My first camera was a Voïglander-Bëssa ( If I can remember the spelling :-) my old man gave me when I was 9, or so. Some guy owe him some money, and it happens the guy had a photo - shop, so he paid my dad back with that camera and "as much films & service until the amount of the debt". My photographic virus come this way :-)

On my vacations, at the beach, I make a lot of "expeditions" to the Sahara, the Mountains, and other distant places of my imagination, becoming a mini-professional under assignment. I've got into wild-life (frogs, cats & dogs), photo-journalism (some girls at the beach), and an expert in landscapes. Action photos were a little "blurred" and night work was a complete disaster. I learn even tricks, can you believe? My sister standing over my mother's hand !!!

I still have some, those now gray b&w's... One of these days I must find them.

Years come by and carry my Voiglander (Zeiss-lens, heh?!)out into oblivion.

Later on my teens it happen to have a Rollei and another "surge" of photo disease. I didn't learn nothing...

And so, from time to time, I went into photography.

Next was a Asahi Pentax Spotmatic and at only at that time I begun "studying" things like aperture, shutter speed, focus, DOF, lens, etc..

I've worked on some photo-related jobs, not as a photographer exactly, but on a Very large corporation, one on the major South American Publishers, where I organize the in-house Images Agency, developed agreements with other Agencies, (The Image World and others) and was responsible for the F1 World Championship coverage. At that time quite all our equipment was Nikon. From time to time I used to pick-up one and burn some rolls, amateur like.

Later on, already in Asia I've become again a pro, working on assignments for a magazine, photo-journalist work, text & photos, different subjects. It was a terrific time, because even if the money was not so much, it was a marvelous time, always trying to find a better way to focus the subjects for the assignments. I couldn't afford better then a Minolta & two zooms and had to be VERY creative to face the different challenges, face the competitors. But I did well (they don't fire me :-)

I know I could have been a good photographer, but I am not :-) I have a very good esthetical sense and I like my "framing". But mainly I like to record moments, and to catch the "real' inner person when I photograph people.

I think this Manual versus AF thing a complete BS, because as long as you love what you are doing you will try to learn the best way - any way - to obtain good results. I know people that struggle a lot of time with Manual cameras and didn't went anywere, and later with AF cameras really fall in love with this and THEN want to learn the ins & outs, the Manual way.

Others went from manual - with poor results, to P&S and then discovered the satisfaction of a nice caption and after that went AF and learned the tricks of manual overriding. We cannot stay on the past forever. Our kids will go digital and will laugh on ours N1s :-)

Sometimes I think - and the old pros (old like me :-) please excuse me for this (at least some) - but I really think that they are a little... jealous?... Because some years ago, for you to take very good pics you had to spend time learning the things, and now, lots, thousands of people can come with very good pictures just learning how to use their EOSs :-)

And I've seen many, many PRO pictures taken in full P mode (One Shot - Program mode :-)

Some years ago I decide to go into video, and after spending lots of time reading many related information, I bought a Canon Ex-2 system (USA known as L2, I think), with all the lenses ( my first IS zoom, by the way, and it "retired" my other lens). This system is the only advanced amateur system that allows you to use different kind of lenses or to use any EF lens on your video camera, so it was a great reason why - going photo - I wanted to stay with Canon.

The other small reason was one of those things that happen to you and really conquer your fidelity.

How I choose Canon, again

I had this Canon Hi-8 system and a Sony Hi-8 VCR, with L-ANC jacks for this L-ANC cable that help you make editions controlling two VCR's, from the receiving one. This is a Sony protocol, as far as I know, but the VCR didn't come with any L-ANC cable. They only mention in the manual the code number for ordering. But I couldn't find the damn cable at any Sony dealer, or Video-shop, even after asking, beggin' & ordering from the area distributor. Nope. Dead-end.

Then one night I was on the Net, and went - don't remember why - to the Japan Canon Site. Quite all in Japanese. For fun, I thought "Let me send them a mail complaining about this L-ANC cable they've put a jack on the camera and see what happen"

To make it short: - Next day I recvd a mail telling "they were forwarding my complaint to my area Canon HQ (it happens to be Singapore) and please let us know if the problem was not resolved, etc, etc " I become to feel some shame, 'cause , you know, it's a 10 buck cable, heh?!. One or two days later, come mail from Canon Singapore "forwarding copy to my nearest Canon Office (not distributor, huh!) - Hong Kong. AND 2 or 3 days later, a fax and a mail from the Canon HK Head Quarters, asking me how many cables I need and how to send them the payment. Within a week I was receiving a registered mail with two cables. ( I was a little ashamed to buy only one, so cheap it was :-)

Guess what Photo Camera brand I begin looking at? HEY, CANON, ARE YOU READING? Don't let me down, huh?

This can be a coincidence, can be by luck, but it is a statement I had to make. I only hope Canon can keep up with this "Philosophy".

So there I was, wanting to go again into photography, this time as an old amateur, but with the best I could afford. I make ALL my search on the Net and I am putting some links that were of great help and, at least, turn into my present system.

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