When The Going Gets Tough, The Tough Gets Going

The Canon J11aX4.5B in the hands of Nikko Mistriotis by John Deligiannis

Nikko, a veteran news cameraman of the Balkan and Middle Eastern conflicts, travelled the whole of eastern and southern Afghanistan to shoot the documentary series "Exadas", with noted Greek journalist Giorgos Avgeropoulos, for Alpha Satellite TV of Greece.

According to Nikko,  the wide angle J11aX4.5B allows him to delve deeper into the drama of the moment - albeit with risky close -ups. For him, these are essential for capturing the true dimensions of a story, rather than the more distant approach of zooming in from afar. As a true artist in his field, he also appreciates the amazing perspective shots he can create and the incredible zoom effects that are possible with the digital zoom facility.

It was important that the lens coped with the harsh conditions of the Afghan terrain ... the all-invasive dust, the extreme variations in temperature, and the constant vibrations and strain on the equipment when travelling the country's primitive road network. The lens's quality metal components and superb build  allowed Nikko to keep on shooting when others were struggling to clean the dust particles from their lenses.

Nikko offers the following anecdote to back up the advantages of his Canon J11X : "One day we were filming in a village market in the south of the country and interviewing people on the opium trade. All of a sudden we found ourselves surrounded by a mob. It was one of the many instances when we came to fear for our lives and the lens proved unique in capturing the moment and the ambivalent expressions on the many faces which bore upon us".

The lens provides Nikko with an edge in a very competitive and demanding field and, as such, has become an inseparable part of the documentary team. He can't imagine being without it on his future assignments, which knowing him, will continue to push both man and machine to their limits.