Today’s Post by Joe Farace
I consider myself lucky that I grew up in a time that there were no video games to keep my attention on indoor activities.—Karch Kiraly
When photographing an indoor car show I never know what kind of situation I’ll face, even at venues where I’ve been to before, which is why I prefer using a zoom lens even if it might be slower than a prime lens. I think, it’s because a zoom is so versatile. Zoom lenses basically come in two varieties: fast or slow. Many slower zoom lenses have a floating maximum f/stop where the maximum aperture changes within the lens’s zoom range. Take a 24-105mm f/3.5-5.6 zoom lens as an example: At the widest focal length of 24mm the maximum aperture is f/3.5. As the lens is zoomed toward the telephoto end, that maximum aperture shifts—sometime suddenly— to a f/5.6 opening.
How I made this photograph: This Chevrolet HHR is suspended from a crane over the show floor at a previous Denver International Auto Show—catch the SAAB sign in the background. The camera used was a 10-megapixel Olympus E-3 Four-thirds system DSLR that marked the company’s first change from using CCD sensors to CMOS that they called Live MOS because of the camera’s Live View capabilities. Exposure was 1/100 second at f/4, ISO 650, with the lens at 14mm.
The lens used was the Zuiko Digital ED 14-35mm f/2.0 SWD lens. The f/2 aperture of the lens was a big help when working under the low light levels that are found at these kinds of venues. The lens used two ED (Extra-low Dispersion) glass elements to minimize chromatic aberration and features rugged, high-quality construction and is dust and drip-proof. All Zuiko Digital lenses allow light to strike the image sensor at a near-perpendicular angle, minimizing degradation and light loss, even at the edge of the frame or when using a wide-angle lens.
I never got to drive an HHR, even as a rental. Mary’s cousin Maureen, who is a serious hot rodder, had a yellow model that she supercharged, so it was probably a lot faster than stock. I did drive several PT Cruisers as rentals including a couple of convertibles and really enkyed my experiences with them. Despite the disdain often heaped upon the poor PT, Mary and I always had fun whenever we rented a PT.
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Along with photographer Barry Staver, Joe is co-author of Better Available Light Digital Photography that’s available from Amazon for $21.50 with used copies starting at giveaway prices—starting around five bucks