Thursday, May 03, 2018

My Camera Plus My Take on Various Brands

One commenter has asked for more information about my photographic equipment. Although the brand doesn't matter much because all the main brands are very good, I shoot Canon. I have both a full frame 6D and a crop sensor 7D. Neither are state of the art; the 7D was first produced about 10 years ago and the 6D about 5 years past. Canon has since produced newer versions of both, but the equipment still works well enough for me although if I were richer ...

Nikon and Canon are the main players in the DSLR (Digital Single Lens Reflex) market. They both produce crop (APS-C) sensors as well as full frame sensors. (To some degree I discussed the difference in sensors here in a previous post.)

Sony also makes DSLRs, but they are more heavily into producing mirrorless cameras, both full frame models and APS-C versions. Mirrorless cameras are smaller as are their equivalent lenses, so they are becoming a very attractive option to the extent that some pros, who can afford it, have  switched to this platform. For most of us, discarding one system for another is price prohibitive, and to repeat, every manufacturer makes good cameras these days. In fact, it might be said that most cameras are better than most photographers who own them. On Flickr I see great photos from people with less expensive cameras and mediocre pictures from some owning very high-end equipment.

In addition to Sony, Fuji also makes a very popular brand of mirrorless cameras. As far as I know, they have stuck to crop sensor models so far, and people who own them love them.

Olympus and Panasonic make even smaller mirrorless cameras with 4/3 sensors somewhat smaller than APS-C. But from what I understand they also yield excellent results and some professionals have switched and are pleased with the results

At one time, larger full frame sensors were considered superior, and they were, just by the virtue of just being larger. And I suppose that's still true because, all other things being equal, bigger is better. However, digital technology has improved so much since the early days that most people can be very happy with any of the above brands and sizes.

Perhaps I will discuss my lenses in another post.


7 comments:

Mara said...

If I ever get a new camera, I will ask you what to get for my limited needs!

Mage said...

Reading the latest Consumer Reports, they rate two Sony's highly. I love my two Canons.

Country Gal said...

I am a Nikon Gal lol ! I used to use an old film 35mm Minolta back in the day before Digital and developed my own photos to but I do love the technology of the DSLR cameras and how easy it is to load in my photos into a photo program in my PC and do what I want if anything to them . I photograph in raw form which is about the same as a negative and it is easier to adjust from them if I need or want to then it is a JPEG . I used to use a Nikon D 60 but that developed a pixel in the photos and I didn't like that I had used the camera for 4 years by then then I moved to a Nikon D 3100 with the light weight lenses that also have Vibration Reduction built right in them which is awesome as my hands are a wee bit shakier then they used to be , I am not one to use a tripod either as I love the camera in my hands as I wait patiently as I like to capture and study my subjects as they are which is mainly nature subjects . Choosing a brand of camera is mainly preference and what ones experience has been with them so we tend to stick with what we like and know. I have a friend who is a pro nature photographer for Canada's National Geographic and he said to me , no matter what camera one has or uses if you have an eye for photography then any brand of camera will do . I have had my Nikon D 3100 for many years it is my second Nikon and to this day I have not used it to its full potential and pro photographers will tell you that not many of them do use their cameras to their full potential as they are loaded with so many things one can do with them and that the photo programs can do just about as much as whats build in the cameras now a days . Awesome post , thanks for sharing
have a good day !

Kay said...

I have to look for a smaller camera for trips. I discovered my Canon is now really too cumbersome for me to carry.

Tabor said...

Thinking of going mirrorless. Need to research it more.

Beatrice P. Boyd said...

In my desire (or craziness) to try new camera formats, I bought an Olympus mirrorless camera a couple of years ago. I also bought a zoom and another lens but can't recall which focal length. After using the camera and lens for a couple of months, maybe less, I could not get used to the feel. I'm not sure why that was since I've used small digital cameras without lens interchangeability. Luckily, I was able to sell off the equipment (thanks to ebay) and haven't decided to give mirrorless another try.

Jhon said...

Thinking of going mirrorless. How To Repair Canon Camera Lens Error