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Why all this Technical Garbage?

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Spiridakis Michael said:
I think this a silly discussion the way we do it… specs are always important.

I don’t like to use my fuji cameras for landscapes because they don’t have the Landscape option in their focus menu, so there are times that you really cant find a focus point, there are times in low light in sunrise that finding a focus point in the horizon is difficult, specially if a tripod is used.

I don’t like to use my canon S90 for macros although its f:2 because there is not selectable spot focus….
I can’t use my P880 in action shots because it’s a slowwww camera….

These basic things are all specs…. I could write down many others, but a basic listing is just ok to find out some big differences in a camera usage depending only in specs…

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
Click to expand...
How do you get on when you go for a holiday?
Do you take all of your cameras?
Seems like a strange way to go about the hobby but I guess we are all different.
Good Luck and thanks for your valuable input and keep enjoying photography.

--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
 
oldshutterbug wrote:

a. talking about expensive cameras my first DX6490 cost me $915au and my first DX6440 $499au so I guess the current Kodaks can be considered good value for money, maybe just maybe we should cut Kodak a little bit of slack.

Whoa! The DX6490 cost AUD 915 in old currency? I just saw a Kodak 915 going for AUD100.

--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'
 
AnandaSim said:
oldshutterbug wrote:

a. talking about expensive cameras my first DX6490 cost me $915au and my first DX6440 $499au so I guess the current Kodaks can be considered good value for money, maybe just maybe we should cut Kodak a little bit of slack.

Whoa! The DX6490 cost AUD 915 in old currency? I just saw a Kodak 915 going for AUD100.
Click to expand...
Hi Ananda the last camera I sold at the Pawnbrokers store I worked at was a DX6490 for $35au, by the way yesterday there is or was a P880 on Aussie eBay for $200 Buy Now, a bargain.
AnandaSim said:
--



Ananda
http://anandasim.blogspot.com

'There are a whole range of greys and colours - from
the photographer who shoots everything in iA / green
AUTO to the one who shoots Manual Everything. There
is no right or wrong - there are just instances of
individuality and individual choice.'
Click to expand...
--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
 
How long will Dwayne’s continue processing KODACHROME?

Dwayne’s has informed us they plan to continue to process KODACHROME through December 31, 2010

Dwayne's Photo Service
415 S. 32nd Street
Parsons, KS 67357
(620) 421-3940
Toll Free: 1-800-522-3940
Fax: (620) 421-3174

So Chiue, if anyone has any Kodachrome left they better use it up fast.
chiue said:
Hear2see said:
BTW... I think I heard that there's only one lab left in all of North America that can properly process KodaChrome.
Click to expand...
Kodachrome officially put to rest last June. There might be still some left over stock.

--
chiue -
Nikon D5000 / Kodak 880 7590 6440 915
Kodak Digital Cameras Galleries
http://www.wix.com/chiuestar/Kodak-DC



Click to expand...
 
oldshutterbug said:
How do you get on when you go for a holiday?
Do you take all of your cameras?
Seems like a strange way to go about the hobby but I guess we are all different.
Good Luck and thanks for your valuable input and keep enjoying photography.

--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
Click to expand...
Well it is truth that I have lost some money in selling equipment that I didn’t like or didn’t use any more.

First big loss a panny FZ7, then a canon G9 (but I got a few good money for this), and finally the Kodak P712.

But second hand in this kind of equipment is always lost money, a…. remember now my Fuji S6500 for that camera I got exactly the money I spend, I just lost a small bag, 3-4 XD cards a set of batteries and a charger that I didn’t like.

What I have now is 2 P880, 1 Fuji S9600 (which I consider one of the best cameras ever made by fuji and I will never give away I keep because I love it) I have also one fuji S100fs, and a small canon S90.

