If you don’t already recognize the quote, it is from Colin Chapman (1928-1982) the legendary designer behind the original Lotus motorcars and racing machines. (From the Lotus website) It was his philosophy, way before ‘minimalism’ became fashionable. “Adding power makes you faster on the straights; subtracting weight makes you faster everywhere,” was another of Chapman’s premises.

This message seems lost on today’s car makers. The original Mini Cooper weighed 1,407 lbs; a 2016 Mini Cooper hardtop weighs 2,605 to 3,035 lbs depending on trim levels. And yeah, I know about airbags and bumpers and crap like that…

This fact also seems lost on today’s camera makers too. The legendary Nikon F2 body weighed 1.85 lbs, while the Nikon D5 is 3.12 lb. Yet the top of the line Panasonic Lumix GH5 weighs 1.6 pounds and heck, my Olympus EM-10 Mark I weighs in at 0.76 lbs. What’s wrong with this picture?

Alas the lens makers are getting into this act too. I recently tested a 85mm lens for Shutterbug Digital that was about double the size of my Canon system’s 85mm lens. It weighed 1.45 lbs compared to the EF 85mm’s 0.93 lbs and the Canon costs half as much. But my Olympus 45mm f/1.8 lens (90mm equivalent field-of-view) weighs 0.25 pounds and delivers spectacular results when used under the same kind of lighting conditions as those bigger, heavier brothers.

Don’t get me wrong the larger, the more expensive lens has more technology, such as image stabilization (like the new Mini’s airbags, etc) and is one hell of a lens sharpness wise. I used to own a Mini Cooper S Clubman and it was one helluva car too as far as driving went; reliability was another story.

OK, I’m not naive enough to realize that if you need to shoot billboard-sized images or sell 40×60-inch—or bigger— fine art prints maybe, just maybe*, you need the biggest sensor and the most megapixels and if that means schlepping around a big camera and a heavy tripod to get those kinds of results, I understand. But that doesn’t describe most of us.

So the question I’m asking myself and you too if you’re interested. Am I a better photographer if I use the camera on the left (above) or does a camera that weighs less is the one that’s more likely to get used. In fact, the EM-10 Mark I was one of the cameras I used on my trip to New Mexico for that very reason— Simplify, then add lightness.

*Look for posts about big prints from small sensors next month…

When testing the Leica Q I ran into a memory card problem that was solved by using the camera itself as a card reader and connecting it to my computer and copying the image files onto my hard drive. While card failures do occur, in all my years of using both CF and SD cards I’ve had few such occurrences and was sure each time it was caused by user error. At least that’s what I used to think as I mentioned in my post about photographing the Goodguys Colorado Nationals.

Mary and I were getting ready to attend the Colorado Conclave car show for English cars and motorcycles and I planned on taking my Panasonic Lumix GH4 and 14-45mm OIS lens that was used to make all of the photos shown in this post. Now it gets interesting: Not too long ago I started having problems with my GH4 giving me error messages and having to shut the camera down and restart to continue making photographs.

I asked my friend Mark Toal, who works for Panasonic, what he thought the problems was and he suggested updating the firmware to the latest version. I said I was sure I had the latest firmware installed, which I quickly found out I didn’t. I installed the latest firmware then told Mark about it, to which he replied, “it could be the memory card.” So while charging the GH4’s battery I took a look at the memory card inside the body and sonofagun, it was another 64GB Lexar Professional card. The same kind of card that ate my images at the Goodguys show. I removed it, then started looking at the cards in my other Panasonic and Olympus camera and found several other Lexar cards, all of which have since been quarantined.

Because of Mary’s yoga class, she and I arrived late in the Colorado Conclave show but we both made photographs using SanDisk SD cards and neither one of us experienced card problems. I wrote a post for my main blog called How Old Is Your Memory Card? in which I pass along some tips to avoid creating your own problems due to user error. If you have time give it a read.

Update: A lot has happened since I originally wrote this post: On June 27, 2017, Micron announced that Lexar’s entire portfolio would be discontinued, including memory cards. The brand was shortly after acquired by Chinese company Longsys and a group of former executives  teamed up to produce memory cards. If I get a chance to test the new cards, I write a review.

Each workshop will include both instruction and live photo sessions of the action. There will be opportunities to post your images on various series’ websites. Workshops will be limited to eight participants and will proceed rain or shine.

Please contact John Larsen at jlarsen@photograffics.com for details.

Introduction to Motorsports Photography:

• photograph the “Push It To The Limit” auto slalom event at the Powerade Centre in Brampton in a safe environment
• Sunday, June 11
• Cost:  $50, plus hst=

Intermediate Motorsports Photography:

photograph the Canadian Touring Trophy event at Canadian Tire Motorsports Park (Mosport) along with the only Canadian stop in the Challenge Club Racing series featuring Ferraris

• Saturday, July 29
• numerous sedan and formula classes will be competing throughout the day
• Cost:  $75, plus hst

Advanced Motorsports Photography:

photograph motocross competition at Gopher Dunes motocross track south of Woodstock

• Sunday, September 17
• Classes range from Peewee kids on 50cc up to Experts on 450cc
• Cost:  $100, plus hst

All workshops will take place rain or shine!

Note: Each participant will be required to sign waivers provided by both the event organizers and Photograffics.

