what (still) camera do you use?

[Dominic3]

Redrice

Firstly, while I understand the support for SLR cameras, if you really want to "CREATE" your own photographs, rather than leaving the camera to do most the work , from personal experience I highly recommend the TLR Rolleiflex. There are so many models and accesories( filtres, close up lenses etc.) still available in exc++ to Mint condition in the second hand market in The USA and here in England, all ranging in reasonable prices- which is a testament to the superb engineering of the cameras.

The quality of the lenses Tessar, Xenar, Xenotar and Planar are really superb, capable of extreme sharpness and large enlargements. If you are interested I could go into more detail- pointing you in the right direction so as to avoid bad "deals".

If you opt for a Pentax K1000 - make sure it is a model made in Japan, later models were made in China/Taiwan and were not up to the same build quality as the Japanese models.


------------------

[Dominic3]

Redrice

Firstly, while I understand the support for SLR cameras, if you really want to "CREATE" your own photographs, rather than leaving the camera to do most the work , from personal experience I highly recommend the TLR Rolleiflex. There are so many models and accesories( filtres, close up lenses etc.) still available in exc++ to Mint condition in the second hand market in The USA and here in England, all ranging in reasonable prices- which is a testament to the superb engineering of the cameras.

The quality of the lenses Tessar, Xenar, Xenotar and Planar are really superb, capable of extreme sharpness and large enlargements. If you are interested I could go into more detail- pointing you in the right direction so as to avoid bad "deals".

If you opt for a Pentax K1000 - make sure it is a model made in Japan, later models were made in China/Taiwan and were not up to the same build quality as the Japanese models.


------------------

[Matt Pacini]

As far as the obsession with basic function, it's not an obsession.
For me, I already know how to use the camera, and I know what manually selecting a particular setting is going to do.
I do not trust the camera to automatically do this, because in my experience, it will make it's own "best" judgement, which translated, means "snapshot" pictures, not artisitic pictures.
I realize this is generalizing, but I don't use my FM2 when I'm trying to take really good photos. I use my cheesy little snapshot camera for snapshots, if I just want to point and shoot, without thinking.
And I never get tired (as you said) of shooting manual. Just point the camera, compose the image, focus, set the exposure, and shoot.
It takes all of a few seconds. Big deal!
Matt Pacini


------------------

[MovieStuff]

My wife and I use a Nikon FE which can be manual or automatic (it adjusts shutter speed). I prefer manual most of the time. On occasion, like when it is overcast outside, I'll open up the lens all the way and shoot on automatic. This will allow me to shoot at the fastest shutter speed for any given situation hand held.

On thing that hasn't been discussed is the type of film to use if you're just learning about photography. While some suggest black and white, my feeling is that it's best to use reversal. Neg is convenient because you can take it to the one hour labs. However, it's difficult for a beginner to know if the resulting prints are soft because they didn't focus correctly or if the prints are dark/light because their exposure was off. In short, the lab could drastically affect the look of the final image and you'll never know if it was your fault or theirs.

With reversal, the film you get back is the film that was in the camera. If it looks wrong, then you screwed up. But when you get it right, you just can't beat projecting a Kodachrome slide on a big 'ol screen and having everyone go "Ooooooooo......"

Roger

[redrice]

roger:

thanks for this last remark. i'd be interested to here more about this.

photographers always say: you should shoot black-and-white negs, because the REAL art is in the printing.

but the printing is exactly what you DON'T get in the movies. in effect, printing introduces a second lens, a second set of exposure conditions, and a medium that reflects light, rather than 'projecting' it, into the process. it also allows you to recrop. etc etc...

and the fact that exposing chromes is more difficult than negs is exactly the point. if you get used to the latitude of neg film, you may try and get away with stuff that just won't work when you go back to kodachrome.

so i'd expect cinematographers to learn with chromes, and then shoot negs for fun in later life.

or at least, that's how it looks to an outsider...:-)

any other reactions/comments welcome!

peter



------------------

[AlexGfromUK]

remember that you can get negative stocks for super 8 too though. Also a lot of professional cinematographers shoot in negative most of the time since it will be contact printed anyway, and this saves some generational loss, as well as affording them greater lattitude.

------------------