Miscellaneous Photography - all aspects

[Tenor Viol]

Following various recent posts, I thought I would create a thread specifically for photography. Somewhere to talk about equipment, experiences, processing...

To start off, I was a Nikon user for over 40 years, but had to 'down size' as handling full-frame cameras and lenses was getting to be too much like hard work and giving me shoulder issues. My current digital camera is a mirrorless Fuji X-T5.

For film cameras, I have a Pentax MX, Mamiya RB67, and a Sinar F2.

 

[dexdex]

Another Nikon fan here. I still have the FE2 I used as a young adult back then. As well as a D300 from the DSLR era. They now have the souvenir status.
I bought a used Z6ii about a year ago, to go with my recent retirement. Brilliant material all the way, but yes, heavy on the shoulder when you walk around with a bag with 2-3 lenses.
I added a very light and compact Canon EOS R50, supposed to be entry level, but showing amazing performances. This is now my walk around and travel gear, with a couple of lenses.
The Z6ii serves when there isn’t to much walk involved. Recent project: my daughter’s wedding, where we were 2 shooters.
The Z is also over cool to shoot using good old manual focus Nikkor lenses of the last century.
Below, last April, the Canon R50 was with us in Japan.

 

[atwl77]

Used to be heavily into photography as a hobby. Started in the digital age though, even though I acquired an old Canon AE-1 as well as a Canon EOS 33, but I started with a Canon EOS 10D, through the years, eventually upgraded up to a 5D Mark III.

Then suddenly, perhaps in some sort of midlife crisis or something, I sold all my gear and got a Leica M9, then later the M240 when it was launched. That didn't last long though, while I primarily shot with the Leica but I still dabbled in new mirrorless cameras from Olympus, Panasonic and Fujifilm on the sides. After many years, I eventually went back to Canon, starting with their EOS RP, and currently I'm using an R6.

But these days I only bring out the camera for trips and vacations; for everyday random stuff, I stick to my phone which is "good enough" for me.

 

[jonf]

Thanks for starting this thread, @Tenor Viol

I am self taught in photography, and don't regard myself as any sort of expert, but I've enjoyed photography for a long time. I'm 60 now, and started taking pics 50 years ago, using my dad's Voightlander Vito B, an entirely manual rangefinder, without even a light meter. I used an old Weston meter to estimate exposure. I subsequently bought a film SLR, again, fully manual, a Practika Nova before eventually upgrading to Canon SLR gear. I still have a couple of manual Canon FTb cameras. I was also a user of medium format film, with various TLRs, including a Mamiya C330S. When my kids were little (they're in their twenties now) I bought a compact digital camera, and subsequently bought various Canon DSLRs, culminating in a couple of full frame ones, which I have recently sold and replaced with a Canon R6 mkii mirrorless, which is amazing. I've also gone back to medium format in the last week, with a Fujifilm GFX50s.

Things I've been most interested in are landscape, wildlife and macro, particularly insects and flowers. I do take a lot of pics of family and friends, but they're private, and don't get shared on the internet. I've posted a few of my pics in the 'show us your wildlife thread'. I've also dabbled in infra red.

As an amateur, hobby photographer, I'm always interested in others' picture taking activities, so I'll be very interested to see where this thread goes. The pic below is a snapshot I took at the weekend, of Winston Churchill's'thinking seat'. The forum won't let me upload the full sized image,so it's a reduced size.

 

[wakyct]

I love to take pictures, but I have never gone in on the hobby of photography, using whatever cheap cameras I had on hand and mostly digital for the last 20 odd years.

But on vacation a couple of years ago I took one of those reusable/disposable fixed focus film cameras and liked it so much that a few weeks later I ended up with a Rollei 35 😉.

However the cost of developing these days has really put a block on my budding interest in film. I'd like to set up a home developing studio at some point but haven't got around to it.

 

[jonf]

However the cost of developing these days has really put a block on my budding interest in film. I'd like to set up a home developing studio at some point but haven't gone around to it.

I actually have full home developing kit, for black and white 35mm and medium format, and for colour 35mm. I haven't used it for years, as I have found I lime digital so much - which was a bit of a surprise at first.

Incidentally, having mentioned my medium format and full frame digi kit, I should also say that I am a big fan of smaller cameras for times when I don't want to lug a big camera around. I have a Canon M3 (which I used to take the pics of the pelicans in the show us your wildlife thread) and a nice Canon compact, a G9X mkii, which will fit in a shirt pocket. They all take far better pictures than my phone.

 

[h4yn0nnym0u5e]

I was always interested in photography as a child, and had a 120 film camera at one point, but the interest really kicked in at school when my best friend was also interested. I did the school's 3-part course - taking, developing and printing - and got myself a Yashica TL Electro and a 135mm lens (cheaper than any 50mm I could find). Couldn't aspire to the dizzy heights of my friend's Olympus OM1...