Each one for a purpose, for Landscapes and high quality the P880, for street use the Fujies. And for discreet use, the small canon.
Where the strange is for you, do you really can do everything with the 6490?
Or do you have only a train and you are sitting and watch it moving around you?
Ah… for next year I need some more equipment…

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
 
If they weren't so awkward to lug around I would take all my camera stuff with me on vacation... the whole kit and caboodle. But of course that's just me talking silly. When I go somewhere and I need just one cam with me, I still trust my DX7590.

But I liked what Mike said. It's true not all cameras are the same, of course. Some are just better for certain things.

Imagine, restricting a Norman Rockwell to just one single paintbrush. As talented an artist as he was I'm sure a one brush Norman Rockwell could have come up with something that other artists wouldn't be able to touch. But Mr. Rockwell must certainly have used a good variety of brushes and spatulas and wipes and dobbs and who knows what else to paint his master pieces.

So, it's not that bad a deal to ask, is a stiff horse brush better from company A? or from company B? Or what about a soft sable brush? Is it more to your hand from company B? or from company A? Actually, I like the feel of the shutter release on the Kodak very much... how many times does that come up in conversation?. Never... but it's something that I like about the camera. I attribute that smooth release to a little bit better low light shooting with slow shutters

Here's an end of the day DX7590 close up pic of a Lake Simcoe perch..(tasty)


oldshutterbug said:
Spiridakis Michael said:
I think this a silly discussion the way we do it… specs are always important.

I don’t like to use my fuji cameras for landscapes because they don’t have the Landscape option in their focus menu, so there are times that you really cant find a focus point, there are times in low light in sunrise that finding a focus point in the horizon is difficult, specially if a tripod is used.

I don’t like to use my canon S90 for macros although its f:2 because there is not selectable spot focus….
I can’t use my P880 in action shots because it’s a slowwww camera….

These basic things are all specs…. I could write down many others, but a basic listing is just ok to find out some big differences in a camera usage depending only in specs…

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
Click to expand...
How do you get on when you go for a holiday?
Do you take all of your cameras?
Seems like a strange way to go about the hobby but I guess we are all different.
Good Luck and thanks for your valuable input and keep enjoying photography.

--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
Click to expand...
 
This is looking really so tasty…. Could I ask what kind of fish is this…

For the same purpose as you say I have keep and use the Fuji S9600, it takes normal batteries and this is a plus in some cases.

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
 
well thanks for asking Mike...
this is called 'perch'

It is a very common freshwater game fish here in Ontario Canada... and you can catch them without limit. Other game fish like salmon and trout have restrictions and you can only take a few home with you. In the picture you can see one of the buckets that we hoped to fill. :)
Doesn't it look like fun? :)


Spiridakis Michael said:
This is looking really so tasty…. Could I ask what kind of fish is this…

For the same purpose as you say I have keep and use the Fuji S9600, it takes normal batteries and this is a plus in some cases.

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
Click to expand...
 
Ansel Adams, Eugene Smith, Edward Steichen... all used one camera. And they don't make photographers any better than that trio.

--
JamesD
Happy Snappin'
 
but how much better would Ansel Adam's photos of birds in flight from Yosemite have been had he been using a new Nikon D3s with a 600mmf4 VR lens? :)

but Charlie you can't shoot birds in flight with a view camera.

exactly ;)
 
This could be the best photographer trio, but it is not everybody's aspiration or goal to be an "Ansel Adams". Different people have different ideas of how to do this hobby and therefore you have different ways to achieve each goals on it. Also it true that each one of these had complete and total control and mastery of their own camera, it was needed to achieve their goal.

It is my personal opinion too that a camera is just a tool to achieve a great picture, however this does not mean that I cannot or should not try to achieve this with different tools. And anyway one needs to know his tool to use it.

Art is a way of communicating certain thoughts and give one's view of a certain subject. Photography is an art and the tools used can be simple or complicated.

I guess some people like to talk more about the tools rather then the final product of the tools - meaning the picture. That is their view and their choice. I don't get into that as my personal opinion is different. However I do respect their views and also I like to know what the best tool for my use could be and therefore some specs and review come very handy.

