Photographers...what Camera, Lens, Filters Do You Use?

Depends what you want to photograph...
that said, a 50mm 1.8 can be used for a lot of things (or the 35mm) - I these 2 for everything but weddings, I just stitch landscapes and such
24-70 2.8 is also a pretty versatile lens - but out of your price range

both the 50 and 35 are sharp, fast lenses and can be had for about $200 new. I just bought a used 35mm 1.8 off ebay for $140 shipped. Can't beat that.

Oh, and knowing what you already have so we don't repeat ourselves would be helpful.

Katie --

My workhorse is the Pentax K10D. My standard lens is the Penax 35mm f/2.4, other known as 'The Plastic Wonder'. I like the CCD sensor in the camera, and how it collects the image analog then coverts it to digital .... it has a film look to me. I like the sharpness of this lens with minimal distortions ... and it is pretty bright. Few DSLR's have a CCD sensor anymore, but if I were to get a new body it would be the Pentax K5 IIs. I"ve loaned it from the Pentax Pro Service and it produces images very close to my K10D.

I shot with Nikon film cameras for over twenty years. When I transitioned to digital I went Pentax. Mostly that, here in Chicago, my fellow photojournalists informed me that Nikon digital has high maintenance and thus you'll now see all the major newspapers here with Canon and no longer Nikon as it was for many, many years. I did not go Canan as I found Pentax to have superb engineering and more bang for your buck. My own personal opinion is that, compared to Full Frame DSLR's, my Pentax images hold their own.

My favorite camera carries film in it, so that may not help you unless you are interested in that adventure. :)

Unless you buy a special camera, I think you will always either crop or stitch. If you decide on the latter good software is critical, as is learning how to minimize lens effects and exposure shifts from frame to frame (manual mode is best).

There are unbelievable digital panoramic cameras out there. (not in my budget!) Case in point: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/reviews/seitz-d3.shtml It's only 43K! Probably this is cheap if you are Peter Lik.

Why would I want to change your mind?

I'd like to know why you are "a Nikon" girl? You like the brand of some reason? Have invested in good lenses? If you already have good lenses then you wouldn't want to switch brands.

Every camera manufacturer puts out good equipment.

I use a Nikon D5100...

My lenses consist of a Sigma 70-300, Nikkor 35mm, Nikkor 40mm micro and Nikkor 10-24. I have one filter that I use with any regularity - that's a 10 stop ND filter - it allows you to take long exposures in broad daylight (think capturing the motion of running streams and waterfalls).

Lately I have my 40mm on about 70% of the time for some reason. The other time is usually split between the 70-300 and 10-24.

A also have a Tamron 18-300 but I'm not crazy about the quality I get from it so I rarely use it. I thought it would be a great carry-around lens.

I have:

Cameras: Canon 7D and Canon 5D Mark III

Lenses (all L series, AF, IS): 24-70 f/2.8, 70-200 f/2.8, 16-35 f/2.8, 400mm f/2.8

@Edward. Really sir I have to disagree on your last statement, but of course it may depend on your definition of "good". :)

Heather: I dabble in everything really. I have a passion for nature photography...love capturing God's earth & how we live in it. As side jobs I do weddings & now starting to get into baby/family photo shoots.

Frank: I did not know that about Nikon..thank you for informing me..I may just have to go a different way now...for I want something I can invest in for many yrs.

HW Kateley: I use to be into film in college but I don't have the time or money these days. If my skills were maybe perfected a little better but I am one of those people who takes 10-20 pictures of the same object/view to try and get what I want.
Oh and that digital panoramic is only 43K....just so happens I found that in my dryer this morning. Must of fell out my pocket HAHA Maybe one day...when i die & my photos become famous I can then buy that hehe :)

That´s what I use: http://www.colinutzphotography.com/my-gear-meine-ausruestung/ (No, it isn´t an invitation to click the links! I´m to lazy to write it down ... 😎.)

Edward...I am a nikon girl b/c thats all I have had the past 10 yrs or so haha..afraid of change I guess. I never wanted to venture out & I love my camera still..I just really need an upgrade. I realize there is much I cant do with a 10yr old camera that I could capture with new technology. I have those moments where I say.."The camera does not do this view justice". Ive only invested in a wide angle lens & a zoom lens. Id call myself uninformed when it comes to new technology bc I was never interested in knowing for the past yrs..I enjoyed my Nikon D50. After viewing so many others art...so many amazing & breath taking views...I realize I cant be stubborn anymore if I want to be a better photographer & try & make some money in the process.. Plus the largest photo I product is a 20 x 30 & I would like to be able to go larger.

