Does your philosphy affect your choice of gear?

I don't think I'd be shooting much if I didn't have my camera with me at all times, so a camera or system that requires a bag doesn't make much sense to me. I usually photograph land- or cityscapes and sometimes details of those, or just social snaps. Not sure if street shooting is my kinda thing, but I love environmental portraits and reportage / documentary photography, just haven't gotten around to practising it yet.

The Olympus E-M5 has really caught my attention and I'd love to have one coupled to a super-wideangle lens, but I'm afraid it'll be just a little too big for a jacket pocket, which would mean I only bring it along when I actually go out to take photos.

The Fuji X100 looks very nice, but for some reason I'm finding many X100 shots a bit "clinical" in look, I always admire the drama that can be created with wideangle lenses but I'm not seeing much of that in most X100 shots, despite 35mm equivalent being considered wideangle. Then again, perhaps 35mm is just not wide enough for me?

So far, I'm sticking with my versatile and just-about-jacket-pocketable Samsung EX1...

When I go out I have some kind of camera on me even if it's my droid. More often than not I have more than the cell. When I go out with 'intent' I usually have two cameras, or one with multiple lenses, and my cell. Today I'll be going out bird hunting, checking out herons in their rook before the summer leaves bloom and hide them. That will mean telephoto.. but I also want a wide angle on me to do some lake shots. Two cameras, cell and dslr, two lenses. If the G12 was charged I might take it instead of a wide angle lens but as I had been preparing it for sale it's all wrapped and boxed and tidy and I would expect by now the batteries have lost most of their charge. Considering what I said maybe I will just keep the thing.

I would say my approach to photography has definitely changed over the past 12-18 months and that has in turn influenced recent gear purchases. Previously, I primarily shot indoor, studio-type work, with very deliberate setups and lighting gear and emphasis on high-quality images. I was not an opportunistic shooter, so carried a camera only when planning to shoot. Then we bought a new house, moved to the country and suddenly I was seeing photo opportunities everywhere and wanted to carry a camera all the time. Where ultimate image quality had been the primary factor in previous gear purchases, now I wanted a combination of IQ and portability - hence my introduction to the world of serious compacts. I purchased an X10 and recently picked up an NX100 (for peanuts).

I know it doesn't get any love on the forums, but that little NX100 has really endeared itself to me and I love having it with me at all times. There's no way I would ever give up my 5DII, but carrying the NX100 somehow reduces the 'pressure' to capture perfect shots and I feel more relaxed shooting with it. I'm putting less pressure on myself when it comes to photography and consequently enjoying it a lot more.

I am very much of the found image school. Sometimes, if the light is right, I will go back to places where such light is needed.
For me, I carry a camera everywhere, even if just my phone (tho my N8 pitches far above its weight).
I work best with a single focal length, the sharper and faster the better. Prefer a light, unobtrusive and fast handling camera.
Right now my preferred dedicated cameras are my GRD 3 and E-PL2/14mm Lumix Pancake.

It was great reading how all you guys approach photography. A complete eye-opener, especially for an occasional shooter like me. I like shooting people (headshots in particular), buildings and then the street in that order. I finally have the gear to do all this! I carry two compacts and have found the perfect bag to carry them in as well (a dual pocket National Geographic shoulder pouch)http://www.camera-camera.com/media/...6e95/5/3/53eef6f4f354af776a2815509c5b6aa4.jpg. In my bag are my X100 and the LX5 and spare batteries and SD cards. This is the range I can cover with this equipment -


Headshot with the X100



Buildings with the LX5



Street also with the LX5



For the longest while I was unhappy with the LX5 as it wouldn't shoot people the way I wanted. The X100 took care of that.

*sigh* Happiness.

Boid said:

For the longest while I was unhappy with the LX5 as it wouldn't shoot people the way I wanted. The X100 took care of that.

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But your X100 could also do that very well too, can't it? Unless you're referring to the wide angle of the LX5?

TraamisVOS said:

But your X100 could also do that very well too, can't it? Unless you're referring to the wide angle of the LX5?

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Yep, the wide angle and the ability to zoom in on interesting details and compose the image. Like this -

Niiiiiice.

Hmmm... Let me think.

When I write software, I use Assembly Language and a version of Wordstar that I HEX patched myself to get it exactly how I like it. Pays the Bills.

My camera is a manual focus rangefinder, and I mostly uses lenses that I made myself. Shimmed to the last 0.01mm for the focus to agree with the camera.

Coincidence?

Okay- Rangefinder Users would be rolling on the floor...

Brian said:

When I write software, I use Assembly Language and a version of Wordstar that I HEX patched myself to get it exactly how I like it.

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That's badass!

Boid said:

Yep, the wide angle and the ability to zoom in on interesting details and compose the image. Like this -

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Excellent photo that. Sagrada Familia?

akulya said:

Excellent photo that. Sagrada Familia?

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Yes. Taken last October.

My philosophy is rather complex but basically I'm and egalitarian and this doesn't carry through into my photograph as I don't believe all cameras are created equally.:roll eyes:

Fascinating thread.

I tend to see and think in 50mm terms, so most of my cameras are either equipped or set that way. The "Tao of Bill" is very much to work uncluttered; I prefer to set exposure manually and when using unmetered cameras (a Leica II and an M2) I rely upon Sunny-16 (or Hazy 11 as it is in the UK). Working "unplugged" means that I am not thinking about the camera, I am thinking about the image. I hate trying to second guess what some programmer has set and find that for the most part automation gets in the way. Although I carry a camera every day my level of acuity is generally not very high - if something slaps me in the face I will pull the camera out, but for the most part I have to make a conscious decision to have it in my hand and thus move into the photographic "flow state" where images present themselves as I walk along. Oh yes, I am a walker; a hunter not a fisherman. I pass through the world until something takes my fancy then I "work it".

In the (non-photographic) "real world" I am quite different; I am a VP for a professional services company and I spend my days making decisions and dealing with complex client relationships. Photography is an escape for me that enables me to focus (pun intended) on something other than the daily grind.

definitely. I love minimalism in all my passion and maybe reason why i love my ricoh GRD 3 so much, i just wiah theres a biiger sensor in the body. X100 fits my philosphy well but a bit too big to bring out with me everyday.