Cameras/ Photography

[Seraphim]

I agree people trained traditionally in film have an edge over those who have only used digital; most I've met do not understand photography to be a two step process, and that the data captured in the film, if properly exposed, rarely looks like the finished image. They think PS is designed to fix mistakes lol. I enjoy hearing somebody plan to be so good (or who thinks they are so good) they can pull the final image off the camera with no adjustments, and have it perfect.<br><br>Live and learn.<br><br>On reason I drifted to Nikon in the early 80s was for the lens interchangeability - and the quality of the lenses.

 

[lampliter]

Shot on a 7mp Olympus and doctored in Photoscape.<br>Photography is fun.

 

[Willy]

&nbsp;Go to&nbsp; http://www.steves-digicams.com/&nbsp; Personally, one thing that I find important in a camera (I do the 'cheap' P&amp;S) is the autofocus time, shutter delay and how fast it can take the next image. I settled for a Canon Digital Elph (in HOT pink). ..Willy.

 

[Seraphim]

Canons make good point and shoot cameras. I like having some manual features. If you can manually set the focus, you're not going to worry much about shutter delay. Just set the lens to its hyper focal distance.


StainedGlass2 by jglennhart, on Flickr

 

[wrcsixeight]

In '07 ordered a digital canon SLR from an outfit who then cancelled my order when they were unable to upsell me on anything. &nbsp;I then decided to get get a good point and shoot and wait for the next generation of DSLR.<br><br>I got a Canon A640 that one can manually set exposures and all sorts of other features usually only found in SLR's. &nbsp;Takes AA batteries, swivel screen. 10.0 MP.<br>

<br><br><br>It also can focus onto something 1/2 inch from the lens, taking excellent macro photos.<br>

<br><br>Never did get the DSLR.

 

[jillbobill]

I have an Olympus 4/3rd -- which as far as I understand it is kind of like a DSLR, but made with proprietary Olympus bits and therefore a pain to find lenses for. But, then, when I go shopping for lenses, I find them to be rather expensive and I wouldn't be able to merit the cost anyway, so what's the loss, right? Outside of the terror of selecting a camera from the sea of options available to you, my only real advice is BUY A TRIPOD. Buy it. They are cheapish. They fold up. I use mine all the time. I don't know where I'd be without it.&nbsp;

 

[Seraphim]

Have you checked for mount adapters - which adapt a camera for lenses of a different manufacture - might even work with older lenses.

The lens is more important than the camera.

 

[lampliter]

Shot out the back door of an apartment in Western NY of all places.<br>One of my favorites.<br>Macro shots are great.<br><br>Fujifilm 2500 SD (discontinued model).

 

[jillbobill]

I have, Seraphim. But the cost keeps going up and anyway, I like my lens fine enough. I think the hardest part is learning what it can and can't do.<br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://fc05.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/214/4/f/louie_by_jillbobill-d59jptm.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="https://sphotos-a.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-frc1/385540_4374488802346_84807610_n.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><img rel="lightbox" src="http://fc06.deviantart.net/fs70/i/2012/214/c/4/succulent_by_jillbobill-d59jnsb.jpg" class="bbc_img"><br><br><br><br><br>

 

[Seraphim]

Olympus lenses probably softer than Canon and Nikon; the real limiter being the maximum aperture size (3.8 / 4.5?).&nbsp; Other than that, no greater limitations than other lenses of similar design.<br><br>Like the cactus shot. Good composition.

 

[jillbobill]

Thank you!!&nbsp;

 

[caseyc]

Years ago, I was heavily into photography. At one point, I must have had tens and tens of thousands worth of Hasselblad medium format film gear, plus studio lighting equipment, and countless accessories. &nbsp;The Hassy equipment paid for itself when times were good. I then sold the Hassy equipment before it lost much of its value due to the popularity of digital photography. &nbsp;I then spent an absurd amount more on high end Nikon DSLR equipment, and mostly used all pro grade Nikon f2.8 lenses. &nbsp;I spent literally hundreds and thousands of hours behind the computer screen processing digital images in Photoshop and image browsers. &nbsp;I ended up selling over 90% of all my equipment, but still have a couple bodies and lenses left for photographing assorted events and such. &nbsp;I have extensive knowledge and experience in photography, and I can maybe help out someone who has questions or need advice.<br><br>

 

[highdesertranger]

jillbobill nice barrel cactus.&nbsp; highdesertranger

 

[Wayne On The Road]

Tennis Player Authur Ashe once said ~ "Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can."

I got a Minolta SLR when I graduated high school from my parents. I used that for 2 decades. Then, as digital cameras came out I started to get more serious about my photography. I saved up and bought a Nikon D70, as things progressed I kept pushing the limits of my ability and that of the camera. I always say to people don't spend the money until it's justified, until you know what an upgrade will give you and why you need it. I had a few self funded exhibitions with shots from that camera. A few years later I was shooting even more and needed something with more than 3 mega pixels because I wanted to make larger prints. I upgraded to a D200 and despite my best efforts I have yet to kill that camera, it is still my back up to my D800 which itself is now 4 years old.

