Base10 is on the subway on his way to work and is hoping for a more efficient commute than yesterday. It is a foggy morning today in the Big Apple, but also a mild 55 degrees. Not too bad, really.

Base10 has some things at work that will carry him through the afternoon, so blogging is unlikely for the rest of the day.

What will the weekend have in store? Base10 would like to get out and do some photography on Saturday, possibly at Rockaway or the Brooklyn side of the East River.

Base10 is still toying with the idea of getting another rangefinder camera. The Bessa R3A made by Cosina/Voigtlander looks interesting and is very inexpensive. The lenses that this company makes also seem terrific for the price--something like one-third to one-quarter of the price of Leica lenses. Should I buy one? It certainly won't break the bank--even if I got one Leica or Zeiss lens to go along with it. But 35mm film photography is something I swore off. Otherwise, why get all that medium format gear?

The only justification really is convenience. I'm beginning to realize that if you actually want to carry a camera around with you all the time, it should be small and light-weight. And if you want a camera to carry around that's unobtrusive, carry a rangefinder.

If that's the logic, why not go Leica? You can make a good case for this. The Leicas retain their value. If you do buy one, you could sell it later for pretty much what you paid for it. But I'm not ready for a Leica just yet. It seems to me that this is the camera you carry if you are a foreign correspondent on assignment or if you are a rich dentist with a lot of money to throw around taking snapshots. Plus I don't buy into the whole Leica mystique. A camera is a box that separates film from light. The lens is what counts. When I read Leica users comparing their 35mm negatives to 4x5 quality, I laugh.

Don't get me wrong. I'd love to own one. And if you kept it on a shelf you could argue it's an investment. But I would want to use it.

No diatribe today. Base10 will have his application in to be readmitted to CUNY on Monday. Hopefully, this will work out. Base10 has already begun his mathematics review and is up to rudimentary matrix algebra. This leaves calculus and constrained optimization over the weekend. Joy!

Base10 will perhaps post more after work.

- posted by Base10 @ 11:32 AM