Cameras we use for shows

I have been taking pictures almost as long as I have played with cars and I have had cameras ranging from an old Argus c3, various Nikon and Pentax stuff and a Leica m5. I went digital a few years back and haven't bought a roll of film since.

I bought a Cannon G11 last February and it is outstanding. It is still small enough to fit in a shirt pocket and has more features than most DSLRs. With a 16GB memory card it will shoot a three hour video. The one user complaint is that it has so many features that you never use them all.

 

For my *serious* camera I use a SONY DSC-F828 that I bought in 2004......it's an 8 MP camera with a modular body that allows you to rotate it and hold it over your head to get over crowds or obstructions, or you can rotate the body all the way to horizontal so you can shoot *floor level* shots while still viewing the screen.........I love this camera, even though it is not a DSLR........it does have a 28-200 lens with digital doubling to take the telephoto all the way out to 400 mm...... I also carry a pocket sized 12 MP SONY Cybershot point and shoot for quickie stuff or if I see something and dont have the *big gun* with me......... and for last resort pics I have a 3 MP camera with flash in my cell phone.........

And if there's one thing I really can't understand it's people whose main camera is their cell phone!!..........

CB

 

I use my Nikon D40 with a pro flash. I try to shoot with apeture or shutter settings. I just picked up two old Nikon SLR cameras and I am going to re-learn shooting film. Slim

 

I use a Canon sx10is most of the time. I'm trained in art and photography, but not a professional. For years I used 35mm slr's and loved the creativity afforded by the different lenses, but found that I got tired of lugging a case full of accessories with me, and was leaving the camera home more and more. I also got a little tired of fumbling for and changing lenses, and often missed a shot because of it.
The Canon sx10is (the newer model sx20is does HD video http://www.amazon.com/Canon-PowerSh...1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1284256876&sr=1-1) has a 20x lens (35mm equivalent: 28-560mm), that lets me capture wildlife, yet still does the wide angle shots that come in handy at car shows and indoors. Its only real drawback is it's not great in low light situations.
It has a ton of settings, up to full manual mode, so you can get very creative with it.
These cameras also have an adjustable lcd screen. You can hold the camera over a crowd, turn the screen down, and look up and see the screen and exactly what you're shooting, or lay it on the ground looking up at a car and just adjust the screen so you don't have to lay on the ground to see what you're shooting, or shoot from the waste like an old hasselblad or something. It's also great for getting some candid shots without the subject even suspecting.
It's not a perfect camera, no camera is, but it comes close to doing it all in one simple easy to carry package, that only costs about $350. I carry mine in a holster on my side and can draw it and shoot faster than Wyatt Earp.
I wanted to travel light but still have as much of the creativity afforded by an slr as possible and not spend a fortune on it, and this works for me.

 

Old ex pro photogragher here. Used to shoot in the 60's & 70's for Drag News w/ 35mm film Nikons. I shot for years on film was a reluctant convert to digital. I was the guy going on vacation to Hawaii for pleasure & felt I had to bring 3 bodies, 3-4 lenses & many different types of film. Hello........this is a vacation!
I laid down the cameras & sold most of them off & pretty much stopped taking pictures for years. That's when I started collecting vintage stuff.
Then I got back into cameras when the wife got a digital for free.
I still like to fiddle w/ the controls so for serious shooting- I use my Nikon D70 or D200 & speedlight. Now it's all about fun so most of the time, it's a P&S now. I hate photoshop so I try & get it right in the camera if possible. My cruises, roadtrips & car shows- I usually shoot about 1000 images a week. These are stored on 2 separate 2 TB hard drives I can access at any time.
So- DSLR-s are Nikon D70 & D200
P&S is either the Coolpix 12 mp S630, The Canon 10 mp A1000is (I use this mostly at work) or my everyday camera- the Panasonc Lumix ZS-3


To keep it on topic- this is from the Panasonic ZS3- no PS or cropping, right from the camera.

This is about as artsy as I get now.





Nikon D200 w/ 400 mm tele. You would never get this w/ a P&S
Looking back- needs less shutter speed.

 

I use a Cannon Rebel XT and love it. Easy to use, cheap for a dslr if you can still find one, and takes damn fine pics. I do have the saturation set at full blast, otherwise sometimes shots come out kinda flat. I also use an old cannon powershot s330 as my everyday carry around camera. only 2 mexapixels the shots arent great but the camera is indestructable.

 

Wow, I'm glad I brought this up, I'm really glad to see all the diverse ideas and comments on what you guys use, this has helped a great deal and thanks for clearing up some of the lingo. As far as what I'm really looking for, All Digital, No offense to the 35 mm guys, I just want to be able to see what I just shot and re-shoot again and again and not worry about wasting film, my wife like her 35 mm and takes great shots but after 24 shots shes done, i want to take hundreds not spend a fortune in developing, waiting days to get it back and have the ability to upload and sent to whoever immediately. Again thanks and hope to see you guys shooting pics at the Motorama in Long Beach next weekend . Greaserchief

 

From a rank amateur's point of view, I'd recommend that if you want to go past the Canon Rebel, find a good used 20D. It's very versatile and will do way more and faster than most of us will ever master. I've moved up to the 5D for the full 35mm sized sensor but, in retrospect, I'd probably be as well off with my old 20D. As far as megapixels go,what are you trying to do-make the picture wall sized? Here's one with the 20D-can't remember lens or specs.

