Tell us about your camera and how you use it. What’s the one thing you like the most about your camera? Are you using a cameraphone? They are great for shooting when you come across an unexpected spectacular moment. Some of the excellent moments have been captured on cameraphones. Or are you using a DSLR? Tell us what you’d like to know more about your camera. We are coming up with some great posts for the camera owners so have your say before we start.
We have been covering a lot of basic and technical topics on the photography front in the last one month. We’d like to know you better and collect your suggestions. We want to make sure we know you and your camera so that the information is relevant, is usable and valuable. So what are you waiting for? Come on say something 
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{ 60 comments… read them below or add one }
Hey guyz, im using a Sony DSC-T7 with 5.1 MP 3X.
Thanks a lot!
Alphons: thanks for dropping by. What do you like the most about the Sony DSC-T7?
I own two DSLR’s. My primary is a Canon 5D and backup a 40D. It is not so much the bodies, but the lenses. A 24-105L is mounted to the 5D almost always. Once in a while a 50mm 1.4 gets used, but the zoom is a very versatile tool. On the 40D there is a 100-400L mounted 95%. It is better suited for telephoto use.
I use both cameras for a variety of shooting. Everything from landscape and nature to motorsports and candid. I like the way the 5D’s full frame sensor handles wide angle shots, while the 40D’s faster continuous shooting and more advanced features make for better action shooting.
Matt: Thanks for the comment. I’m planning to buy a 50mm lens too. It’s a pretty fast lens and turns the DSLR into almost a point-and-shoot camera (if you can tolerate the bulk of a DSLR). Also an aperture of 1.4 gives a lot of flexibility to shutter-speed which is almost always a priority.
The 50mm f/1.4 also produces astounding DOF effects. The size is small enough to make perfect for stealth street photography as well. The non-L 1.4 is a really nice lens and a wonderful tool.
Matt: 100-400L definitely the best choice for telephoto. It also has a ‘one touch zoom’ mechanism. There has been a buzz that this mechanism increases the chances of dust entering into your lens. Whats your experience………..
24-105L is one of my favourites too. Gives you a good range with good quality. Any comments……….
So far (8 months) I have not had any dust issues with the lens. I have used it in the desert (dry and dusty) and coastal plains (fog and moisture) without a single problem. I love the “push/pull” zoom personally. After using it for a couple of weeks I found that it is quicker than my twist type lenses.
My 24-105L is probably my favorite all around lens. It is just right for most outings, though not quite tight enough for birding. I tried it on my 40D and found it too be too tight in most cases, so it lives almost exclusively on my 5D.
What type of photography do you use yours for mostly?
I am more of a nature person. travel a lot. I do more of Nature, Landscape and Wildlife. So, 24-105L gives me the right range is not as bulky as the sigma lenses, though I need them for wildlife photography. But for general travel and nature photography I prefer this one.
…and if I were to have my say, I use the 18-200mm Nikon lens with vibration reduction. I generally leave all my lenses behind when I go out with this.
I have a Nikon D3 and a Nikon D2X. I use a 24-120 as the walk-around for the D3 and the 18-200 as the walk-around for the D2X, since it’s a DX type lens and will only capture the 1.5 factor format. I have a range of Nikon ED glass lenses–the 14-24, the 24-70 and the 70-200, plus the 300 2.8, and I have a 50mm 1.4 which is fun on occasion. Great equipment, great fun.
I use a Canon 1Ds Mark 3 for portraits and a Hasselblad 555ELD with a Leaf Aptus for commercial work. The Hasselblad is incredible to work with, – until you need the autofocus. That’s where the Canon comes in.
Both are superior platforms that work very well for me.
Walter Schnecker
www.c1mpp.com
Hey all,
I am using a Nikon D60 digital SLR. I use two different lenses(nikkor 18-55mm vr and nikkor 55-200mm vr) My 55-200 is on my camera most of the time but more wide angle shots and some macro require the 18-55. I shoot mainly landscape and maritime photography but am starting to dabble into wildlife. It’s all a lot of fun!
Hey hey..
