It’s a question everyone asks…

At the time of writing this article I own 7 different cameras (9 if you include the iPhone and iPad). One that doesn’t do photography regularly may ask why I have so many. Truthfully, I don’t need as many as I have but here’s what I have and why I keep it around.

 

Canon SD870 IS

This one is 98% around for nostalgia… and 2% comparison shots. This was the first camera I ever owned and it was given to me by my grandmother for my birthday in 2008. The back LCD is busted and I really don’t need the camera anymore, but it did come in handy lately when I was making a presentation about the differences between types of cameras. I’m basically only holding on to it for nostalgic reasons though being that it was the camera that started this whole thing (that and there’s pretty much no resale value with a broken LCD…)

Pros: Lightweight and compact

Cons: Pretty much everything else…

Main Use: Nostalgia, comparisons

 

Nikon D80

This *was* my backup camera when I was using the D7000 as my main body, and it’s still my double backup / rental camera now. I can get the same ISO 1600 quality on a much more compact body now so this body really just sits around. I thought about getting it converted to infrared one day but I have my doubts that I’ll end up going through with it now. Because of that, it may be hitting the used market soon!

Pros: Interchangeable lenses, good image quality to ISO 1600, good external control (low menu use)

Cons: Noisier old sensor (outperformed by Sony RX-100 II)

Main Use: Given to guests that want to take some studio shots

 

Nikon D7000

This was my main body for a while but I never use it anymore. The reason this one is kept around is because it’s now my girlfriend’s main body. Honestly if she wasn’t using it I’d sell it immediately.

Pros: Interchangeable lenses, good image quality to ISO 3200, good external control (low menu use)

Cons: Don’t fully trust autofocus, large, slightly heavy

Main Use: A capable body for my girlfriend to learn on

 

Nikon D600

The D600 replaced my D7000 as the main body and at that time I kept the D7000 for backup. The D600 now serves as my backup body for paid shoots.

Pros: Interchangeable lenses, great image quality, best high ISO performance of cameras I own, great external control (very low menu use)

Cons: Don’t fully trust autofocus, large, slighty heavy

Main Use: Backup to D810

 

Nikon 1 V2

This is a casual shooting camera for me when I’m outdoors and doing nature shooting. It’s a smaller sensor so it’s not so great for low light and my older D80 outperforms it but when there’s a lot of daylight, I use this with a wider lens (Nikkor 1 6.7-13mm) for landscapes. On the opposite end, it focuses pretty fast and can be combined with longer lenses to get very small fields of view in certain situations. I call the V2 my “extremes” camera because I can use it for very wide or very narrow. It doesn’t see much action otherwise.

Pros: Lightweight, interchangeable lenses, quick autofocus, decent external control

Cons: Subpar over ISO 800, no standard hotshoe

Main Use: Casual outdoor shooting, landscapes / wildlife

 

Sony RX-100 II

This is my pocket casual camera that I take with me almost everywhere. It outperforms older DSLRs at higher ISO like 1600 so I have no problem using it that high and it gives me a 28-100mm equivalent field of view with a sharp, good lens. For a compact package it doesn’t get much better and I can literally take it anywhere! Awesome capability in a small package. It’s my second most used camera right now as far as images taken, but it’s the one that’s most often available.

Pros: Lightweight, compact, good image quality up to ISO 1600

Cons: Insufficient External Control (high menu use), can’t change lenses

Main Use: Casual event shooting, random everyday shots

 

Nikon D810

This is my main body now and it’s what I’ll pull out anytime I’m doing a real shoot. This is a top of the line semi-pro DSLR with very accurate autofocus, and 36 megapixels of detail to allow for creative cropping. It’s almost everything I could ever ask for in a DSLR (really only missing an articulating screen like D750/D5x00) and has conveniences that make picture taking easier and faster.

Pros: Excellent image quality, ISO 64 base, high megapixels for cropping, accurate autofocus, interchangeable lenses, excellent external control (lowest menu use)

Cons: Heaviest camera I own, largest camera I own

Main Use: Scheduled photo shoots, studio shooting

 

So there you have it really. The only cameras I really need in the long run for shooting are the D810 and D600, but the RX-100 II and the Nikon 1 V2 give me much lighter options for casual shooting and are still capable of nice images in the right situation.

If I were forced to narrow it down to two cameras though, it would definitely be the D810 and the RX-100 II. The D810 could fill in the role of the Nikon 1 V2 with different lenses, and the RX-100 is valuable because it’s with me more often than any of the other cameras in this list. The best camera in any given situation is always the camera that’s with you whether it’s a phone, or a premium compact, or your DSLR!

(Also note that there may be a D80, for sale soon and possibly a D600!)

~rensuchan

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Why do you have so many cameras? | 2014 | Photography | Tags: , , , | Comments (0)

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