I dont have many filters so I was curious what I should dabble into first. I always captured for the pleasure of it but I want to become a little more serious about what I am actually doing & using.

@Frank. The pentax's are very compelling. Correct me if I'm wrong, but doesn't all that vintage pentax glass still fit those?

@Katie. Filters are interesting and to me a wide area for discussion. What is most useful depends on you want to do. Basics (to me) are a polarizer, a 3 or 4 stop ND, and maybe a warming filter. However, depending on what you shoot ND grads can be very nice. I mainly use a cokin system so that my filters can be used on multiple cameras.

@ Katie

In film days, a camera was a lifetime investment. Unfortunatelly, with digital that´s not true anymore. In your case the step from the D50 to a D5xxx or D3xxx would be a huge improvement.

HW - Yes, pentax film lenses work on digital across the board. Wish I owned glass back from the Pentax film bodies. But I was Nikon back then. I'm temped more and more to trade in my F3HP and FM for Pentax K1000 one of photography's greatest cameras. They are real value at http://shopgoodwill.com/ so don't know what I'm waiting for.

If you are more interested in shooting panos, look into mirrorless cameras with pano technology, like Sony's A7series or Nikon. http://www.dpreview.com/articles/0657309050/enthusiast-mirrorless-camera-roundup-2014

@Colin. I hate that phrase. "in film days...". :) For some people, everyday is still film day. Just sayin'.

However, you make a good point about digital gear going obsolete quicker. Having said that, I have work that I consider still useful taken with a 2.1mpx camera. (a good 2.1 camera, but still...) Film technology was/is at a much stabler point than digital technology, therefore change is faster.

Iuse Nikon. I photograph kids, families, babies all with my 50 or 35mm. Best bang for the buck.

Weddings I rent a 24-70mm because I can't quite afford one yet.

I'm not versed enough in bodies (I currently use a D5100 but want to upgrade to a full frame eventually).

@Frank. I actually have a very nice one for sale if you wish to contact me outside of this forum.

Shop goodwill is interesting for cameras, but it's also a crapshoot as to condition or even if it works.. I'm currently tracking a TLR I'd like to own.

HW - You are correct about SGW.

@HW

You´re right, of course! I´m a big fan of film. I´m just to lazy to shoot film.

I use a Nikon d7100. Lens...oh the collection has been growing...LOL. I won't list them all, but I mostly shoot with a Sigma 150-500mm lens. Although I've now acquired an old Tokina 100-300 f/4 I'm playing with for some things, a Sigma 400 f/5.6 I'm also having fun with, and the one on the way is a Tokina 300mm f/2.8. I shoot mostly wildlife, birds, nature scenes.

i can't chance your mind if you already have stuff for one camera type. i'm stuck with canon because of that. i have a canon 5dmk3, with a tamron 28-300vc lens, and sometimes a polarizer. that's it. that's all i use.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

My latest gears:Nikon D810 camera and Nikon 16-35mm f/4, Nikon 50 mm f/1.8, Nikon 70-200 mm f/2.8 VRII, Nikon 16 mm f/2.8 fisheye, Sigma 105mm f/2.8 macro. I do have set of Singh Ray GND filters and polarizer filter that I use for my Landscape images.

I use just Nikon and I am really happy with it. I like to use prime lenses and especially 35mm, 50mm and 85mm. All of those, as Heather pointed out, are well into your price range. At leas the F1.8 versions, which are great.

Thank you everyone for your input on what you recommend & use yourself!! I have some playing around to do at the store :)

I use anything and everything, but it's mostly low end and second/third hand old tech, and in that market you can always get bargains. Effect filters I use are the standard soft, star, primary and secondary colour, and rainbow. Polarizer and neutral density filters too though I don't think of them as effects but essentials. Most listed can be recreated in photo editing programs with greater or lesser success, except neutral density because of what it will probably be used for - blurring movement.

But I've also used black stockings (soft), scorred and scarred plastic (wonky star), gels on glass, frosted glass, colourful silk scarfs (colour wash effects).