I recently started my own photography business so I am new to getting the best of the best equipment. So far.. I use all Canon products. I have a Canon 40D, Lenses f/1.4 50mm, f/2 75-200mm L series, a new (so I can’t remember exactly) 25-70 f/2 Wide Angle and then some backup lenses.
I shoot weddings, portraits, sports and more. I have always wanted to be a landscape photographer but the portraiture photography fell into my hands after being asked to shoot wedding after wedding. One day I hope to be as good as Ansel Adams ::smiles:: The 75-200 is incredible for almost all of my shootings. It’s a little close for most wedding shots though.
The 40D is a pretty dang good camera, I just haven’t perfected it yet. It’s continuous shooting is incredibly fun too.
I have three digitals, one is a kodak ten megapixel and the other two are sony’s. The two sony’s blow the kodak out of the water by far. I also have 4 35mm slr’s that i love!!!!!
I use a Nikon D200 and a D2H. In general I use a 80-200 and the 1.4 50mm. I do mostly sports shoots and thats what I need to get the job done. At games where I know the crowd will rush the filed or the court I use the 17-35. In daylight when I need the reach I will use a 2x tele-convertor as well.
Im beginer of photography so i just use thenikon D60 10.2 Mega Pixel. and i dont to use..
I use an Olympus e-500, 8 Mega Pixels. At the time, it was what I could afford. Over all I love the camera, but it doesn’t handle low-light situations all that well. It would be nice to upgrade one day… but my truly Olympus is hardy and is serving me well.
I just got a Sony DSLR A200. And have 2 lenses 18-70mm and 75-300mm (3.5-5.6f). So far i am just trying to break out of my daily routine of college and freelancing to pursue my photography interest. I am mostly interested in Nature, Macro, Wildlife, etc…still trying to explore
http://www.flickr.com/photos/kalyan02
Cheers, Kalyan
I’m using both Canon 20D & Canon 10D. I use it mostly for event photography. What I like most about the Canon 20D is the ease of use. The controls are user friendly. I also use it for travel & family events.
I am using a Nikon D80 with an 18-135 f3.5 Nikkor lens. The feel about the D80 is superb and the versatility is amazing. As much as possible I don’t digitally enhance my pictures once it is shot, I would say to myself, if it’s not to be the it’s not to be, although HDR and Vertorama looks interesting. I’d prefer to use my shots straight away and I even switch off the auto picture preview. Now getting comfortable with manual White Balance using K values.
I have a Sony A350 and I like it a lot. Most of the time it’s in aperture priority, and sometimes in manual mode (when the ligthing is to tricky). I like a lot travel & landscape photography, so I have a Sony 16-105mm lens for general use and a Minolta 50mm f1.7 for the low light shots (inside museums or churches or whatever). I use a lot ND filters, polariser, and I still have the Hoya R72 from my exFuji S100fs. I don’t like much postprocesing, maybe to play a little with contrast and saturation and to get a stright horizon, but no more than that (in most of the situations). For that I use the Corel Paint Shop Pro Photo x2, and for my level of skill is more than sufficient. Hope to hear more from others as well !
I am using a Nikon D2x with 17-55,18-200,70-200,80-200 sigma,90mmTamron,500mm Nikon
I love taking Sunsets and Landscapes and also still have a Nikon film n401x with 35-70 lens
Nikon D90 with 18-200 VR is what I am holding on to while traveling. Have a spare thought for film and canon G10 too.
After too many decades with film (35mm and medium format) I have switched to DSLR. The digital darkroom is a huge improvement! I currently use a Nikon D3 and a D300, with a broad range of Nikkor lenses (from 14-24mm f/2.8 up to the 200-400mm f/4, with a 600mm f/4 on the horizon, funds permitting). Greatest pleasure: photographing nature in all its forms. Next ambition: exploring the world of UV and IR. Technically intriguing, artistically challenging, endlessly fascinating, a source of companionship among fellow photographers, there is no better hobby than this! I claim no special postprocessing skills, and still shoot like a film photographer – always trying to get it right the first time, as though every shot has to count. I especially appreciate learning from the experience of others and welcome the feedback, particularly critical feedback from those with greater skills and more experience.
