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from [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Friday, June 12, 1998 2:14 PM > The Nikon 6006 has been mentioned a number of times during the last 24 > hours, so I thought I'd toss in my two cents worth. I had one--well, > technically I still do have it--it lives in a drawer with old silk scarves, > white cotton dress gloves (I actually wore those?) and a silk flower from my > daughter's wedding. > > A short autobiography: Altho I was raised in a house next to the SP&S > (BNSF) mainline "cut" thru north Portland and heard every train that > switched or went by, I never SAW many trains--they were down in that hole! > They were just considered a part of everyday life like trucks and cars. > (insert Major break in timeline) Then about 8 years ago I met a > photographer of the railfan persuasion and went out to central Oregon with > him to take "train pictures." I love that area and was WAY more excited > about the trip than the trains. But the first time I was set up to take a > train picture--listening to the engines laboring up the hill, the > anticipation of seeing the nose pop around the corner, watching it grow > bigger and Bigger and BIGGER and finally roll past--I was hooked! > > I met other railfans and heard Nikon, Nikon, Nikon. So when my original > railfanning camera (Yashica) went belly up I figured I needed a Nikon. The > 6006 had recently come out and it seemed to be just what I needed at the > time, so I took one home. With its little fill flash, it was great for > people pictures. It was great for flower and plant and rock and water > images. It was great for shooting old barns and tumble-down houses. It was > great for sunrise and sunset shots (with or without railroad related > subjects). It was great for trains--almost. > > As long as the sun was at my back it usually produced images I was happy > with--unless I had screwed up. There was no problem with the focus, it was > strictly lighting. But try as I might (and I did try for many years) I > could never predict what the finished product would look like if the light > wasn't at my back. Yes, beside using the built in meter in all it's > configurations, I double checked with a hand held meter. I tried auto > settings and manual--with no noticible change in results. It was really > frustrating because there didn't seem to be a pattern for how, why and when > problems would show up. > > The camera and lenses were tested and the results showed everything was as > it should be. But there were so many shots that were milky, overexposed, > ugly pieces of film that ended up in the garbage. These were not neat, > artsy, cool, or even funky--they were just plain junk. It got to the point > that it wasn't fun to go chasing trains because I expected to have to throw > away so much of what I shot. > > Enough was enough. Three years ago I got a Mamiya 645. It's perfect for > me, I love it. I wouldn't trade it for anything. Now when I get > throw-aways I know the reasons (calculated risk, tried something to see if > it would work or how it would look, etc), it's my own fault--and I'd much > rather blame myself than my camera! > > Maybe that 6006 was just a lemon. I know of a few guys who have 8008s, but > other than the people mentioned in SPORRS, I don't know of any railfans who > use 6006. For rail photography out on the road, this particular camera was > a real disappointment for me. I would never recommend this camera to a > railfan and I would really have to talk a lot to convince myself to ever buy > Nikon again. I know that's unfair--one rotten apple, etc, but that's just > the way I feel. And anyway, I can't imagine ever getting rid of my Mamiya. > > Maybe I'll pull the 6006 out of the drawer and take it along as a > backup--but probably not. > > Donna Goff > (Somewhere NE of the Vancouver depot) ======================================================= -> SPORRS: 'Serious Photographers Of Railroad Related Subjects' -> Web Site: http://www.anet-stl.com/acphotog/sporrs/ -> Message © 1998 SPORRS® - All Rights Reserved =======================================================
