My new camera, the dedicated, no longer a phone, iPhone3G has left me excited at all its possibilities. Its one failure is that when I use it in my small Kitsilano studio with the hot lights that are built into my studio flash system the exposure used is a slow shutter I cannot control.

Because the iPhone is heavy it feels firm in my hand. But some of the resulting pictures have been a tad soft because of “camera” shake.

I went to Leo’s on Granville and friendly Jonas showed me four clamps with which I can attach my iPhone3G to my heavy Manfrotto tripod. We decided on the more expensive Joby as it can easily be switched from iPhone vertical to iPhone horizontal.

I love the service of Leo’s because it is a real camera store. The smell (heavenly) when I enter the shop is of camera metal. Their back-up to everything I have bought through the years has been excellent.

A few years ago in a magazine shoot in my Kerrisdale home my Fuji X-E1 would not fire my studio flash. In desperation I called up Leo’s and asked for Jeff Gin my point man there. Because it was Wednesday (Gin’s day off) he was not there to help. They put on Jonas who immediately asked me,  “Alex do you have your Fuji on silent mode?” 

Modern cameras exercise free will and, sure enough, they do stuff without their human masters telling them. It was on silent mode (and why would a camera not fire a flash on silent mode? Don’t ask me). The problem was resolved instantly.

Thank you Jonas and thank you Leo’s for protecting my back.

Olena and my iPhone3G