If you can sift through all the technical talk and pick out those important points that can help you take better photos by using the best tool for the job and using that tool better and more profitably then you will be better off in getting your picture.
 
I can make do with some missing bits... but it compromises my work.



isn't it the same with cameras?
when I lack a certain capability... then I have to make do..

the result may work well enough but it's a compromise..

Isn't it a pity when we settle for good or even for better when the very best was within reach?
 
Interesting points to be sure, what it proves is that some people like lots of gear and some don't, yep its the same with my other hobby which as Mike said is model trains, I have two Mates that have roughly 150 locomotives each, me I have 9, why because 9 does the job and they only get replaced if they break, by the way Mike modelling railroads is not just sitting down watching trains go round it is a hobby for people to create a mini world that includes scenery, towns and industry. I have found my experience as a photographer very helpful in building a model railroad.

Mike you and I are as alike as chalk and cheese when it comes to cameras, I purchased an S6500 and S9600, I bought them because I had owned a pair of S5600s that IMO were as good as the old DX6490 Kodaks, I took both away on a road trip for two months and during that time shot over 600 photos, I sold the S9600 as soon as I got home and the S6500 I sold three months later, IMO neither of these cameras were anywhere as good as the S5600 so that is another reason why to me specs are all but useless, its the pictures that count.

Having owned over 50 digital cameras I have lost a small fortune, money totally wasted, I have very little respect for camera manufacturers as IMO the industry is to unstable that is why they change models as often as some folks change their nickers, I now use an old Kodak DX6340 and Z650 plus a Fuji E550 that I have been trying to sell but nobody wants so I will give it to my Grand children to play football with, I gave my DX6490 to my Son and sold my DX7590s to Jen "Little Eagle" that used to post her Kodak Magic here.

I am in the market for a new camera and waiting for Kodak to off load some of their better models at a cheap price, every time I go shopping I check them out.

I think its nice that people collect camera gear but sorry I don't think it makes you into better photographers, photos come from the eye and the brain, sadly with most cameras made today you don't need to use your brain as the camera does all the brain work for the user YUK.
--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
 
oldshutterbug wrote:

Mike modelling railroads is not just sitting down watching trains go round it is a hobby for people to create a mini world that includes scenery, towns and industry.

I never told that, I was trying just to describe that one is only one, or one is none....
oldshutterbug said:
Having owned over 50 digital cameras I have lost a small fortune, money totally wasted.
Click to expand...
Thanks God my personal camera history is a joke in front of you... LOL
oldshutterbug said:
I think its nice that people collect camera gear but sorry I don't think it makes you into better photographers, photos come from the eye and the brain, sadly with most cameras made today you don't need to use your brain as the camera does all the brain work for the user YUK.
Click to expand...
I never told that a collection of hardware, such as lenses,, DSLR bodies, bridge cameras, tripods, or whatever makes you better photographer.

But some things drives you in a road, when you like a tool you don’t want to miss it because the X,Y,Z reputable photographer had only one camera in his day…

Some people use 1-2 DSLR bodies, and plenty of lenses, other use some bridge cameras, involving in to a hobby means that after a while you will be a collector of tools you like it or not.

Sure if I had my now days knowledge about photography, and the chance to start from the scratch my equipment would be in a deferent formation.
Lets say that I would like to have the following cameras.

1) A ricoh GXR in 50mm equiv., or the new Fujifilm X100.
2) Canon S95.
3) Kodak P880
4) Fujifilm S100fs
5) Ricoh CX4

As you see I need again 5 cameras….

--
Just lost my Dpreview account known as mike_mike
*****************************************
Have a look at the totally new http://www.spiridakis.gr
 
Mike, I think you took his statements out of context. In particular, the Greek Spartans were known for military excellence. I think there's a lot of literature out there about the Persians, Romans and Greeks, about their armies thousands of years ago in that area. But it doesn't only apply to Greece, and I think most of us know that...those that have some understanding of world history. But I can understand how you might have thought otherwise. A lot of Western Civilization has its roots from Greece...our culture...the sciences...mathematics...and so forth. So, a lot is taught about them, and that's why I think it is referenced.
 
