Trade Show Season

This is an exciting time in Cameradom – so it makes sense that I would be excited along with it. There are all kinds of new toys being announced, including some very appealing cameras, and there's even the potential of a new lens or two that I would like. Yet I'm actually not all that enthused.

For this brief and glorious moment, there's nothing – no camera gear, at least – on my to-buy list. I wish that Nikon would redesign their 35/2, but the job they did on the 35/1.4 doesn't leave me desperate with anticipation. Carl Zeiss is teasing that they will release a new fast M-mount lens, but I have a hard time thinking that anything would beat the character of the 50/1.5 Sonnar or the perfection of the 35/2 Biogon. What I already have is perfect for me, and all's right with the world.

That won't last. It never does.

But for now I'm happy to take photos driven by passion and enthusiasm, to focus on art and expression. And yes, the gear is fun too, and I'm lucky that I can enjoy using it every day. Good times all around.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.

Juggling the Cameras of Summer

The natural follow-up question to my summer camera count – after "you use how many cameras???" – was how I manage to use them all. Not just physically, but practically. It's hard enough to be familiar with just one camera, and full proficiency can take months to acquire. It's a fair question.

First of all, to some extent it's simply not possible for me to know any of my cameras as well as someone who only uses one will. I'm not claiming to be polymath, or someone who's an Olympic fencer by day and a concert violinist at night. And yes, there are times when I've missed a shot, or not done as well as I might have, because I didn't know the tool as well as I could have. But then again, I find that's usually true for people with only one camera as well.

I spend a huge amount of time with a wide array of cameras – working in a camera store certainly helps with that. Someone can hand me a model that I've never seen before, tell me what they want it to do, and I can usually set it up correctly without referring to any online resources. Knowing cameras, and how they work, is what I do.

Working in a camera store also gives me a lot of free time to play. I can use slow moments to reacquaint myself with each cameras' controls and handling before I need to use it for a project or event. I'm not taking photos, but doing drills is the next best thing – and sometimes it's even better.

And I do take photos as well – usually a lot of them. I'll take a camera for a walk and go through a roll of film, or fifty to a hundred digital frames, in the week before I use it for a project or event. I also make a point of "warming up" with some fun throw-away photos before getting to work, and I find this really helps me loosen up and produce better results no matter how much I've been using that particular tool.

But ultimately what I do isn't all that different from those who have only one or two cameras. Most photographers use one 'primary' camera and have lenses that cover a huge range of focal lengths. I just do the opposite. Almost every photo I take is between 35mm and 85mm. So even though the camera and character changes, the composition and perspectives stay familiar. For me that's easier than being able to range between ultra-wide and long telephotos for a single subject.

There's also the fact that sometimes taking photos isn't the point of using a camera. More on that later.


Comments, questions, thoughts? You can find me on Twitter or via e-mail.

The Cameras of Summer

I was recently sitting with a group of photographers over dinner, and as the conversation occasionally will, the talk turned to cameras. Most people in my critique group know that I'm using the still-novel Nikon D800, but I confounded some of them when I said that it's just one of a half-dozen cameras that I use. Now, I have to confess that I was guessing at the number, but it turns out that I was right.

Over the summer I've used five film cameras with the goal of producing print-quality photos. Two of my three medium format cameras have been out to play, the Hasselblad and Fujifilm 645, along with the Nikon F5, Zeiss Ikon, and Olympus XA in small format. And, of course, I've been out with the Nikon D800 a few times as well, bringing the total up to six.

But there's still more. I've also used three digital cameras for web-quality work: the Canon S100 and Panasonic TS3 compacts, and the grand-daddy Olympus E-1 SLR. I've even had my audio recorder out, gathering material for an upcoming project.

There are also three cameras that I haven't had a chance to use, and really miss. My big Fujifilm GX680III has been sadly neglected; I feel restless to get out and use it, but it's such a monster that I need a clear goal before it gets to leave the house. My Panasonic long zoom camera also hasn't seen any action, which is a shame since the summer really is the best time for infrared photography. Finally, my little Panasonic GH1 has been completely overshadowed by the D800, and I haven't been in the mood for ultra-wide-angle photography recently, which is its huge strength.

And no, that's still not quite all of the cameras that I own. There's the Nikon F100, which I'm half-heartedly trying to sell now that I own the F5, and an Olympus waterproof camera that I might eventually use to take underwater photos of the Panasonic TS3. My Canon APS compact has outlived its film format, so I'm not sure if it still counts as a camera or if it's simply an objet d'art. But it's still nice to have, if only so that I know which camera is the one I'm least likely to use.