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Old Fox
12-23-2008, 01:27 PM
Name: Sandeep Goswami

Profession: Engineering Consultant, Freelance Writer/Photographer

Equipment: Zenith SLR(with 50mm normal):), Nikon FM 10 (35-70mm), Nikon f 80 (28-300 zoom), Sony DSC H10 P&S (8 mp, 10x optical zoom), Olympus mu400 (4 mp)P&S

Favourite Subjects (of Photography): Landscapes (esp. mountains), Travel

Intended Objectives: All skills, especially those that tend to evolve into an art, grow the best through sharing and exposure. And a platform such as this is forum provides more than ample scope for it. The learning, in photography especially, is across the spectrum.

Favourite Photographers: Steve MCCURRY, Ashok Dilwali and innumerable others who can bring forth the beauty of landscapes.

A Little Background: I am an Aeronautical engineer by education and an entrepreneur by vocation. An inveterate travel aficionado and an adventure lover to the core, I have been travelling in this wonderful country of ours,usually on motorcycle, over the past two decades. My literary efforts, travel experiences and sometimes, pictures taken during such forays, have been published in numerous journals and magazines. Taking pictures of places I visited was a natural consequence of going there. And the push towards improving my photographic skills came from the urge to be able to capture the beauty and underlying spirit of the places I photographed to its truest. Mountains have been my quintessential favorites as a riding destination and so my camera takes in most of the light from there. Intending to make a serious switch towards 'all-digital' photography and particularly keen on HDR’s. Therein lies some serious creative potential as far as landscapes go.

My landscapes:

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r391/bajajmidea/Chandratal.jpg
Chandratal Lake - Lahaul Valley

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r391/bajajmidea/Ki.jpg
Ki Monastery - Spiti

http://i353.photobucket.com/albums/r391/bajajmidea/FotuLaPass.jpg
Fotu-La Pass - Ladakh
KrishnenduKes
12-23-2008, 01:46 PM
Welcome Home!

Great to have you around. We hope to see you with your expertise and knowledge.
Sunny
12-23-2008, 03:36 PM
Those are great shots there Sandeep! The smile after the Zenith SLR must mean something, we would like you to throw some light on the subject, pun intended. :D
Old Fox
12-23-2008, 05:58 PM
Welcome Home!

Great to have you around. We hope to see you with your expertise and knowledge.
Thanks Ken! Good one there..Home:D

Those are great shots there Sandeep! The smile after the Zenith SLR must mean something, we would like you to throw some light on the subject, pun intended. :D
Thanks Sunny...about the 'smiley ridden' Zenit...the smile is inevitable when one thinks of the likes of the present-day 5D and the unusually sturdy KISS (keep it simple stupid!) based Zenit at the same time. But its lens optics were top-notch though.

Looking forward to a lot of sharing and learning on this forum.
Sunny
12-23-2008, 06:11 PM
I asked about the Zenith because Ken had another take on it. he said in 'those' times the Nikon FM 10 (which you have so graciously lent to me), was very expensive (around 8000 rupees). The Zenith on the other hand was available for at 1/10th of the price allowing the lesser mortals to at least get to know the workings of a SLR. The optics and quality wasn't great though.

Please validate, correct my understanding of the above.
KrishnenduKes
12-23-2008, 06:48 PM
I asked about the Zenith because Ken had another take on it. he said in 'those' times the Nikon FM 10 (which you have so graciously lent to me), was very expensive (around 8000 rupees). The Zenith on the other hand was available for at 1/10th of the price allowing the lesser mortals to at least get to know the workings of a SLR. The optics and quality wasn't great though.

Please validate, correct my understanding of the above.

The FM10 had a cult following then till the likes of F1 etc took over but never really democratised.

Whereas the Zenits of the age gave one the luxury of an SLR, a camera coming from the erstwhile USSR, with features that came nowhere near an FM10. Fully manual camera, sturdy in feel, looked as unsophisticated as the Lada. The only lens option available then was a 50mm (I think) of f2. I cannot really vouch for the Optical quality of the Zenit that I had used since concomitantly I was using my own OM2 with a 50mm lens that opened at f1.4 with far better optics and some electronics involved.

Maybe we can discuss this in a History of cameras/photography thread or something.
Old Fox
12-23-2008, 07:16 PM
The FM10 had a cult following then till the likes of F1 etc took over but never really democratised.

Whereas the Zenits of the age gave one the luxury of an SLR, a camera coming from the erstwhile USSR, with features that came nowhere near an FM10. Fully manual camera, sturdy in feel, looked as unsophisticated as the Lada. The only lens option available then was a 50mm (I think) of f2. I cannot really vouch for the Optical quality of the Zenit that I had used since concomitantly I was using my own OM2 with a 50mm lens that opened at f1.4 with far better optics and some electronics involved.

Maybe we can discuss this in a History of cameras/photography thread or something.
Yes Ken, the Zenit was all that and a bit more...never gave trouble however cold it was outside. Used it at -6 degC and it just clicked away merrily. Few amongst even the most modern hardware can be so 'acclimatized':D.

The optics were good though....I'd maintain that. Almost nil chromatic aberration to talk of, definitely no vignetting and no sign of either barrel or pin-cushion distortion either. Most of the 'off-the-shelf' PnS cameras and even some SLR lenses show vignetting and a fair amount of chromatic aberration even now. The all-glass optics made the difference I guess.


Please validate, correct my understanding of the above.
^Psssst Ken...I have some doubts about the sheer innocence behind this query:D:D He's having as much fun as the learning...say what??
powerslave
12-24-2008, 04:38 PM
Nice shots :) I'd love to be let loose in such a location. Hi!
desideep
12-25-2008, 12:34 AM
Hello Sar. i love your Yellow pants
Old Fox
12-25-2008, 02:13 PM
Nice shots :) I'd love to be let loose in such a location. Hi!

Thanks...and as for the location, in places like these just point and shoot...and get the kudos for a great shot. Ladakh...Spiti...heaven for the shutterbugs.:)

Hello Sar. i love your Yellow pants

Dear DD, appreciate your appreciation of those appreciation-worthy yellow pants - the only thing - had I been the one wearing them, I doubt if I would have managed to get behind the camera too at the same time :D
desideep
12-26-2008, 12:29 AM
Dear DD, appreciate your appreciation of those appreciation-worthy yellow pants - the only thing - had I been the one wearing them, I doubt if I would have managed to get behind the camera too at the same time :D

Hmm that is very true but you never know one may be using the ADVANCED technology called the self timmer. hehehe
FreeBirD
01-10-2009, 03:11 AM
Hi Sandeep,

Its nice to see those wonderful shots in the full bloom...
Amazing just as your techonological knowledge :)

Cheers
~m~