Rockin' a new haircut
From my Father-in-Laws feeder.
From my Father-in-Laws feeder.
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Sep, 2016Views
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Behind The Lens
Location
This was taken in Didsbury, Alberta at my father-in-laws place. I have over 15+ years in 35mm film and now in the digital space.Time
Taken approximately mid-day. He built this bird feeder and aptly name it "The Blue Jay Restaurant" :-) He does get a lot of 'jays" in his area.Lighting
It was a slightly overcast day, so lighting was fairly flat so nothing to special about that end of things.Equipment
This was taken with a Panasonic Lumix FZ-200 (24x optical zoom).Inspiration
I have several cameras in the travel and hybrid class. I've found that these cameras with their high zoom capabilities opens up a very different space to take photos in. This is not a space I normally shoot in. In this particular instance, I had just purchased the FZ-200 to allow me to capture photos in lower light with better resolution than a standard travel type camera.Editing
Very little post post processing, actually. Cropping to improve composition and perhaps slightly more exposure and saturation. I've found that the metering with Panasonics in general, tends to be pretty dead on for what I use them for.In my camera bag
Currrently, my everyday carry, is a Nikon D610 (full frame) with a Nikkor 24-85, an older Tamron 28-200, Nikkor 50mm f1.8 D, and an Opteka 85mm f1.8. Also a battery pack, right angle viewfiner attachment, Nikon SB700 flash and Gary Fong Lightsphere along with accessories. I do a lot of close up work, so extension tubes are the norm for me. For me, I moved to full frame from crop sensor and still use my crop sensor gear depending on circumstance. My crop sensor gear used to be my primary gear until I decided to jump to full frame, but I still use the crop sensor gear quite extensively for certain types of projects. In the crop sensor gear, I have Nikon D7200 and D7100 bodies with a battery grip for the D7200. It's actually literally permanently on the D7200. For lenses, I have the Nikkor 24-85 f2.38 -4.0, Sigma 18-200, Tamron 10-24, Tamron 100 f2.8 macro, Micro Nikkor 40mm f2.8. I do have several flash units, my Nikon SB-700, Yongnuo 560 III. If I require more power, I also have the StrobePro X360 bare bulb unit that I use in conjunction with my other units via radio triggers. Though my full frame gear tends to be my "goto" gear, I will use other "systems" depending on what I a need to do. Anything that is going to be "shown" will typically be either full frame or crop sensor, unless I get a situation that requires something different.Feedback
What an excellent question! To me, it can be a bit of a two edged sword depending on where you are from an experience level :-) I moved from the world of pointy shooties, to advanced (like the Fuji X0), then travel cameras to entry level DSLR's (crop sensor), to Micro Four Thirds and then jumped to a more advanced DSLR (D7100 and then added the D7200) and finally to the D610 in full frame. Yes, in the long run, it was quite expensive but you know, I didn't sell off too much of it and I still use a lot of it depending on what I do at the time. For instance, if I'm doing reference photos for my renovation work, a travel camera or hybrid works just fine for that type of work. There is no real need to use anything sophisticated - it's also very convenient. If I'm shooting for say a listing content, it's a different game - DSLR for sure and RAW. If you are moving "up" into this space, AND it's more for casual use - I would say to take a close look at the travel camera ad hybrid class units - they are surprisingly capable and not as expensive as what a DSLR could ultimately cost. They bring a lot of functionality to the table for the money. One of my most used travel cameras is the Nikon S9900. My first hybrid was the Nikon P520 which I still use occasionally and though it's a little "clunky" in its zoom, 42x zoom is also nothing to laugh at either - I got it on a clear out for around $300 CDN and have never regretted that one :-) If one is really not sure about a DSLR, I think using either a travel camera or hybrid would actually be a nice "middle stop" so you can determine next steps. Though many get rid of their older gear as they upgrade, I didn't per se :-) There have been many instances for me, where it's simply more convenient to use something other than a DSLR due to either weight constraints or simply convenience. Now, also bear in mind that these are the more "casual" or personal social things as well. If it's a paid event or something that does require extremely high image quality, then DSLR it is. I feel it's also very important to understand what your end output is going to be as well.
