single women # 17 ~ seeing double
Tuesday, October 11, 2011 at 11:27AM 
Eating apple strudel ~ Oktoberfest / Bear Mt. Park - NOT in the Adirondack PARK • click to embiggenPrior to my acquisition of the E-P2 and when I was out and about with the E-P1, the most frequently asked question from strangers, camera wise, was, "Is that a film camera?" And it was a frequently asked question nearly every time I was stationary in/around a crowd or gathering of people. If I have heard the question once, I have heard it hundreds of times.
• click to embiggenNow that I have 2 visually identical cameras, albeit each with different lenses, the new frequently asked question (even from one of twins pictured above) is, "Why do you have two (identical) cameras?"
Interestingly enough, I never hear this question when I am out and about with my Oly E-5 and Pentax K20D hung on my body or, for that matter, the E-5 and the E-P1. My theory for this discrepancy is based on the fact that the behemoth DSLRs, complete with battery grips, scream "professional" which explains to most that no matter how many cameras I have in tow, it is immediately understandable*.
With the E-P1 and E-P2, people tend to think they are P&S cameras and therefore scream "amateur", which makes it un-understandable why I am carrying two of them. That said, I wonder if the former group of questioners (the "film camera?" group) will ever ask if the reason for two cameras is the bygone film-days obvious one - "Is one camera for color and the other for B&W?"
Back in the good ole days of analog picture making, many pictures makers, professional and amateur alike, carried two cameras for just that reason. Other reasons could have been: 1)one camera loaded with slow film (fine grain) and the other with fast film, 2)one with color transparency (slide) film, the other with color negative film, or, as in my case, 3)each camera with a different lens. Also, most pros and some amateurs had an "extra" identical cameras just in case one when down in the middle of a shoot.
In today's digital world, many of the analog day reasons for two (identical or not) cameras are no longer applicable. However, I have noticed that many digital shooters are going the DSLR + highend P&S route. My assumption for this is based on the notions of: 1)bulky to carry but bigger files from the DSLRs = potential for bigger prints, and 2)easy to carry and smaller files from the highend P&S camera = good enough for most print making needs.
All of that said, whether it be two cameras or one, I am curious - do any of you, when you are out and about, ever field questions from strangers regarding your camera(s)?
*While I was standing in a shuttle bus line at the New York State Fair, one observant person asked if the E-5 and K20D (with battery grips) were digital cameras. My response was, "Yes.", whereupon she asked, "Why do they have motor drives?"
Reader Comments (2)
So you didn't actually tell us what you say when asked about the two "identical" cameras you carry. If you respond that they each have "different lenses", I bet most people would still be confused... "why don't you just press the zoom button?"
Thanks for continuing to entertain us with your storytelling.
I try to be as inconspicuous as possible and I never get asked about the camera (or cameras when I have more than one). But I did carry 2 film cameras way back when (color & B&W). I don't miss that at all.