Out of the desk drawer and out onto the streets. What's the "new" camera and has it replaced all that Leica junk I've wasted my money on over the last four years? And counting.

In a vain effort to be exceedingly well prepared to make my clients outrageously happy with my work I've spent a small fortune on pricey, apparently "Veblen" German cameras over the last four years. I've also spent outrageously on lenses to go with the cameras. I've bought batteries that, ounce for ounce, are more precious than gold or silver. 

Whatever was I thinking? How could I have been so blinded when the only camera I ever really needed was right there in the desk drawer of my home office. The one in my house. A camera that sat patiently in that dark drawer, along with four batteries and a charger, for four long years.

You must be wondering. What is this miracle camera that the misguided blogger is speaking about? Is it real or some Unicorn type dream? "Tell me more!" you might demand. So I will. 

First we have to agree that no human need ever use a camera with more than 12 megapixels. That's as good as or better than film. Right? No sense going higher because our inkjet printers won't show up the difference and only a gifted photographer with decades of experience could tell the difference between the output of a 12 megapixel camera and images from a 60 megapixel, full frame camera equipped with one of those overpriced APOchromatically corrected (a made-up word?) lenses that suckers buy for no good reason. And we also have to agree that zooms are superior in every parameter to those antiquated "prime" lenses. That's more of less a given. 

I don't want to keep you in suspense so I'll tell you that the change I'm thinking of making is to vintage Japanese cameras from the world's greatest camera maker: Canon. Yep! They originally supplied the camera that lived in the drawer. It's light was hidden behind wood panels. It's potential denied while I pandered to lesser cameras. But now I've seen the light. Metaphorically and literally --- so here we go. Take a gander at the stuff I shot today as I was walking around today in the mists. They are below. And the camera will be revealed in the final two frames. Rush to buy one of them. Dump everything you've been suckered into buying. It's a new reality and I certainly don't want to get left behind....

or should we say, "Best Lens in Town!"?

Not my car. But some owner of a brand new Audi is going to be royally pissed off when he or she rushes down to this parking lot, running late for a very important meeting and is....delayed. 

From half a block away! Try that with a Q2!

My least favorite name for a bar on Sixth Street...

Free color checker chart for newly unearthed cameras!

PMS 185?

Nocturnal land sharks. The noble AquaDillo.

checking that unbelievable color once again.

and again.

From across four lanes of a busy street. 

this is, apparently, only possible by renouncing camera lust for all time.

it's a recurring message. It's everywhere.

Unbelievable. Who could have known that I already had access to the ultimate Mannequin Photography gear? And it was right in front of my nose. But in fairness most cameras end up right in front of my nose... So there is that.

And not a hint of flare from the 100,000 watt light fixture at the new coffee shop.

Just opened at the W Hotel in downtown. 

Need depth of field controls? It comes as standard equipment. 

decisive moment photography waits for no AF system!

The big camera reveal.

Drum roll. Gasps!

Here it is: 

Wait. I'm busy composing on the back screen...

Ta-Da. In the locker room at the swimming pool before noon practice. 

That was the moment all the magic came together for me.

It's the legendary Canon G15 camera. Twelve magnificent megapixels of color accurate glory with none of the stinky Veblen attached. Just pure, bulletproof imaging from the best of the best. Brought to us by the year 2012.

Christmas came early.