david how does the d300 compare in perforamce to the d3 and what do you think of the 14-24 f2.8 lens
Robert, Thanks for asking. I like the D3 and have become very used to it. I feel comfortable with its rugged build and think the extra weight helps to stabilize it against shutter vibrations (but have no data to prove this). From a strictly technical point of view, the most important feature to me by far is the lower noise level, allowing significantly higher ISO settings. I have obtained excellent images at 1200 and even 3200. ISO 6400 is noisy, but still remarkable in low light settings. Larger pixels leading to lower noise levels have to be the real benefit of full frame, at least for me. The disadvantage, if you’re into wildlife photography, is the need for longer focal length to fill the frame relative to DX. Much of my photography tends to be opportunistic – wildlife tends to present itself without much warning – requiring hand-held shots that would be difficult without the relatively higher ISO settings. Having said that, I appreciate the stability and flexibility of a tripod with a gimbal mount. If I ever get a 600mm lens, this will likely be the only approach I can realistically use. The D300 is an excellent camera, but I find myself keeping it as a back-up and may sacrifice its IR filter if I move into UV/IR work.
The 14-24 f2.8 is an amazing lens, very sharp and beautiful to handle. I am new to really wide angle lenses, but have had great fun with it. Other than my 200-400mm f/4, this is certainly my favorite. It will take me a while to learn how to exploit its full potential. The 24-70 f/2.8 is another excellent lens, but not quite as exciting as its wide angle brother!
Hi guys,
I was going to buy the Canon 450D, but when I looked at the SX10IS I chose to buy and use that camera. Its a great buy, super zoom options and photos. I have taken several shots of landscapes, macro shots, floral, tried to take night landscape photos but had a problem as most of the photos were dark and blurred. I was advised to buy an external flash either a speedlite 430 or if budget was a constraint then sunpak 40ex zoomable which would then solve the issue Any thoughts on this and also what settings could I use to get the max for night photos. Thanx.
Got a used Nikon D80 with 18-55mm ED II AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor lens. Really satisfied with its performance but much more to explore.
Nikon D200, Nikon D300, Nikon 50mm f/1.8, Nikon 28-100 f/3.5-5/6, Nikon 80-200 f/2.8 … those are the main lenses we use. Gear is used in a full-time portrait studio.
Hi!
i use Olympus E-520. Before buying my DSLR, i was aiming for 450D and D60. however, E-520’s built-in IS and its ultra-lightweight body made me change my mind. and it’s 2x crop factor gives me an extra edge when using telephoto lens.
Looking at a Canon 500D, not sure what lenses I’ll find necessary until I get further advice on that one.
Just upgraded to the Nikon D300 and only had it two days so i have not got to much to say about
it yet i went for the D300 because if i went to the D3 i would have to upgrade the lens as well
and by all reports there not a great difrence between the two cameras time will tell if i made
the right move
You bring up some interesting point. The difference between the D300 and the D3 is the full-frame sensor (means more sensor surface to capture light) and thus results in some wonderful available light performance. Night lights look great and even at high ISO there is no visible noise. However D3 is really costly. A preferred alternative could have been D700. However other than this there is no difference in image quality and is just the low-light performance and the money that you have to shell out.
Congratulations on your new purchase. Do drop us a few lines once you have had some time to spend with it. And do not forget to share the photographs in our Flickr group.
When my old Minolta Dynax 7000i finally curled up its toes in late 2007 it signaled a good time to finally go digital. Having a number of Dynax lenses ranging from wide to 500mm and 100mm macro I was in a bit captive market.
))
One Sony Alpha 700 later … It seemed a bit silly to buy anything else and go either sideways from the 7000i or backwards.
As for buying Canon of Nikon – hey if anyone wants to donate $10,000-15,000 so i can rebuy all my lenses, I’ll happily do it
Since the change I have bought the Sony 11-18mm very wide zoom – lots of fun. Recently the new Sony 58 flash.