In my gap year I spent most of my earnings on Pentax kit: MX and ME Super bodies and a few lenses, mostly secondhand from Fox Talbot in Tottenham Court Road. The exception was the 85mm f/2, had to order that one new.

I held out for quite a while hoping Pentax would come out with a full-frame DSLR, but eventually caved and in turn got an iST DS, K-r and K-3 II, with some more modern crop lenses along the way. In theory I could use my old lenses on those, but never bothered to do so.

Finally ended up with a full-frame K-1 (followed by a K-1 II when I dropped the K-1...), once more with modern full-frame zooms, plus a macro and 300mm prime. I also recently added back a K-3 II on advice of "what you need on safari". I also started shooting RAW+JPG at that time, and tend to use open-source software (RawTherapee and GIMP) rather than going the Adobe subscription route. When the mood strikes, the vintage glass works very nicely on the K-1 II; unlike most other camera manufacturers, Pentax (Ricoh) never changed the mount mechanics after switching from M42 to K-mount.

 

[cappers]

I'm a hobbyist snapper.
For years I used a Pentax K1000, robust and reliable with a great 50mm standard lens.
I traded it in for an Olympus OM2 which was great too. Over the years my eyesight deteriorated and as I wasn't taking many photos traded the OM for an Olympus mju, tiny, full auto yet with enough light, produced lovely images. The cost of film and developing meant that it was hardly used.

On retiring I bought a secondhand Fuji X100F mirrorless digital camera and love it. Fixed 35mm equivalent lens which might be seen as a drawback but it forces me to think more about composition. MrsC has a Fuji X30, like a smaller X100 with a zoom lens. IQ not as sharp as the X100F but very acceptable.

My photogallery for anyone interested Jon LSC

Looking forward to see this thread develop.

 

[lig]

Started my photographic journey very late in the game. 2013 with the Fuji X100S. Absolutely loved that camera and the controls lent themselves to learning about the exposure triangle.

As @cappers mentioned a fixed 23mm lens kind of forces you to be very mindful of composition which imo was helpful as well.

My professional field was retinal imaging and I worked with some of the best physicians, technicians and researchers on the planet. It turns out many of them are avid photographers.

One of the hallmarks of the top shelf individuals in that field is a willingness to teach so it was very helpful indeed.

Being a gear slut - I shoot everything. My preference is for the Fuji X-T control interface. Unfortunately they just don't have the technical capability that Sony offers at the moment.

My daily driver is a Sony A1 Mk II. An absolute beast. Fast and precise autofocus, tracking and plenty of megapixels. If you can't get the shot with that camera it ain't the cameras fault. 😀

Plenty of options in the Sony FE mount ecosystem. Choices run from cheap and cheerful to insanely capable.

All that said - it's hard to beat a camera phone these days - with the latest computational photography algorithms they can do so much. Pretty much everything but extreme telephoto or speed so my kit is evolving and more biased towards the tele/fast end of performance.

 

[helen]

Lurking. I am really more of a hack. Yes, I can take some great pics, and I know the basic principles. But in no way do my pics compare to what so many others can shoot.

These days I prefer to do HDR photography much of the time, although it often depends on the subject, the the mood I'm in. 😉

 

[lig]

@helen

I want one of these for the HDR and for the super cool aesthetics. Unlikely my wife would approve though 😛

Hasselblad X2D II 100C is a HDR Powerhouse in a Compact Body

Hasselblad X2D II 100C breaks new grounds for serious photographers who want something different. Here's a look at what it offers.

www.thephoblographer.com

 

[h4yn0nnym0u5e]

All that said - it's hard to beat a camera phone these days

Pretty much everything but extreme telephoto

300mm on crop body, so 450mm equivalent. Not that extreme, as telephotos go, but…

 

[ghostler]

@helen
I want one of these for the HDR and for the super cool aesthetics. Unlikely my wife would approve though 😛

Hasselblad X2D II 100C is a HDR Powerhouse in a Compact Body

Hasselblad X2D II 100C breaks new grounds for serious photographers who want something different. Here's a look at what it offers.

www.thephoblographer.com

https://www.bhphotovideo.com/c/product/1908829-REG/hasselblad_cp_hb_00000927_01_x2d_ii_100c_medium.html

At $7,400 US, the likelihood of approval is understandable. Like with saxes, it is the artist that shines through, the equipment is there only to help. Give a pro or advanced amateur a simple box camera, and they will produce professional results.

Back in the 1970's, I had an Olympus OM-1 shortly after it first came out. But I was single, didn't have a care in the world, loved the art, even had my own darkroom, enlarger, developing trays, film processing tanks, color developing drum for 8x10 prints, etc. Now what I do in software I did with cameras, darkroom, even experimented with infrared B&W film, etc.

Now a little dated, my now over 10 year old Fujifilm S9150 50x zoom bridge camera does everything I need. Best thing is I bought it as a factory "refurbished" product for $109 from Amazon then, looked like new. I don't do weddings any more.

I still have an Mamiya 35mm manual SLR screw base lens camera somewhere. Without a hot shoe, use a mount with handle and shoe above for my old flashes.

Best outdoor portait lens was my Yashica 80-200mm zoom, I think it was F4. Got it put away, mated with Yashica Contax (YC) mount to FX-3 manual 35 mm camera body. It was a constant F4 throughout its range. I'd zoom in with wide aperture and a faster shutter speed with monopod, threw the background way out of focus zoomed into the subject's face, gave beautiful results.

 

[DeSaxo]

With much family interest in photography, introduction to my own camera began in the very early 1950s with a Kodak Box Brownie(!) A very good camera idea and it gave acceptable results for a youngster. I studied photographic magazines and by cleaning cars scraped together enough money for a Balda 35mm (still got it) mid 1950s. This, and the like, saw out the bellows cameras which were still available. I used to develop/enlarge and print my photos (all b&w). Much later, onto digital and firstly a Nikon (superb), then a Panasonic FZ 38 which was probably the most unintuitive device I have owned. All phone camera now. I often find myself these days lamenting the lack of application of the basics of photography because a little could make a notable difference. Here is a favourite of mine for its lighting (and subject!).

 

[h4yn0nnym0u5e]

My photogallery for anyone interested Jon LSC

Some very nice ones in there. I never found 35mm a very inspiring focal length, always preferred telephoto with the occasional excursion to 28mm. But that’s the fun thing about photography, everyone has their own view of the world.

 

[cappers]

I never found 35mm a very inspiring focal length, always preferred telephoto with the occasional excursion to 28mm.

The Fuji X30 has a 28-112mm equiv zoom which is handy. Got used to 28mm (35mm equiv) now but can be limiting, depends on the image. It is to me the most like what I see, more so than 50mm.

 

[Tenor Viol]

Another Nikon fan here. I still have the FE2 I used as a young adult back then. As well as a D300 from the DSLR era. They now have the souvenir status.
I bought a used Z6ii about a year ago, to go with my recent retirement. Brilliant material all the way, but yes, heavy on the shoulder when you walk around with a bag with 2-3 lenses.
I added a very light and compact Canon EOS R50, supposed to be entry level, but showing amazing performances. This is now my walk around and travel gear, with a couple of lenses.
The Z6ii serves when there isn’t to much walk involved. Recent project: my daughter’s wedding, where we were 2 shooters.
The Z is also over cool to shoot using good old manual focus Nikkor lenses of the last century.
Below, last April, the Canon R50 was with us in Japan.

View attachment 31133

The problem for me was my last camera was a Nikon Z6, which is not heavy, but add the 70-200 f/2.8... and you're pushing 2.5kg

 

[Tenor Viol]

My interest started with my other hobby - astronomy. My first 'serious' camera was a Beirette IV which was a respected German make, but this was the East Germany era in the 70s and it was branded 'Boots'... It was a basic 35mm film camera, but it could take a cable release and had a B/T setting for long exposure astro...

It was around 1982 I got my first Nikon - an FG20. That was replaced by the F90X (N90S in the US) in the mid-90s. Sadly, it was not robust and the electronics died within 10 years making it useless.

I went digital around 2003. My last Nikon was the full-frame mirrorless Z6.

Pic is with Fuji X-T5 with the 16-55mm f/2.8 lens. An Oryx in Namibia.

 

[Vlad]

I first played with photography in the mid 70s and did basic developing and printing too, I continued with this in the 80s when we set up a darkroom in the blacked out bathroom of semi derelict house we lived in near Elephant & Castle. we also did some crude screen printing there, Punk clothing and the like.
I had a liking for old cameras and had a few 1930s Leicas and Rolleiflexes ( before they were collectible and expensive)
I'd be interested in getting back into proper film again TBH.
In 'modern' times I've just snapped stuff on a cheap second hand digital slr, just things that have interested or amused me. I like decay and wreckage, with the odd quirky animal occasionally.

 

[lig]

One of the reasons I enjoy Fuji is just the interaction with the cameras themselves and the small form factor. Some of my favorite shots happened simply because they are with you and better than a cell phone.

One of my Fujis is converted to infrared. That makes shooting in bright light or boring light a bit more interesting. For some reason the infrared converted cameras deliver some pretty cool artifacts and flare too.

Since I was on a plane nearly every week for business I would normally stuff the X100S or some other Fuji in the briefcase. Fuji colors are terrific.

Couple of Fuji shots.

One of the downsides of mirrorless is shorter battery life. Even an iPhone 6 makes a pretty decent landscape camera. X100 battery died. 😀

Waited quite a while in the cold for the light...