"The Camera You Have with You"

I was fortunate to use a Leica (can’t remember the model) a couple years back on a road trip, and it is all I think about whenever the thought of buying a new camera comes up. It took beautiful photos of portraits and landscapes, was intuitive to use for a relative camera novice like me, and had a sleek and stylish vintage look despite being a powerful digital camera.

Of course, even their base models cost more than most K-brand ukes, and I thankfully don’t yet have CAS (camera acquisition syndrome)...key emphasis on yet. :rolleyes:
 
Chopped Liver said:
Um, yeah. There was no film in the camera. Luckily, I had given my cheapo point and shot camera to my brother and he had taken some shots . . .
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That happened at my wedding. My father-in-law couldn't understand how he was getting over forty shots out of a roll of 36. The film didn't get caught on the take-up reel. Fortunately, he wasn't the only one taking pictures.
 
ukantor said:
Here's one of my son's shots. Pretty good for a phone camera, I think.

John Colter
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That is a cool picture. There was a period of time, back before digital photography, where I thought I was going to do photography as a hobby. I bought a Nikon and some lenses. I took a couple of classes at the community college. But I found that no matter how good the camera, it was the eye behind it that counted most. I kept spending more and more money on cameras and lenses in the hopes that it was the equipment and not me. I gave it up after a while as a hobby. My son recently took all of the old equipment and started using it. Evidently film photography is coming back as some kind of throwback movement. Whatever, I'm glad he is getting some use from it.

By the way, I've seen some of Jerry's photographs and I would say that he has the eye for it.
 
Playing ukulele is a hobby. Photography is what I do for a living. I’m just excited to see both subjects in the same forum.
 
I always carry a wee Canon EOS SL1 with pancake lens in my messenger bag. It's always with me whether at work or play. Not the best camera I own but, yeah, I manage to take decent images with it. Not a fan of smartphones. They have stolen the souls of an entire generation. All around me are smartphone zombies mesmerized by their palm tech.
 
That is a good photo. Studying pays....like in ukulele playing.
I have a box of digital Canons and lenses...going to the thrift shop ...all boxed up sitting by the front door for weeks..I don't use them anymore but it is hard to load them in the car. Ha!

ukantor said:
Here's one of my son's shots. Pretty good for a phone camera, I think.

John Colter
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Strange as it may seem, the camera on my iPhone XR is better than any stand alone camera I’ve ever owned. Takes great pictures, 4K video, slow motion video, time lapse video... and it makes phone calls too!


Scooter
 
Most people use a camera for casual social photography and recording scenes and chance happenings. A phone camera is good enough to meet those needs. I doubt if the compact camera on its own will survive as a consumer device. There will always be a need for specialist photographic equipment, and to cater for the serious hobbyist, but for most folk, their phones are all they need.

John Colter.
 
I remember buying a digital camera back in 06 or 07, when 5 MP was a good resolution and sensors were note that good.
I enjoyed having a stand alone camera, and kept using it for a while after getting a smartphone.
But after a smartphone upgrade I realized that the phone took so much better pictures.

I went and got a small micro 4/3 camera. Like a kamera that has the body size of a point and shoot, but you put interchangable lenses on it, and the sensor is a crop factor 2.
With a low aperture pancake lens on it, you can see the difference from a phone picture, especially in low ligth. But I just dont carry it as many places as my Phone. It is smaller than a full frame camera, but still too big for a pocket.

The advantages of a stand alone camera over a Phone camera are zoom and potentially bigger censor.
To get both you will need a big bulky camera.

You can get a compact point and shoot with a lot of zoom, but it will not have a big censor for low light pictures.
You can get a compact point and shoot with a decent censor size, like Sony RX 100, but it will not have a lot of zoom.

If I didnt have my micro 4/3 today, I would buy the pocket size camera with the biggest censor I would pay for, rather than getting a clumpsy one with interchangable lenses. But that is how I balance my priorities.
 
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ScooterD35 said:
Strange as it may seem, the camera on my iPhone XR is better than any stand alone camera I’ve ever owned. Takes great pictures, 4K video, slow motion video, time lapse video... and it makes phone calls too!


Scooter
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There's a joke in photography. People offer a compliment by saying, "You must have an expensive camera." :)

Cell phone cameras can take excellent pictures, but it still takes a certain amount of skill.
 
I stopped carrying an SLR years ago. I found I got too wrapped up in the photography and missed a lot of the "experience" I was shooting. Plus, I realized that the only photos I cared about were the ones with family or friends in them. I mostly take snaps with my cell phone (iPhone 8).

The landscapes and travel shots I take with the phone are not quite as nice as those I can get with my Nikon Coolpix, but they aren't far behind.
For macro closeups, optical zoom and dramatic lighting photos, the Nikon is better, but the cell phones are catching up fast. And the convenience just can't be beat.

One of these days I will plunk down some cash for a newer model with a better sensor and capabilities. But then again, I could use the money for a nice ukulele...
 
Jerryc41 said:
There's a joke in photography. People offer a compliment by saying, "You must have an expensive camera." :)

Cell phone cameras can take excellent pictures, but it still takes a certain amount of skill.
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So many people run around with SLRs now that I've stopped assuming they know what they're doing. :rolleyes:
 
glennerd said:
So many people run around with SLRs now that I've stopped assuming they know what they're doing. :rolleyes:
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I've always judged based on the tripod rather than the camera body.

And yes, I have mounted an iphone on a gitzo carbon fibre tripod with a RRS ballhead. Who hasn't? :)
 
prb035 said:
Ha-ha, people could probably say that about me! She has an expensive ukulele, she must be a good player! :D If only they knew.
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The double joke is that people often don't know what they're looking at and mistake size or bling for expense. One of my cheapest (but blingiest) ukes gets the most impressed comments - even at a uke circle!
 
Jerryc41 said:
There's a joke in photography. People offer a compliment by saying, "You must have an expensive camera." :)

Cell phone cameras can take excellent pictures, but it still takes a certain amount of skill.
Click to expand...


Well... my phone is also more expensive than any camera I’ve ever owned. For the record, I have zero photography skills and have yet to completely understand all that my phone’s camera is capable of!



Scooter
 
"First 1MP Camera!"

I had one of those! For general use 10MP is a good level. I have a Pentax Optio A30 that I bought about ten years ago (10MP). It still performs extremely well, and gives excellent results.

John Colter.
 
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