Note: Written in 2024.

In my never-ending archive project, the past few days I've been looking at the early years 1998-2002 when I was transitioning from film to digital and shooting a lot of baseball. I got first digital SLR, the original Canon 1D Mark I, in August 2002. I got some practice with it in my back yard and on a trip to Maine, then in October I headed southwest to my fifth visit to the Arizona Fall League.

Looking at these images from that 4mp camera, it really shone at shooting sports in daylight. The colors are good and the camera worked well with the EOS autofocus lenses. The camera had limitations, notably noise and banding at higher ISOs, but for baseball in the sun it would still be a very good camera. I don't have that camera any more, but I do have its Mark II 8mp successor that I use for remote triggering.

To show how long ago 2002 is, the subject of this first image is minor leaguer Chase Utley playing third base. He went on to a long career at second base with the Phils and Dodgers, winning a World Series ring in 2008. He received 28.8% of the vote in his first year of eligibility for the Hall of Fame this year. A vote of 75% is necessary to be selected.

Mark Teixeria had a slightly lower batting average but better career power numbers than Utley. He received only 1.5% of the HOF votes last year and was dropped from future ballots. He is shown here in the 2002 Arizona Fall League as a Rangers prospect. He later got a huge contract with the Yankees and won a ring in 2009.