What camera equipment do we use?
In our last Blog I rashly stated that I would write about our choices of equipment. I’ve been putting this off because choice of equipment is such a big subject and everyone will have a view as to what are the ‘best’ options. It is interesting how quickly we become tribal about our choices and see ourselves as a Canon or Sony shooter etc. Spoiler alert - you don’t need the best equipment to take great photos. I doubt that there are any modern DSLR/mirrorless cameras that are so bad that they would stop you capturing great images. I’m afraid that you are responsible for the quality of your images, either through not becoming competent in using your equipment or, more likely, not taking the time to learn the art of photography. But, for what it’s worth, here are my musings on the choices (good & bad) we have made.
Heather has frequently been asked - ‘oh, what camera do you use’? So I’ll start with her equipment journey. When getting back into photography, about 5 years ago, Heather’s first digital era camera was an Olympus OM10. Why? Well partly because our younger daughter had one and was able to explain how it worked! Heather loved it’s compact size and weight. But it’s small size became a negative once Heather became interested in wildlife and started to add larger lenses. Also, being ‘entry level’ the OM10 did not have the best auto focus. So Heather has now progressed to the OM 1 Mkii. The main benefits of this upgrade include weather sealing, better battery life, improved viewfinder & screen, great auto focus with eye tracking etc, and the larger size (although still compact by DSLR standards) is a much better balance for the larger telephoto lenses that Heather now uses. The OM 1 also has much better video capability, but this was not a consideration. So, has Heather been happy with her choice? You bet. The OM 1 Mk ii is a feature rich camera that will support you as you grow as a photographer. For wildlife or action photographers the Micro 4/3 sensor size gives you access to compact/lighter super zooms at a much better price when compared to full frame offerings. The image stabilization is amazing, allowing hand held shots at stupidly slow shutter speeds and there is a great selection of quality lenses (including an amazingly compact macro lens that is easy to carry in your pocket, just in case you see that blue mushroom!). Heather’s everyday lens is a 12-100mm. For wildlife, on goes the 100-400mm, often with a 1.4 teleconverter. For small things the 60mm macro has become a recent favourite, that also doubles as a portrait lens (double all these focal lengths for full frame equivalent). So what are the downsides of the OM 1 system. Yes, there are always compromises, but it is a matter of understanding whether they are more or less important than the benefits. Pixel peepers may say that the size of the Micro 4/3 sensor together with having ‘only’ 20 MP will not give the same quality as say a full frame camera. Under a microscope this may be true, but in the real world the people asking Heather ‘what camera do you use’ obviously were not concerned about the quality of her images. Enlarging a 20MP image is not an issue. We have some of Heather’s images, up to 1m x 1m, on our walls - wall space is more the issue! Don’t let the salesman upsell you to the latest mega pixel monster, unless you understand why you need it! Having more MPs will not make your photos better and will chew through your camera/computer storage. The important compromise comes if you want excellent low light capabilities. If you think you may want to get into night sky photography then I would suggest that the micro 4/3 format is not the best option. Look at full frame cameras known for their low light capabilities (often with fewer MPs!).
So what about my choices? Well I entered the digital camera world a little later than Heather, around 3 years ago. At the time I was interested in trying some night photography, so I went for the Fuji X-T200 as reviews said it was one of the better low light capable entry level cameras. I had no problems with the quality of the camera or the images it produced, but the benefit of it’s compact size soon became a negative in my large hands. Your camera/lens combination needs to be comfortable to hold. So I upgraded to a used Fuji X-T3 (I still have the X-T200 as it’s a great option to chuck in a bag or coat pocket for those just in case moments). I’ve enjoyed the retro look and feel of the X-T3 and I think the individual control dials have helped me to more quickly understand the exposure triangle. With my landscape photography I am almost always in manual mode and being able to back button focus was an important benefit of the upgrade.The X-T3 is larger than the X-T200 but it’s grip is still on the small size for my hands, so I purchased an L plate with an added grip to improve things. With Fuji you have access to a great selection of both in-house and 3rd party lenses. So choice and quality have been great. Fuji use APSC sensors, which are approx half way between Micro 4/3 and full frame in size and the X-T3 has 26MP. Do I see any image quality differences between my images and Heather’s? No I don’t. The APSC sensor has a magnification factor of 1.5 - a 300mm zoom becomes 450mm full frame equivalent. This helps to keep zooms compact and affordable but not as ‘beneficial’ as the Micro 4/3 zoom factor of x2 ( if long telephotos are important to you). I’m not as into wildlife photography as Heather so I’m happy with the Fiji middle ground. So why have I recently purchased a second hand Nikon Z6? Well, as my night sky images progressed to also include foreground interest, I was driven to test whether the reported higher dynamic range of certain full frame cameras would make a difference. Yes it did. I am able to pull more details out of the deep shadows with the Z6. Plus the Nikon 20mm 1.8 is an excellent match, easy to focus and very sharpe. So I now have two camera systems - not ideal! Where do I go from here? During a trip to the lower South Island I had forgotten the battery charger for my Fuji, so I was eventually forced to use the Z6 with its sole 20mm lens as best I could for general landscape shots. Using the Z6 more I started to notice some benifits over my X-T3 - the viewfinder and screen are clearer (this my not be the case with the newer X-T4 and 5) and also it was a better fit for my hands. It was interesting that the more comfortable fit had a positive impact on my enjoyment of using the Z6 - or perhaps it was a case of a change being as good as a rest! To really test out how important these benefits are I have purchased a 24-120 lens for the Z6 which I will be taking with me on a much anticipated photo tour to Japan. But I will also be taking with me the Fuji with 10-24mm and 70-300mm lenses to cover all the likely focal lengths. Having two camera bodies with different lenses will reduce the need to change lenses in a potentially harsh Winter environment. But will this be a great compromise or will having to carry extra kit outweigh the benefits? I will report back in a future Blog!
What do I hope you will take away from the above? If you already have a camera don’t upgrade it until you understand why you think your current equipment is a problem. What is it stopping you from doing? What are the compromises? Be honest with yourself - are you just looking for an easy way to improve your photography without learning the basics? If so then be prepared for buyers regret. If you decide you need a new camera (or it’s your first one) really think about the type of photos your want to take. If taking landscape or still life images is your thing then your choice may be less critical. If your interest is in the more technically demanding worlds of action/wildlife/night sky photography then you will want the systems with the best (affordable) autofocus or low light capabilities. But don’t get caught up in needing the latest or ‘best’. As one professional photography tour guide recently confided - he is constantly amazed by the high standard of equipment brought by amature photographers on his tours. Often better than his own! Whatever level of equipment you have, get out and take lots of photos and then reflect on what works and what doesn’t and most importantly, why. Spending time (and perhaps some money?) on your photographic education will improve your results more than any equipment will.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!