Gear is secondary to your drive and ambition to learn. Keep those going until you NEED better gear to move to the next level. It's been said here that many people drop thousands on "the best" gear at the time but still can't take a good photo and this is very true. I've had many glorious comments on my work but wake up everyday knowing that I have yet to take my best photo. Therefore I'm always learning, always experimenting.

That said, if photography is strictly a hobby, then I also recommend starting with your phone, cameras are amazing in todays devices. Learn the rules of composition, the rule of thirds etc etc and if/when you want to move on to the next level then start thinking about a camera that won't be so overwhelming you'll lose interest yet challenging enough that you'll want to learn and evolve.

My two bits,

 

[geogentry]

for learning check out this new thread on here.

https://vanlivingforum.com/showthread.php?tid=10261&pid=93591#pid93591

 

[yugogypsy1963]

Okay, everybody who has top end cameras, here's a little story for you. Back in the day. I carried a Kodak 110 in my glove box--on the advice of a friend who said it would be good to have if I ever had an accident and wanted to document the damage or catch the license plate of another vehicle if it were hit & run

Well that little camera served me VERY well right up until I couldn't get film for it any more. I took some of the BEST picture I've ever taken with that little thing. My cell camera doesn't come near it in any way for quality. IF my pic comes through, look in the water, I got reflections of nearly every boat on the wharves. My cell can rarely do that. 

I have a simple Canon (model escapes my brain just now) and I haven't used it yet. I also have the Canon Selphy photo printer (which I don't think you can get any more)

You'll have to click on this pic to get the full reflections of the boats, but my little 110 took this and of all the pictures I've ever taken, its my favourite

 

[Fivealive]

I disagree with a few of these replies so I'm going to chime in. First, cameras don't become irrelevant after 6 months, a 5 year old DSLR will still take great photos. Good enough that if you put it in the hands of a good photographer you would never know the difference between the 5 year old camera or a shot from a brand new one. Second, don't buy a point and shoot, if your trying to upgrade from your phone there is really no point. The point-in-shoot is not going to give you much better results then your phone. A lot of phones now days can shoot in RAW and also give you manual settings. What the phone lacks is removable lenses, every photographer will tell you to invest in glass, not bodies. Removable lenses will give you so many more options from wide angle to telephoto, it really is a must if your trying to take photography seriously. Learning how to shoot in manual might be a bit confusing, but if your trying to improve your images then this is the route you have to take. Also don't underestimate the importance of mastering your post processing, invest in the adobe CC and use lightroom, it will make a huge difference (if your shooting RAW), RAW means not JPG, do not shoot in JPG you will loose a lot of the dynamic range if you do. With RAW photos + lightroom or photoshop you can pull a lot of details that would otherwise be lost in the shadows.

The best way to take better photos is to look for good light not for good scenes. A boring scene with good light will produce a better image then a great scene that is poorly lit. Light is king, and it is the most important factor, look for the light first, then find the best scene within the light. Adjust your settings to save the highlights and recover your shadows in post.

 

[Fivealive]

I will also add that a used DSLR is cheaper then most P&Ss. I stopped posting to flickr a few years ago so my gallery is a great example of what can be done with a cheap used DSLR. All of these photos were taken with either my Canon T3i or XTi, those cameras could be found used these days for 50-100 bucks. I do recommend buying new glass though, a Canon 10-20mm can be bought new for under $300 and is great for landscapes.

My flickr
https://www.flickr.com/photos/5alive/

 

[Fivealive]

One more thing, for those who do shoot with android phones you can shoot RAW format on a lot of models by using the lightroom app to take your photos instead of the built in app. This will also give you manual ISO and Shutter speed control, but not sure about aperture.

Also good auto-focus is great for video but its not required to take good stills. You can use a tripod and the digital viewfinder zoom to dial in your manual focus, if you get in the habit of doing this you will most likely out perform even the best auto focus anyway.

 

[MrNoodly]

Back in the film days I had a case of cameras and lenses. I even had my own darkroom for a while. But my interests drifted to video and I got rid of the still cameras.

I had various point-and-shoot pocket cameras I'd take on vacations or use to document projects I worked on. But being a nomad would mean constant vacation so I wanted a digital camera with adjustable controls and interchangeable lenses. I got a used Canon EOS Rebel T3i off eBay. It came with a 55-180 zoom lens. Because of the controls I could also shoot better video with it than the camcorder I had.

After a year or so shooting scenics I realized I wanted a wide angle lens. So I got an 18-55 zoom. It has become the lens I use most.

It's not the highest resolution camera I could've gotten, and the lenses are budget models, but they're good enough for posting photos on my blog. And the camera has been dependable.