Still have a ‘mature’ Minolta SRT101 and a wee Mamiya 645. Both get wheeled out from time to to time to have some film fun – helps to keep me grounded.
I just recently purchased the Canon SLR Rebel T1i. My husband is a photographer and has the Canon D30 and its great to be able to use his lenses. I am loving my first SLR! It makes a huge difference in the quality of my photos, and gives me a great range in taking the kinds of photos I am interested in. In regards to cam phones, the megapixel is not what makes decent pics. Love my blackberry cam. I had a samsung with 5 mp. But it took awful photos! thanks for the great articles!
My first camera’s were Canon’s, 35mm film each one with a lens attached that I carried in a backpack. Of the four I liked the F-1. They were all stolen and so I started working with and 8X10 Deardorff view camera which I used for more than 20 years along with a Rolliflex and eventually a Contax T1. I became disabled and could nolonger carry the view camera or st in my darkroom to develo film or prints. I finally bought a Sony DSC-S85 4.2mp and ventured into digital. I advanced to a 7mp and finally I purchased a 10.2mp Leica which I have settled on as my main camera along with the Contax T1 which I shoot slide film then digitize the slides. I have had many ups and downs but have found my Leica tripod mounted on a Manfrotto tripod with a Bogen head shooting RAW and producing 16 X 20 B & W prints to be a very satisfactory along with the Contax T1 rangefinder color 6 X 9 prints.
This site has real possibilities as far the current quality of the articles are concerned.
I currently have a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 (10.1M, 18x-zoom, shoots RAW). A great camera. I moved up to the 28 from the Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ50 (8.1M, 12x-zoom, also shoots RAW). I love these cameras.
I use only Pentax cameras,Have have two film cameras in the past, I think they are the best keep serect in the photo industry.I have a K200 with a 18-250 DA lens.I;am looking to buy a super wide tele now, don’t know which one yet, 10-17 DA or 12-24 Da, any ideas?
I have a Nikon D300 with a Nikon 18-200 VRII Lens. I also have a 70-300 VR and a 50mm 1.8 Lens. Currently I am doing volunteer work with an Animal Services Organization, Publishing Fotos on local websites in Trying to get Dogs and Cats who have been dis-owned into new homes.
Like the Linda above, I upgraded to a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ28 from the FZ50. I love both cameras, but mostly use the 28 now. I shoot RAW and I haven’t found another superzoom that shoots RAW. I am a board member and instructor for a 850-member camera club and have convinced a lot of people that this is the camera to own if you don’t want to carry around the weight of a DSLR and several lenses.
So far, I’m just a hobbyist, but have done a few small portrait jobs for friends and family. I have a Canon T1i with a 24-105mm L and a 50mm 1.8 (hoping to upgrade that to the 1.4 soon). So far I absolutely LOVE my 24-105 lens.
I participated in a photography workshop recently, and it made me wish I would have waited a little longer to upgrade my XTi to a 50D instead of the T1i. I’m curious about shooting in full frame. I got the T1i because of its video capabilities. I have a 1 year old, and I was missing the ease of catching little videos of her with my camera rather than the camcorder since my camera is ALWAYS out.
I am LOVING this website. The articles are wonderful, and are providing so much useful information for the level of photographer I am.
Hi,i am using Nikon Coolpix L20 digital camera for the last 3 year,but want to upgrade to a DSLR.But i’m confused wheater to buy it or not because DSLR don’t have extra zoom.My budget is Rs 30,000.Please recommend fron Nikon Or Canon.My first preference is stuning image quality & second is a good optical zoom (atleast 10X or more)
Please say wheater i should buy a DSLR or upgrade to a compact digital camera with megazoom.
Well, Hirak, after experiencing the shooting with a DSLR I don’t think you’ll be ready to go back to a point and shoot. I upgraded to DSLR from what was supposed to be the best non-DSLR camera: Fuji s100 fs and I still bless the day when I’ve decided to do it. This morning UPS brought me my new Sigma 70-200 f2.8 and I was happy like a kid with his new toy (and I’m 50!).