Of course all that gear does not a photographer make. Would Ansel Adams have been better if he had had a top-of-the-line Canon? Nikon? NO WAY. He was as good as it gets with the instrument he used. It's my belief that some folks who believe that photography is their hobby are mistaken. In truth, collecting camera equipment is their real hobby. I've rubbed shoulders with men and women (albeit, usually men) like this for the past thirty-five years that I've had an interest in photography. They would always be on the lookout for the latest model... the newest lens... the bigger zoom...the wider angel lens... the more powerful strobe and so forth. And they would, indeed, spend a small fortune procuring all of this equipment. And then... they'd be dissatisfied when the latest issue of Pop Photography or Modern Photography came out with its bench tests on "said" camera body or lens. And so, off they'd go either jumping to a different brand (Canon to Nikon; Nikon to Contax; Pentax to...) or needing yet a different lens. BUT when competitions came, frequently they had nothing to offer. Why? They weren't out shooting. Instead they were home polishing their equipment or protecting it from inclement weather or reading their photography magazines. Those who did submit slides for competition generally didn't fare much better or worse for that matter than others.

In fact, I distinctly recall one woman whose images never failed to capture our interest. The woman had an eye for a picture. And would you believe it? All she had was an older Pentax body with a 50mm f2 lens.

Talking about having the right tool in your bag for the right subject is ridiculous in my opinion. The right tool is the camera that you make use of on a regular basis and is at the ready. For years I dragged around a bag full of lenses and after years of mediocre shots and a sore neck and empty wallet, I got rid of it all. My dslr generally sits idle now. Oh... on rare occasions my wife and I will dust them off and head into the woods. But for the most part, the camera of choice is my simple Lumix that fits into my pocket and is there when I need it. Henri Cartier Bresson used a simple ranger finder for most of his shooting life, producing stunning images; Leicas if memory serves. A bag full of lenses... a big slr with monstrous zoom around his neck would have hampered him. He didn't need all that equipment.

I honestly think that many of us are simply enamored with equipment rather than photography. We used to see a steady barrage of images here on this forum several years ago. That production is way down. I think folks also get fed up with having their images dissected and analyzed (i.e white balance is wrong, color is wrong... too this or too that). Says who? The image is what it is. The person who made the image was there. Don Schaeffer often produces strange but captivating images. Most would say his images are too blurry or the subject too indistinct. He knows the rules and chooses to break the rules. Reminds me of Diane Arbus. She laughed at the conventional "wisdom" of her day and went ahead and produced images that pleased her and stunned the rest of us in spite of what the purists of her day said.

That's my two cents' worth for the night.
--
JamesD
Happy Snappin'
 
James I agree 100% with every point in your observations, there has always been camera collectors but most of those cameras are placed in a display cabinet, sadly many great cameras have become almost impossible to buy because of this, one example was when it took me two years to find a decent Rolliflex 2.8 TLR.

My favorite photographer by a country mile is a chap from Vermont USA, his name Richard Brown. Richard has written many books showing his photography, all he used was a vintage Manual Nikon with Nikkor 28mm, 50mm and 135mm lens, to me a perfect combination.

I am not trying to hang it on anyone here as some photography including Mikes is quite outstanding but having multiple cameras is a bit like a "Jack of all Trades Master of None" I say this because IMO by using multiple cameras photography can suffer and its far better to master one or two cameras and get to know them like a lover.

Anyhow my thoughts do not wash with everyone and I certainly respect other peoples opinions but there is no doubt that good photo's are what makes the hobby interesting, taking to much notice of camera specifications and camera comparisons run a very poor second IMO.

Thankfully some of the best photo's on this forum were taken with so called mundane Kodaks and I hope its stays that way.
--
Regards
Dave
Downunder.
 
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