Lenses are mostly zooms of various ranges, but I have a 1.8 50mm reserved for bokeh (which is more pronounced on full frame/less pronounced on a crop), and a few primes of the standard ranges, wide to tele, from old screw mounts with adapters, to odd brands I've never heard of outside of the one example

Upgrading is really an investment in the future, as you realize, and personally I believe there's nothing wrong with sidegrading, downgrading or retrograding (provided you keep the new and good as you acquire the cheap, old, strange and nasty) depending on what you're after or how adventurous you feel. Perfectionists will disagree obviously.

The rubbish probably adds up to about 150 (if I could find a buyer), and the good stuff - well that can always be improved upon

HW Kateley - are there really any lemons on the camera market?

....

If you are upgrading from a 10 year old camera, you might consider a used camera. You can get a professional level camera that's three years old which would be a huge jump in quality.

Also look at all the formats available. If you tend to leave your camera behind because its too big and bulky, there are lots of great smaller format cameras around these days.

Just don't get caught up in the equipment/fan boy trap. More important to be out shooting and developing your eye.

it really comes down to what you shoot, how much money you have, how much weight you want to carry. that's it. a better camera won't improve photography skill, more lenses won't make you a pro. i have i think 8 lenses i don't use. while my tamron isn't great it fits my needs. camera's are expensive, so are lenses. it's easy to go overboard and get all kinds of stuff you'll never use.

the other thing i carry with me always now is a flash, a 430ex. while they make them larger, they are also heavy, and this is the largest bounce flash they had at the time, while still being kind of smallish. i made a diffuser for it though, it was too harsh otherwise.

---Mike Savad
MikeSavad.com

Whichever camera you have with you. I went from Canon to micro 4/3 (panasonic), and have really enjoyed it - my back thanks me. It's a lot lighter and there are some great lenses. Here's my latest sale - panasonic gh2 with olympus 45mm - printed 40" on metal.

Here's my camera history if anyone cares:

Olympus OM-10 - lost falling though the ice. Landfill.
Graflex 4x5 Press Camera - on the shelf in the living room.
Fujifilm point and shoots - some where around the house.
Panasonic Lumix G2 - sold

Panasonic Lumix G3 - current but not used much (shot a lot of stock on this camera)
Panasonic LX-5 - current (lives in my glove box as back up)
Canon 6D - current with too many lenses.
FujiFilm x100t - just arrived!

I have a Canon t3i ..its ok for where I am right now. I just purchased a Sony a6000 I am still reading the manual. I am trying out Opteka lenses, but basically using kit lenses. I am waiting for an opteka macro lens for the Sony. I have an Opteka telephoto lens for the Canon ..its awesome.

FX format: Nikon d610 with 50mm/f1.4, 24mm/f2.8 and 70-300 zoom

and

DX format: Nikon d5100 with 35mm/f1.8, 85mm/f4 macro plus a couple of "kit lens" zooms (18-55 and 80-200).


Dave Gordon
http://prints.dgportfolio.net

I have had/used a bunch of different cameras. First I ever owned was a Minolta SRT101. I shot with Rolleiflex and Mamiya twin lens square format cameras, 4x5 view cameras, A Mamiya 2 1/4 x 3 1/4 press camera (great for sports back in the day) I worked at a camera store for a few years and also got great deals on cameras. I was going to go to Brooks Institute for a while in my youth and bought a Hasselblad 500CM and a Leica M3 with a couple of the best lenses I have ever used. I went through a Canon faze and even bought a Canon for my daughter. I have a Nikon now (just a D5100 as well as a D80 which just sits on the shelf mostly) I use Nikon because they allow you to use their old glass on some of their bodies. All of my lenses were purchased used except for the kit lenses which came with the cameras. I have an older film Pentax and Minolta with some great old glass that I am saving for one day when I might be able to use it again. (I believe the Sony allows you to use the old Minolta glass) My favorite of all the cameras I have used was by far the Leica M3. I would like to move to full frame next because more pixels are more pixels. That said there are a ton of ways to get more pixels with any digital camera. Panorama and stitching effects will allow you larger prints on landscapes and still subjects. Look into the Brenizer Method. http://ryanbrenizer.com/2011/05/brenizer-method-instructions/ I agree with the comments above about just getting out and shooting to improve your eye and technique. Every camera is just a tool and if you understand what it can do well and what it can't do, it will work just fine.

My main, in my N90, which I use my Phoenix 24-85 on mostly, but sometimes will use my Nikor 75-300, 50mm, or my 500 mm. Filters can be extensive, as I have a large collection I use for different shots. but either a Polarizer, or a A-1 is always on my lens. Fuji 400 Pro, or Illford 400 is used.