One of the few people with mirrorless cameras was Bill from Franktown, an Olympus shooter, who was able to shoot some frames on the Olympus E-M1 Mark II that I brought along. This feature is something that’s almost always a part of our Cars & Coffee PhotoWalks—if I bring along a new camera or lens, I’ll let you shoot some frames on your own memory card so you’ll have an example of what the camera/lens will do. PS. Bill liked the camera and it’s really impressive. All of today’s images were made with the E-M1 Mark II and the 14-42mm kit lens from my E-M5 Mark I. You can read a First Impressions post about the E-M1 Mark II on our sister blog, Mirrorless Photo Tips.

The parking lot was extremely crowded but not just with Cars & Coffee cars; there were a higher number than usual of spectators who parked their everyday drivers on the lot giving the impression of a bigger show than was actually going on. Nevertheless, all of the PhotoWalkers had a good time with comradarie and equipment —cars and cameras— talked about in equal measure.

I hope that you can join us in the March Hare Cars & Coffee next month on March 11. It will held at The Vehicle Vault, 18301 Lincoln Meadows Pkwy Parker, Colorado 80134 from 9am and 12 noon. If the lot is crowded, park on the big Lowes parking lot across the street like I do.

In the spring I happened across a story about the annual Grand Prix Festival at Watkins Glen, NY. I mentioned his event to a fellow photo club member and he raved about it as he had been there a few years ago with his Lotus. I registered my partner Cathy and I for the Roadster Rally in my 1988 Mazda Rx7 convertible. Our group of Roadster Rallyists was limited to two-seater convertibles only—if you had a t-bar roof you need not apply! There were other rallies available to other car types and even motorcycles.

We met at a park in nearby Montour Falls. As we were greeted by the other members of this particular rally, I was struck by the distinct display of cars. Peter and his wife Gerry were parked beside us in their Miata which they won in a raffle. John and Sue were behind us in a 12 cylinder Jaguar E-type with more chrome under the hood than I’ve ever seen on a Jag. He bought it on eBay from photos without seeing the car. Beside them was the father and son duo of George Senior and Junior in another beautiful black Jaguar. I’m not sure which had more variety: the cars or the people!

During the meeting we quickly realized that this was a navigational rally of sorts. I have participated in my fair share of rallies, but Cathy and I had not entered a navigational rally for almost thirty years. I was hoping for a “follow the leader” event here. After all, my car has an odometer that was in kilometers and not miles. My plan was to simply follow the bright yellow Pontiac Solstice in front of us. The organizers had outsmarted me however as the route map had both miles AND kilometers on it! It is a good thing too because within 45 minutes you could see participants scattering in various directions. I thought of the bumper sticker “Don’t follow me-I’m lost too!”

The highlight of the day was to drive two laps of the original Watkins Glen course used in the late 40’s to early 50’s through downtown which included crossing the train tracks and Stone Bridge . The pace was slow and safe through the town as an estimated 20,000 spectators lined the sidewalks. Once we were out of town on the back part of the circuit I had a quick look at my speedometer and I am sure that it was higher than the posted limit!

After we parked and settled into Watkins Glen, a selection of racers that were participating in the US Vintage Grand Prix at the nearby Watkins Glen International racetrack did a run through town. Ahh, the sights, the sounds, the smells. As we were leaving the track on Sunday and we shared a final wave with George Jr., I was reminded of something our bed and breakfast host had said months before when we made our reservations, “This is better than Christmas!”

Senior International Travel Correspondent, John Larsen has created a photo magazine documenting the 2016 Watkins Glen Grand Prix Festival. You can preview a copy of the magazine and purchase either a printed or digital version by clicking here.

This new Evora has been re-engineered, covering every aspect of the car, including a front splitter, roof panel, hatch, and rear diffuser along with lighter weight door trim panels and the addition of carbon fiber components across the entire car. The one-piece carbon hatch incorporates a louvered section, inspired by some of Lotus’ heritage models. These changes have also improved the car’s aerodynamic downforce by 15% with no increase in drag.

It’s not a stripped-out special, with a lower center of gravity and lowered weight. Lightweight, 10-spoke forged aluminum wheels and optional Michelin Cup 2 tires, complete the car’s dynamic revisions. As a result, handling is sharper, along with better body and roll control, yet ride comfort and composure is retained. Complementing this is a higher-output version of the supercharged, 3.5-litre 6-cylinder engine, developed through the Lotus 3-Eleven project which has beaten Nürburgring records: The car produces 410 hp at 7000 rpm and 410 Nm of torque at 3500 rpm.

The Evora Sport 410’s manual gearbox features a low inertia flywheel, helping ensure swift gear changes, while a Torsen-type limited slip differential (LSD) gives better traction and faster exit speeds when cornering. Available as an option, an automatic transmission offers gear selection via aluminum flappy paddles mounted to the steering wheel. The Evora Sport 410 also features Lotus’ Dynamic Performance Management (DPM) which, selected via a dashboard switch, provides ‘Sport’ and ‘Race’ settings. Proportionally increasing throttle response, lowering traction slip thresholds and removing understeer recognition, it allows enhanced control before the system intervenes.

The Evora Sport 410 comes with carbon fiber sports seats trimmed with Alcantara, along with the steering wheel and centre console. An integrated touch-screen entertainment system can also be specified, including iPod connectivity and Bluetooth functionality. Weight saving measures includes one-piece door trim panels finished in Alcantara, with contrast stitching, the deletion of door arm rests and stowage pockets, the relocation of hatch and fuel filler release buttons and the removal of speakers —if an entertainment system is not specified.

The Lotus Evora Sport 410 will be limited to a global production run of one-hundred and fifty vehicles per year and will be available in all major markets from June 2016. A specific North American version of the Evora Sport 410 will be announced later in 2016.

Anyone interested in the new Lotus Evora Sport 410 should visit: www.lotuscars.com/lotus-evora-range