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I use a Sony DSC-H9. My favortie feature is the tilting screen. Shots you'd have to "stand on your head" to get can be done with much less effort.

 

My little Kodak CX7430 with 4 megapixels works just fine for me. I have taken lots of pix that I have blown up to small poster size and the pix come out great.I like the fact that I can take movies with this one too. Of course, I always have spare batteries with me.
Glenn

 

I really like shooting my Canon Xsi, with Sigma 50mm f1.4. Added the battery grip for my bigger hands, and it's quite comfortable to shoot all day. Need to get a wide angle lens, but shooting the 50mm is fun. Mostly take pics of my Wife and Daughter. Car pics for progress shots. I'm finally getting to the point where I can take pics and know that they will turn out good. For a long time, it was just me trashing 90% of the pics I took. But now, I am doing much better.

 

I've beat an old Olympus OM-1 all over the country including a number of backpacking trips in the mountains of New Mexico. The thing has NEVER failed me but I felt a need a digital camera a few years ago just to use for detail shots at car shows. I bought a 2.1 MP Fuji because I liked the way it felt in my hands. I upgraded a couple of years later to a Fuji S5200 5.1 MP and I still use it today. The thing has been rock solid and I'm absolutely certain I've shot over 20,000 images with it. Then I thought I needed a DSLR so I started shopping for a used piece. Given the reliability of my old OM-1, I leaned toward Olympus, and considered a Nikon D-80 as the alternative. Finally bought a used Olympus E500. I like the camera and it does much more than I'm capable of mastering but I still seem to gravitate back to the Fuji, strictly for the ease-of-use.

Now, here's a kicker. Last year a friend of mine in the Phoenix area posted some shots of his Black '69 Chevelle. I commented on the incredible color saturation and sharpness of the pix and he told me they were shot with a 35mm SLR, then burnt/converted to digital images when the film was processed. I haven't tried it yet but I did drag out the OM-1, dusted it off, and we're about ready to give it a try. Anyone else had any experience with this method?

BTW, here's a few shots from the Fuji S5200 taken at the White Hall Drag-O-Way Reunion (shameless plug) this past weekend.

 

i'll back up the fuji finepix, it's easy to use and it has just enough settings for an amateur. my favorite features? 4 AA batteries instead of 2 or even worse, proprietary battery packs, AND the ability to turn off the big lcd screen and use the viewfinder. if you plan on taking LOTS of pics, those two features are worth their weight in gold...

 

RYAN Thanks for letting this roll!

Even though i have a Sony DSC-F828 I still shoot mostly film, just something about the look of film photography especially B&W and having to load the canister into the camera and all is kind of like a ritual. Plus, with film you only get 36 pops so your more likely to compose your shots more carefully. I still use Photoshop as my "dark room". The only disadvantage to film is that it can get pretty $$$ to develop and print.

I currently use a Minolta XD11 and X700 with motor drive and I have 4 lens, including a Sigma DL 75-300 that I wouldent recommend.

 

What i found in the last day is the Fujifilm S1800. less than 200.00 new, 3" lsd screen, 12 megapixel. nice camera. lot of guys who have them seem to like, i may grab one.

 

We do a lot of pictures a year and use a Minolta Maxxum 7D. It does way more than I know how but the wife does most of the important shots and I like what I see.This camera has shot over 30,000 pics to date and seems to be flawless as to any problems. I have my camers which is a Minolta Dimage 7 and it also seems to make good shots but its a little hard on batterys but knowing this we have plenty of spares.I guess the bottom line is what ever you like go for it.

 

bought a Canon EOS 650 film camera way back when. I bet I took 10,000 car show pics with that one and the only trouble I ever had with it was when I dripped sweat into it while loading film which caused it to stick intermittantly and screwed up a bunch of pics. cleaned it up and never had another problem.

got a Canon digital Rebel in 2004 and haven't touched film since. still have 4 rolls in my bag... anybody want some 6 year old film? I have around 13,000 clicks on it with no problems.

that bugger cost me $1,000.00 for 8 MP. what's the newest version?? 12? 14? and $300.00 less.

for shows I use my Canon 18-35 lens. lets me get closer to the car, though sometimes it would be nice to have a longer lens as well. I stopped carring a bunch of crap with me a long time ago. I don't even bring a strap. I have a little pack with my battery charger and a couple memory cards.

digital rocks. I used to spend 75 bucks a show in developing and film, then all you get is these tiny prints. digital is free no matter how many you shoot, then you put them on CD which costs 25 cents.

for me half the fun is messing with them on the computer with my 40.00 editing software. there is a lot of people and junk in the background at a show. I try to remove as much as I can to clean things up.