I don’t know what is Rs 30,000 (how many $), but a good lens from the very beginning would help a lot. I mean something like the Nikkor 16-85 VR or Sony 16-105, which are excellent walk-around lenses with good zoom range. Don’t forget that when the zoom ratio is more than 3x, you begin to pay the price of image quality. There are lenses like Nikkor 18-200 VR or Sony 18-250 with good user reviews, but I, personally, wouldn’t buy them. I use the Sony 16-105 (sometimes with a 0.5x wide angle converter), the Minolta 50 f1.7, and now also the Sigma 70-200 (sometimes with a 1.4x teleconverter that I’ll buy soon). Think well, but, if you love photography, don’t remain at the level of P&S.
Good Luck !
Hirak: The point and shoots come with all the bells and whistles to impress the end-user with features. But DSLRs only pitch the professional photographic quality that you get in the results. Thus when considering DSLRs it is very important to couple them with good lenses (one reason why the pros choose to buy a DSLR and a non-kit lens). When you go for a zoom lens with a DSLR it will put the point and shoots to shame.
For that budget you can go for a basic DSLR (less features but still professional image quality). You’ll have to stick to the kit-lens. But wait a few months and you should be able to save more and buy a non-kit lens that suits your needs.
Canon vs Nikon has been an everlasting war and none of them is a clear winner. You need to see for yourself what you like. I don’t have much experience with Canons but I absolutely love my Nikons.
You can certainly upgrade to a compact digital camera with megazoom. But in the end they are still considered toys and in the long run (and may be only a few months down the line) you’ll see the need for a DSLR again. BTW – mega(zoom) is nothing more than a fancy feature. Get a DSLR and then save and get a zoom lens if you are into wild-life photography or similar.
Mr. Shivanand Sharma,thank you so much for your valuable & kind comments.I’ve realised the difference between a Non-DSLR & a DSLR.Nikon is my personal favourite too.I’ve decided to buy Nikon’s D3000 DSLR,it suits my budget of Rs 30,000 (With Nikon D3000 Kit With AF-S DX 18-55mm VR f/3.5-5.6G).My first choice was Nikon D700 but as i’m still a student thats why can’t afford that large amount of money.I need an information.What is the price of a Nikon lens that have a suficient amount of zoom (Atleast 15x or higher)? If i’m wasting your valuable time then i’m sorry sir.I’m a photography enthusiast & using a DSLR is my long time dream.
Hello Hirak. Just a thought, but have you looked at used equipment? You could probably get a deal on a higher end body that has some mileage on it. It might allow you save a little bit of money towards a really nice lens. Bodies in the DSLR world are transient at best. They are “obsolete” within a year of release. Lenses, on the other hand, tend to hold their value for a long time. I shoot Canon and have several “L” lenses that I have bought over the years. They are holding 95% of their value. The glass with travel with you through your years of photography practice. My bodies hold nowhere near the value, having lost about 50% of their purchase price in the few years I have owned them. Something you might be able to take advantage of on your student’s budget.
Excellent suggestion by Matthew. (Phew, how could I forget that.) Since you are on a budget and learning, go for used equipment. Use it, abuse it and save for lenses. Soon you’ll be at comfort with the equipment and the science. Later you can go for what ever you’ll need at that stage.
For zoom requirements, 15x is really too much to ask for. They are just to lure the users of consumer segment cameras. You certainly can go for a 15x zoom and I mention it here so we all know that it is possible. That would be the B003 15x zoom lens by Tamron for Nikon and Canon. However you may want to reconsider why you need that level of zoom at all. The price of this lens is on the higher side of $600 for new.
Thank you both Mr. Shivanand Sharma & Mr. Matthew Matchura.But i really don’t understand what you want to mean by used equipment.I’m a new & on my way to learning so can’t understand,sorry sir.What do you say should i buy the D3000 or not?What if i buy that,use & get som experience & then go for a suitable lenses?I was prefering the zoom because i travel in forests & sanctuary a lot so want to capture the photos of animals that stay in a long distance.
Hi
I have a Nikon D3000, I just bought the camera, I was wondering if I should get filters for it. And any good texts to read about the techniques etc.
Thanks