My Rebel Ways

... or Porting the Camera

Well, I finally fell off my wallet and did it. I purchased my SLR Digital Rebel camera, about two years ago, but we have have an on-again off-again relationship, Mistress Rebel and I. While I haven't been seriously contemplating a divorce, I have recently been considering taking a second mistress. You see, Cuppa's little camera, a Canon Elph, is very compact, easily ported, and takes pretty good pictures. Mistress Rebel, on the other hand, is not only big but it is an SLR which really requires extra attachments, like a telephoto lens, if you're going to make it really work for you. So, you see, I have been thinking of buying a second camera, smaller than the Mistress but with a little more juice than Cuppa's Elph.

You see, because of her girth, I have, all too frequently, chosen to leave Mistress Rebel at home and use the Elph. But when I considered getting another camera, I realized that it would be of a similar ilk to the Elph (hmm ... I like that ... ilk to Elph). And why, pray tell, would we want two point-and-shoot cameras? Well, I would want a new camera for the reasons outlined above, of course, but there's a fly in that particular ointment — the Elph's photos, while not too shabby at all, simply do not have to crispness and resolution of the SLR.

By yesterday I had sorted my feeble brain through this dilemma and decided to purchase a very portable and convenient camera bag. It is really quite an engineering feat: a sling pouch that can very, very easily, be shifted from back to front (see the two photos above). Once I shift it to the front, I can grab my camera with facility. The photo to the left shows how well-designed this little beauty is. See all of the lenses and do-dads that can be stored? When I open the case to take a picture, I look straight down to the camera (not quite the view in the photo). I can easily grab the Mistress (oooh la la), shoot the picture, place her (gently and lovingly, of course) back into her niche, and sling the pouch to the back for easy carrying. It's really a very nifty contraption.

It's made by Lowepro, and, yes, it did set me back a little more than a hundred smackers. But after under-utilizing my camera, somewhat, for two years and then dithering about what to do for the last several months, I think I have made the right decision. You see, Cuppa and I are going to make a little trip to the Arizona and the Grand Canyon in a few weeks, and I quite look forward to having my camera much more accessible than it has been. I imagine that there will still be times when I opt to just use the Elph, but porting Mistress Rebel will certainly be much, much easier.