camera discussion topic

[naama]

I think this forum needs a photography gear discussion topic.

Ask questions related to cameras lenses etc.

Tell me what gear you got.

Say that canon > nikon and other crap brands.

Or what ever related to camera gear.


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Ill start by making my e-penis bigger by sharing my gear.

Currently: canon 1d mkIII as dslr, canon eos 300 35mm film camera, sony tx5 as point and shoot, samsung galaxy s2 for phone camera and hasselblad 500c/m for medium format(120) film camera.
Lenses: 24-105mm f4L and 50mm 1,4 that fit to canons, old manual focus zeiss 135mm 3.5 that only fits the dslr and 80mm 2.8 for hasselblad.

Cameras i used to have: canon 400d, canon 40d, canon 1d mkI and some old crappy canon point and shoot.

Lenses i used to have: 50mm 1.8, 50mm 1.2L, 75-250, 28mm 1.8, 85mm 1.8(all canon ofc), sigma 10-20mm

used to have 350ex mkII flash but sold it because i didnt have much use for flash and needed money.

Accesories: crappy tripod, some low end but reasonably good slik monopod with ball head. gossen digiflash lightmeter and epson v500 scanner.

I dont really have any questions about gear, because i feel like i know photogear well enough, but if someone is thinking about buying a camera or lenses, id be happy to help you choose the right gear(but i dont really know much about whats going on at point and shoot scene atm, so i doubt i can help you with those).
I know about other gear that what i have personally used, but i may not be able to give in depth review on that stuff, but can help you guide you towards right direction.


Sooo, what gear you guys are using?

[The Gopher]

*sob*


I have to write more than that I feel I am only posting one word post's on the forum these days...

But a "good" camera is the one thing I am lacking.

My current camera is a SONY MVC-FD91

1.44 mb capacity floppy disc drive Records 60 sec of movie with sound... yes you heard me right it has a floppy disc.

[naama]

Wtf a floppy disk, never knew they made cameras with those lol. anyways i looked up some sample pics and it looks like the camera still has pretty decent iq when it comes to colors and dynamic range, highlights didnt get blown off, shadows werent total black and had details and colors looked very natural

[The Gopher]

actually I am going to get a new camera, my price range is kinda low.... like 200-300 though.

[naama]

actually I am going to get a new camera, my price range is kinda low.... like 200-300 though.

you can get reasonably good dslr used for that price. if you dont care about video, few years old models doesent differ all that much from new models and you could get one for that price. talking about low end dslrs ofc and they will beat the living shit out of any point and shoot, even the ones that cost more..

[LucasM]

Do you want a camera to play with, to shoot with, to take wherever with, to pontificate about quality with, for close-ups or landscapes or nights or general...

dslrs are nice, but then again so are compacts, and they now have those 4/3 interchangeable lens models that are smaller than dslr but have better quality than compacts and so on and so forth. And don't rule out film either, if you like that look (especially if you are the type that enjoys the process of working intimately with your material, a process)

A bird in hand is better than two in the bush, so don't go getting an uber-fancy machine and end up not using it because you leave it at home all the time due to it being too big or due to taking too long to get all the settings 'just right' and thus missing the shot. But for creativity, camera over-ride functionality is very helpful in visualizing the shot.

Digital sensors are all good enough now pretty much that lens quality is of more importance than Megapixel value -> so don't judge on megapixels only. Especially for chromatic aberrations and sun glare shooting into the sun. Larger sensors do better in low light situations -> mainly due to there being more 'real estate' for light particles or photons or whatever to activate on. (but don't quote me on that) Dslrs have the largest sensors in the affordable consumer digital market.

Why I write so much? Wanted a new camera and spent a while dilly-dallying. Then I just went into a camera store where the people knew what they were selling, tried out a few cameras, physically felt in my hands (very IMPORTANT) to see how it would handle, and just bought one with no further dilly-dally. Was aggravating.

Main issue, get camera to fit your shoot style.

[jzono1]

Cameras are just tools.

Whoever's behind it matters more than the tool itself.

Me, I get by with an old Nikon, and a set of fast primes.

[The Gopher]

thanks Lucus, I probably will go for a camera that I can take anywhere and shoot quickly with but I found I can do that with other peopls dlsrs so... I don't know. Anytime of day and photos need to be of an ok quality.... this may not be possible with my price range but I will look anyway.

[The Gopher]

I think I might get an Fujifilm FinePix S2950, seems to be what I am looking for.

[A22]

I have a SX120 IS

I'd like to have a SX30 IS

And an old Polaroid

[naama]

Cameras are just tools.

Whoever's behind it matters more than the tool itself.

Me, I get by with an old Nikon, and a set of fast primes.

You need a large sensor if you want to control dof properly.
Too low iso wont let you shoot in dark, at least without tripod or to stop motion.
crappy high iso handling will cause high iso shots have much and ugly noise and make colors dull.
some situations need a zoom lens and low f numbers, in other words you need 2.8 zoom lens.
etc etc

But if you dont know how to frame the shot or choose proper f number, shutter speed, focal lenght and iso, good equipment doesent help much.

So yes if you cant use camera good camera wont help much, but if you got a crappy equipment you wont be able to use your skills in most situations.

[Oedipus]

yes you heard me right it has a floppy disc.

That actually souds pretty awesome. I will trade cameras with you.

[Powder-Monkey]

I have an Olympus E-3 with their 12-60mm lens.
Plus, an old Manfrotto tripod. I carried it around for years waiting to get a camera good enough to put on it.

My backup P&S is a Canon a2000 is, it served me well for a couple years. I use it mostly now if I want to get more up close, since I don't have a suitable macro lens, and I enjoy taking pictures of spiders, and it does the job fairly well. (http://www.flickr.com/photos/kschoenfelder/6138369045/sizes/l/in/photostream/) I might retire it soon though, I need something with a little more ability, but not as giant as my Olympus, just for taking with me around town because I take a lot of pictures when I'm out.
I'm hoping someone will come out with a micro DSLR that's easy to shoot in full manual. Nikon just came out with their mirrorless, I'm hoping Canon will come out with one soon to blow it out of the water.

I've always been a canon person, but I think I may have been successfully converted by Olympus. I could not be happier with the performance of the E-3, and I don't need 3493249234 MP, 10 suits me fine for what I do. But, the Olympus Pen doesn't quite have what I'm looking for.

[crippli]

Cameras are just tools.

Whoever's behind it matters more than the tool itself.

Me, I get by with an old Nikon, and a set of fast primes.
Yea, but the one behind is also a tool. Like feet. Those have limitations. I am fond of perspectives. I would love to have one of these.
http://vimeo.com/30255067

Look how nice things become when you change the perspective. What possibilities to capture what you see in your mind(not literary that weird, but off just the scene).
http://vimeo.com/30375854

[The Frood]

I have an olympus Pen EPL1 one of the Micro 4/3rds mentioned earlier. It's halfway between a DSLR and Point and Shoot (huge P&S like sensor, interchangeable lenses, no built in viewfinder, and smaller than a DSLR all for about $500). I love it! It has a ton of controllable features if you know what you are doing and easy to use auto modes if you don't.


In a few years I'm hoping to upgrade to a more professional system when i scrape up the capital. But in the meantime I"m happy with what I have.

I also have an old film Olympus SLR that i'm going to learn how to use in my film photography class next semester. We will see how that goes lol.