Olympus OMD -EM5 with 3 lenses depending on what I want to shoot and how I want to shoot it. a 45mm prime lens, 12-50mm telephoto and macro lens, and a 40-150mm telephoto.

It's a mirror-less micro four-thirds camera.

I've had it for 2 years now and the main positives are that is lightweight, durable, weatherproof and compact. Great if you are on the move with your gear and produces great quality images. One of the fastest autofocus' on the market and can shoot 9fps in continuous shooting mode. There a lot of other positives I could go on about.

The main negatives are that it is not full frame and that its lowest ISO is 200. Olympus is notorious for higher relative noise to other manufacturers and being only to only able to go down to ISO 200 can further add risk of noise to your shot which has frustrated me in the past.

Sony A77... 24mp which is a huge step up from the 6mp camera I had... I use three lens's... my nifty 50 1.8, a Sony 16-55 2.8 and a very old minolta 70-210 f4 (called the beer can)

I also use a fuji x100s which is a fixed lens camera...

for filters I have a couple of C Polarizers, a ND-400 and a cheap set of ND grads... the ND grads have a color cast but I can work it out in photoshop...

@Chris How do you like the beer can with the sony? I shoot one on an older film body and like it very much.

Well 2 weeks ago I would have said a canon T2i but now I have made the jump to full frame and my lens of choice is a 24-85 mm USM f3.5. works great with the 5D mk2 which I got at a steal. there is really only 2 lens I ase now being 24-85 and a tamron 70-300 f4 both are great and not cheap per say but fall in the middle as cheap and great glass. Heres an example of the 5D with the 24-85 shot at 28mm

@HW Kateley - I like it... given its limitations... my example is very good... no fungus... but it is slow to focus and can have pretty good CA... but I can remove that in lightroom... I have had it for 10 years now... I do plan to update someday to one of the third party 2.8 lenses... but it works and with the built in image stabilization at well under $200 it was a steal...

For big panoramas I've found that a lens with a focal length of about 70 to 100mm on a full frame DSLR and the Hugin stitching program works very well indeed. Using a short telephoto avoids distortions that wide angle lenses create that are difficult to correct when stitching. A bit of magnification also ensures that there is a lot of detail in the images, even if the lens isn't one of the best.

I'm not as much of a camera expert as the above commentators, I agree with Frank Casella, I have a used Pentax DSLR K40 (bought in almost mint condition two years ago in the PentaxForums Market Place, the owners will answer all questions plus give actualizations).

Most of the DSLR models have a professional steel body. You can't go wrong with the quality of Pentas DSLRs, 1/3 less than Nikon, lenses known for quality, sensors are the same. I would buy the K5II or K5 (top of the line semi pro, used start at $450 and buy a good lens) in a heartbeat and almost all DSLR Pentax lenses from years ago fit. I use my Dad's 55mm Pentax SLR film box lens from '60's. Your thread has reminded me to take a look at those cameras mentioned.

Trust me if this will be your "go to" camera for work the steel body is worth it's weight in gold because the more you use it the more likely you will drop it! I dropped mine, it didn't phase it, I avoided a several hundred dollar bill to get it fixed! I know many like the smaller camera and it can be very practical as far as being bulky, so far I can't part with a larger sensor which has more color information thus deeper, richer color and better ISO.

Sometimes people will hand me a DSLR so I can take their picture and I nearly throw up in to the sky. After hauling around a metal body, those plastic bodies feel like helium balloons.

I think a huge part of choosing a camera brand is your own personal feeling toward that brand. Having sold cameras I really don't have a huge preference (other than older Leicas) but I am also a woodworker and love quality hand tools. They cost way more than ones that will do the job but are just inspiring to use due to their own quality. I think that also applies to a camera. I really enjoy a top brand that is well made and especially fine quality glass. I get excited to use it and tend to take a lot more pictures than when I have a camera I really am not crazy about. Maybe not real scientific but worth considering.

@Edward. Well I've seen some questionable ones in the superzoom category. Most notable questionable one was was marked "GE". As for film cameras Holgas may be love em or hate em items. I have no opinion other than I like the pinhole one I have. Also, I see alot of ones with tiny lenses and huge pixel numbers. These make me wonder.

@Paul. Focal length and stitching issues make sense to me. I believe I may have seen that more than once.