at the images.

I just saw this over at www.lx3-photography.com/ and had to post it! So good! Nikki Waller from the Wall Street Journal has some fun insights into why she loves her Panasonic LX3. She also has a full review article here. I love how she thinks the lens cap makes it "retro" but also kinda hard to use. Oh boy.... Enjoy!

I did my best yesterday to hold off on commenting about the Olympus EP-1 that was officially announced today. It is indeed a very sexy camera. By yesterday I had already seen quite a few leaked photos and I noticed quite a bit of talk on the flickr.com group forums, but I decided to hold off until the official announcement today.

First off, I will just come out and say that I think this is a very appealing camera. I haven't touched it yet, but I can sort of get an idea from the photos and the really almost comical video on the Olympus site that this camera is probably just about the right size. My Panasonic DMC-LX3 is nice and tiny, but when I'm shooting seriously with it, the controls tend to get a little lost in my hands. There is sort of a delicate balance here between compactness and usability--reminds me of Zoolander's cell phone.

I could go on and on about this cameras specs and buttons and features, but what I'd really like to talk about is how the EP-1 is a camera which seems to be headed in a new direction.  Micro 4/3rds has been on my radar for a while now, but I have been pretty hesitant to give it much thought up until now. It will really be interesting to see what camera manufacturers do with this format in the near future.

As you may notice I am a big fan of small compact cameras. I am basically waiting for something that will be the equivalent of a Leica M. The M8 to me was a big disappointment. I think Leica spent way too much effort trying to make the thing look and feel like an M and forgot about creating a camera that was really worth $5500. In the end it's all about the image, and the M8 failed to deliver in that area. Talk about "less bang for your buck."

I was recently reading a forum post on the Panasonic DMC-LX3 Flickr group about traveling light, and what type of camera to bring with you if going on a backpacking trip across Europe. The topic got me thinking back to 2002 when I myself backpacked across Europe toting a good deal of camera equipment, computer gear and enough clothing to last me a few months on the road. Reminiscing about this trip made me start to rethink how I would go about it differently.

Quite a bit has changed in terms of technology since 2002. Cameras are smaller, better, and faster, but they create much larger files. I'm also now shooting a lot of HD video, and recording audio, so this is another concern of mine. So the following article is basically a synopsis of what I think I would bring with me if someone dropped an around the world plane ticket in my lap and just said "go make some pictures!"

The Past

Before I begin talking about what I would take today, let's rewind and talk about what I brought with me in 2002. Back then cost was a major factor. I had a fixed amount of money to play with. My plan was to enter Europe in London and travel across to Israel where I would end up living for about a year. I would be traveling mostly by train with a few flights thrown in the mix. I would be living in hostels for the most part, and staying with friends here and there. So obviously I had a number of concerns. In the end I settled on bringing the following camera equipment: