Cameras

I bought my first good camera when I was in High School, a Konica T3, 35mm SLR.  I was never thrilled with it, worked hard a couple of summers, sold it to a classmate (who I learned 35 years later dropped it down a flight of stairs a few days later - sorry Kevin,) and bought a Cannon F-1 - at the time Cannon's top of the line professional 35mm SLR. It was amazing, it had a titanium frame and shutter, it was incredibly durable. Over the years I added a bag full of Cannon lenses and another Cannon body to the collection.  About 20 years ago, I traded all of that, for a Nikon 35mm SLR, with a nice zoom lens, auto focus, auto exposure.  I used the Nikon for about 5 years, before moving onto digital.  When I bought the last film camera, digital was just not quite there on image quality and the cameras that were close were very expensive.  

When I went digital, I went small.  Cameras that fit in a pocket, that were easy to carry.  I owned several of them, including a fixed lens SLR, and an early fixed lens mirrorless design (A Fujifilm one that I still have and it still works.)  A couple of them were really good.  I had one with a Leica lens (sadly it was left in the bottom of my day bag and was broken) and a Samsung that I still use from time to time.  I always tried to buy the best lens that I could, wide to telephoto.  

A few years ago, I got the urge to go back to an SLR, to go back to interchangeable lenses.  I bought a Nikon D5500.  It is a solid reliable design. It is APSC, or crop sensor in format.  The rear screen folds out and can be flipped over.  It has an input for an external microphone if you are shooting video.  It was one generation to soon for WiFi, Bluetooth or nearfield to work well, technically it is possible, practically, no.  I have three lenses from a 10mm super wide angle to 300 mm, a solid mid range telephoto.  The lenses are not the best that Nikon makes, but they do what I need them to do, they are easy to carry, and none of them cost more than my first car.  I'd like to have a 500 or 600mm telephoto to chase the birds with - but those can cost more than my first car.  I also have a Nikon underwater camera, a compact digital that I should use more.  I take if I am going for a walk in the rain.  

I have come to describe my style as documentary.  I am not a fine arts photographer - I don't manipulate my subject, or the lighting or set the stage (though I have the training and I know how to do those things.) Journalistic style tries to tell a story - most of my images are captured because I like them.  End of story.  I seldom photograph people, I find people hard to photograph - I always have.  Early in life, I made a living as a commercial photographer, aerials, postcards and advertising work. The couple of times I tried to work with models was frustrating for everyone.  I disliked portrait work, and hated weddings. 

What I capture, is what I use.  Very rarely I will crop an image, and even less often process or edit photos.  I don't change the color, or saturation, or sharpness.  What I shoot, is what I print.  Part of that is the software that I limit myself to, part of it is philosophical,  I want to show the world, warts and all. If I edit a photo, I will say so in the caption or text.  

When was the last time you used a film camera?