 

As mentioned before, its the person behind the camera that gets the great shots not the equipment. Being involved in photography since I was eight, I've used those disposable cameras they put out on wedding tables and got better shots than the hired photographer did. Several of my photos are in peoples wedding albums as they were so much better. If you don't have an eye for it the camera doesn't matter much. These days I carry around a cheap Nikon Coolpix which does everything I need to whether still photos or video I upload to youtube. I can make quality enlargments up to 16x20 and recently won a photo contest with the cheap thing. I don't worry if it breaks or gets stolen and it fits in my pocket. Less is more if you know what you're doing. Its no different than those guys with all the equipment in their garage that can't build a thing.

 

I'm not all that great a photographer, but I'm stuck in the 20th century. I use a couple of Pentax K-1000s. Most times I load one with color film and one with black and white.

 

I have a Nikon D70. I'm still trying to learn all the features on it, probably more camera than I'll ever need.

 

This is a cool thread. Thanks againg Ryan for letting this one fly. I geek out on pictures about as much as I do on cars.

I really have to agree with Ryan as well with a big "BUT" in there. and yeah Coby is definately an arguing point for the point and shoot dillema. He takes amazing pictures and has a keen eye for Style!!!!!!!!
I have a Nikon d1h pro body circa 2001. great camera then. but now with over 180,000 shutter clicks it is down right worn out. the sensor does nothing to show true color anymore. my iso sensitivity is so terible. if I go north of 600 iso I have a terribly grainy photo. not the good kinda film grain either. I have spots all over my sensor from being so dirty. but it would cost more than that poor camera is worth to have the sensor cleaned.

That being said I still love the damn thing. such amazing creative control and even at 2.8 mps it takes a great picture. The proof comes from being published in the HAMB calendar a few years back. When the money comes around I will be buying a Nikon D90. Not a pro body but compare it to the D3 or the D 300 and D700 and you will find that it is more similar than disimilar for a fraction of the cost.

My Wife has a Fuji Film s2000. A kickass little camera that she can take excellent pictures with. I hate the damn thing because it is way to slow for what I am used to and I cant dick with it like I want. but if you have time on your side and not a ton of action. patience will reward you with some stunning pictures.

The Camera is only a small part of a great Picture. see Composition for the most important part.

Keep these posts coming guys. I'll get some pics up later to reference my babbling!!!!

Eric

 

Ha! Not often you hear a Leica referred to as a junker. (Yeah I know what you meant.) Those things are as tough as a piece of granite encased in cast iron.

 

I think it comes down to what you want to lug around. Those different camera setups are great, but if it turns out to be a burden, more often than not you'll just leave it at home. That's what's happened with the Canon Rebel (a really great camera BTW) that I bought my wife - she won't take it with us on vacations cause it's "too much trouble".......

I have a little Canon Powershot A590 that I keep in the car or with me at all times, the only downside to it is that it wants to eat batteries, so I carry some extra AA's with me too. It was about $100 new and it takes terrific pics, plenty large enough for the quality you display online in a forum or even in an electronic picture frame. One neat thing about it is that it has a viewfinder - you can take a shot like an SLR or look at the display. Oh, and it also has manual settings, for those who know how to use them - which isn't me!

Since I don't make my living with a camera, it's plenty good enough for what I do......

 

Coby is King of point & shoot!

I shoot with a Canon Digital Rebel XTi.

I'm also a true believer in it's not the size of the camera, it's how you use it.

-Juan

 

Mine is a Yashica TL-Electro X with a bunch of lenses from wide angle to 500 mm. I got it in the Navy in 1970. I like it better than the Nikon D40X 10.1 mp I got my wife because mine's all manual. The picture is only as good as I set it up.

 

I have a Nikon D70 and D200 and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS1 point and shoot. They are all smarter than I am, which is annoying.

I usually carry all three around at a show. I don't like to change lenses on the Nikons out in the open with the dust blowing, and the Panasonic is great for poking in an open window for interiors shots. I also carry the Panasonic when it's raining, easy to pullout of a pocket and snap a photo and small enough to mostly shield with a hand.

But still, an old Brownie box camera could prbably outsmart me, so.....

 

To keep this thread alive here are a couple shots made on film,scaned to DVD and then touched in Photoshop as far as my limited ability in it would let me go.

 

For most car show stuff, I use a Minolta Konica DiMage D200. Very high quality for not being a true DSLR. I got this by luck, an employee bought it for our company, paid $650.00 but then the graphic arts guy decided it wasn't what they needed so I got it for $125.00. Other than a slow auto focus, its great for car show stuff.

For film I occasionally play with a Mamiya C-330 Twin Lens, but to be honest, not too much anymore. I like the instant gratification of digital.

I plan on getting a Sony Alpha A700 soon, mainly because I still own a Minolta Maxxum with quite a few lenses and since Sony acquired Minolta's camera division, those lenses will work on the Sony Alpha range of cameras saving me a ton of money

 

You're right, I scored a good condition Leica not long ago and it's built like a brick shithouse. Now I just have to learn how to put it to use properly.