P3D Re: Realist Lens Cover Removal

[Paul Talbot <ptww@xxxxxxxxx>]

Gary Schacker wrote:
 
> Will somebody please mention why the heck one would want to remove
> the lens cover in the first place?  Especially in the field?

I started to include all the "background" discussion in my original
post on the question, but deleted it.  I often fear most of the
list tunes me out for my long-winded commentary.  How refreshing
to have someone *ask for* the background!  :)  Thanks, Gary!

Friday morning I went to the local college football stadium to
witness a certain historic event with which U.S. sports fans may
be familiar.  It involved one fine young man named Ricky Williams.
I had been sitting in the $6 end zone seats in prior games, but for
this big rivalry game no seats were sold at that price.  Not having
a ticket of my own, and not being able to afford the minimum $100
asking price of folks willing to give up their tickets, I could
do no better than to watch from the wrong side of an iron fence
at one corner of the stadium.  A twin SLR with about 300mm zoom
lenses might have been appropriate, but, alas, I had only a basic
3.5 DW Realist at my disposal.  The spacing of the bars was such
that the lenses seemingly could look through the fence for snapping
pictures.  Unfortunately, given the angle at which I had to aim to
get shots of the field, instead of the grandstand, the lens cover
prevented getting the camera close enough to the bars for the lenses
to see cleanly through the fence.

As Mike K. mentions, shooting through glass (window) is another
reason.  Although I generally love the lense cover, I've cursed
it a few times when wanting to shoot through a display window,
or the window of an airplane.

Paul Talbot


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