What camera?

[nadinbrzezinski]

Posted on June 3, 2013
This is often asked, what camera do you use? Well, the first rule is, use whatever camera you happen to have. I have taken photos using a point and shoot, as well as my cell phone. Funny story, for a particular story it was at the Federal Court House. I am at the time quite green, and generally speaking cameras are not allowed in the court house.

Well, to my surprise, I could have brought my camera, since it was a presser, and press was allowed in with all the things we are usually told not to bring. I had a cell phone. I used what I had. To my shock and surprise the photos were decent, as in pixelation issues. And after cropping the paper had a photo. You could print this beyond a 5×7, but you can still capture the moment.

Now as to the camera, that body fitting in your hands and you being to reach the controls is critical. This is why..even a full format body for me might make sense, it really does not. My hands are small. The Nikon 5100 is perfect for my hands.

My husband at times uses it as a secondary body, and for him it is tiny, so his problem is fat fingers on controls. So all the fancy…make sure that body fits you. Mine does so well I can shoot one handed if need be.

[libodem]

1. Thanks for sharing

So interesting. My mom studied journalism in college. She loved writing. It goes along with taking pictures for a story.

I just learned how to post pictures from my phone. So I'm visiting the photography group more often. These guys are good. I'm a novice.

[nadinbrzezinski]

2. I will likely post a few I have taken, and posted, on the twitter

Now that I started the blog

[libodem]

3. Very cool

[nadinbrzezinski]

4. I carry my point and shoot every where.

The Nikon is too much. Just in case a a story happens in front of me...with a press pass as well.

[libodem]

7. I looked through an old suit case

And found all my mom's old credentials, press passes and such. Here is a picture of my peonies:

[img][/img]

[nadinbrzezinski]

18. Pretty flowers

Just could not look at them earlier in the day from a phone.

[libodem]

20. Thank you

And I've been digging through those old suitcases and just can't find that plastic fold that held my mom's cards. I wanted to look at them again since I said I had them. I hope they can be found.

[libodem]

21. I finally located mom's old press passes

[img][/img]

[nadinbrzezinski]

23. Those are cool

[alfredo]

13. Here's something that will improve your photography.

Look at how the works are composed. Look at how they use the most important of all numbers, the number three.

https://www.google.com/search?q=classical+painters&safe=off&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=Hc2sUe3xJKi30gG984CwCQ&ved=0CAoQ_AUoAQ&biw=1400&bih=779

The "rule of thirds" can mean the grid used for composition, it can also mean the triangle or the grouping of three elements in the image. The Mona Lisa is a triangle, and so it Dorothea Lange's "Migrant Mother." The eyes, nose and mouth describe a triangle, and that might be why our eyes are attracted to triangles.


No matter how good the other photographers are in this group, they were once novices, and probably still think their photos suck.


http://digital-photography-school.com/rule-of-thirds

Look at their tips: http://photography.nationalgeographic.com/photography/

Learning the use of light is more difficult, but I look to the cinema for inspiration.

[libodem]

15. Thank you

I'll check out the links.

[alfredo]

17. Good, and don't feel shy about posting on this forum.

[kentauros]

5. There is an Iphone ad out there

that makes me shake my head every time I (unfortunately) have to hear it. They state at the end of it: "More photos were taken last year with the iphone than any other camera."

Okay, I understand that smart phones do allow you to take photos spur of the moment to capture whatever important thing you want to record. But the implication is pretty much that quantity equals quality.

I would guess that not long after the Instamatic was introduced to the general public that more photos were taken with it than any other camera at the time. But, I don't think most of us that know about quality cameras and lenses would consider that Instamatic photo is the same as one made with your standard Hasselblad or high-end Nikon. And I wouldn't expect a professional photographer to use a smart phone in the studio, excerpt, perhaps, to do test photos.

Now what I still find to be pretty cool about phone cameras (even if I never use the one on my crackberry) is that the linear motor used to zoom and focus them was a direct NASA spinoff. I read about it in NASA Tech Briefs years ago

[nadinbrzezinski]

6. I know and it does not equal it

For tweeter feeds I find it useful, but you try burst mode with an I-phone

[kentauros]

8. I don't own any iProducts,

so I don't know if they can do burst mode or not. I'm sure if there's a demand for it, they'll at least attempt it.

As for my cameras, I use my Canon Powershot the most. It's got great optics and a nice little 12x zoom. The quality of the CCD is equal to my Canon Rebel (if not a little better) and easier to haul around.

