Over the edge

 Got this image on a trip to the UK in 2003. I was still shooting film but was looking at purchasing a Nikon DSLR that were finally coming within my price range. But for this trip, I took numerous rolls of Kodak Tri-X that I shot exclusively on this two week trip. Since I wanted to be able to shoot inside and outside without carrying two cameras, I shot the whole time at ASA1600 which gave me enough exposure latitude both in and out to keep my shutter speed at handholdable levels.

This shot I grabbed in Piccadilly Circus as I was watching the the screen changing. I spotted a couple of guys looking over the edge on the roof but the marquee image is what got me to hit the shutter!

Equipment was a Nikon F100 with MB-15 battery pack and a questionable Tokina 24-200mm lens. Sharpness was adequate but not great. Later trisp in 2004 and 2005, I used a Nikon D2H with a Nikkor DX 18-200mm and a Tokina DX 12-24mm. Both of those lenses were more than adequate for my needs.

While I currently shoot with a pair of Fujifilm X100S bodies and the TCL and WCL conversion lenses, I still toy with going back to the D2H and 18-200mm lens. I really enjoyed that combination. The drawbacks are the weight of the combination and a top ISO of only 1600.