But when I want to take more artistic photos, I lug around my Rebel, Manfrotto tripod, and all the accessories in the camera bag. I do need to look at getting a better lens for it, though. I'm still using the kit lens, and wouldn't mind having a better zoom, and maybe a macro lens, too

[nadinbrzezinski]

10. i use the kit lens

Or Tom's zoom later today will do the most duffucult shot i have taken finally got a monopod that lives in the jeep

[kentauros]

11. Have you ever tried the Gorilla-Pod?

I think that's what it's called. Little tripod that's bendable such that you can wrap its legs around things. I have one for my Powershot, and they may make a larger one for SLRs. That's another one you could keep in your jeep

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. I have considered it, admitedly

But to be brutally honest I rarely need a tripod...or want it. CNN water a s retardant drops would be next to impossible on a tripod, I think at least

[alfredo]

19. But in time a phone user may want more from a camera than what a phone camera offers.

I used an Instamatic at one time, but my heart belonged to my Brownie Six 20 and Brownie Hawkeye.

[kentauros]

22. Hopefully, that is what the phone-camera user will want to do.

The ad makes it seem like it's more important for more total number of photos made with their phone than for phone users to make quality photos.

I used an Instamatic at one time as well. And then I got a Pentax K-1000 that lasted me several decades

[nadinbrzezinski]

27. Hubby still has his tank...eeeerrrr Pentax 1000

in storage

[kentauros]

29. Mine stopped working a while back.

Would you like it for parts? I tried giving it away to a camera repair shop, but they didn't want it. I don't use film any more, so it's just taking up space here.

[nadinbrzezinski]

30. Film is mostly gone

He took his as a combat photog, so I think it's that kind of an attachment.

[alfredo]

28. I have no problem with them touting the numbers because there are real people taking photos.

Some will become interested in the art of photography.

[alfredo]

9. Good advice. If you are shopping at a place that have their cameras attached to anti theft devices,

have an employee unhook the camera so you can see if the camera fits you. If they won't let you do that, walk out. They are either too lazy to do it, or they don't trust you.

I turned down a more popular/expensive camera because it didn't feel good in my hands.

The camera I use is considered old in the world of digital cameras, but it still works fine. I post the equipment used to show it is not necessary to have the biggest and best to produce good photos. You can do good work on the cheap.

Learning a few basic rules and the pleasant task of practicing the craft is much more important than a shiny new thousand dollar camera.

I still lust over some of the new shiny cameras like the Ricoh GR, Fuji X100s, Olympus EPL5, and Panasonic G6. But my trusty old Olympus EPL-1 still has capabilities I haven't fully explored.

BTW, I use a wrist strap because I can't handle a shoulder strap, and a wrist strap gives me more flexibility when shooting moving subjects, or subjects that are at inconvenient angles.

[kentauros]

12. I use my wrist-strap all the time, too.

What I'd like is one that's elastic over the wrist instead of the big loop, as that slips off all the time.

I bought both of my cameras, my accessories, and even my printer, at a locally owned and operated camera shop (Camera Co/Op.) They keep their cameras in glass cases, but will happily pull out anything you want to handle and try out. I give them my business for all of my photography needs

[alfredo]

14. Yes, buy local. My wrist strap had no way to tighten so I made a

leather shoelace turk's head knot to fit over the loop. I can slide it up to tighten.
http://www.animatedknots.com/turkshead/

I have the Canon WS20 strap. It's overkill, but that's OK.

[Stevenmarc]

24. I've posted this before

A triptych of a similar style of shot taken with my iPhone, Leica and a DSLR, not necessarily in that order:

[nadinbrzezinski]

25. Ah, the photographer

[rdking647]

26. the main reason i bought a d600 instead of the d800

was body size. i have midget hands and the 800 was to big for them

[Cassandra]

31. If I know I'm doing a serious shoot...

studio or a nature walk, I'll have my Canon 7D with either my 24-70 or my 100mm macro lens. I want large RAW files and maximum control of my dof and focal point. However, today I'm going down to the Lower East Side to reshoot some great graffiti, and since it's a gritty area and I'm not doing macro shots, I'll take my Canon G12; good for street photography as well. It looks like a tourist camera but has manual controls and large enough RAW files. When I first saw the graffiti, I had only my iPad with me (and always have it with me). The JPEG is smaller than 2 MB, although the quality, even close up, is seriously good.
I have to say that a couple of years ago, I took the G12 with me to shoot the Mermaid Parade (in the heat I was trying to avoid the weight of the bigger camera). Big mistake. The lag, not from pressing the button to shutter response, but the lag from one shot to the next in RAW, nearly drove me insane.