Gear and Gadgets: Questions on choice of the tool for the job and the lke! My choice of cameras and reasons!

Asher Kelman · Sep 4, 2018

Asher Kelman: The Great Hall, University of Birmingham U.K.

2017, Ricoh GR GXR APS-C "50mm Lens-Sensor module"
1/2000 sec f= 7.1 ISO 320 3 Images Stitched in Auto Pano Giga

Why choose a particular camera?

What needs just had to be covered?

What cameras have you chosen in your career and why that type, brand, size and expense?

....any surprises and/regrets?

Asher

Jerome Marot · Sep 4, 2018

I just like to cite the following interview I found on the web:

Frank Horvat : What about the camera? It seems that you don’t have the same camera as everyone else, a Leica, a Nikon or a Kodak.

Mario Giacomelli : I don’t know about other people’s cameras. Mine is a thing I had cobbled up, it holds together with tape and is always losing parts. All I need to set is the distance and that other thing – what do you call that other thing? I’m not a fan of mechanics. I have had this camera, still the same one, since I started taking photos. It has lived with me, shared many moments of my existence, both good and bad. If I ever lost it… well, the very idea of having to live without it pulls at my heart.

Frank Horvat : But where does it come from?

Mario Giacomelli : I had it made. By dismantling a camera given to me by a friend and removing whatever seemed useless. I only need distance and that other thing – what’s that other thing called again? I don’t know how these machines work, what counts is that light shouldn’t get in. It’s just a box.

Frank Horvat : And what film do you use?

Mario Giacomelli : Whatever I get.

Frank Horvat : 24 by 36 millimeters?

Mario Giacomelli : Don’t ask me about millimeters ! I use the larger film, not the smaller one. I’ve never used the smaller one.

Frank Horvat : So, six by six centimeters?

Mario Giacomelli : Don’t talk to me about figures! I only know that six by nine becomes six by eight and a half.

Frank Horvat : So you get 12 photos per roll?

Mario Giacomelli : I can’t remember, but I think it’s more like ten. Ten, not twelve. What’s important is that there shouldn’t be too many. Once I won a competition and was given a small size camera as a prize. But I didn’t know how to use it, it was too fast for me, it didn’t participate as my own camera does, it left me no time to think, made me press the shutter for nothing. I felt deprived of what makes my greatest joy, which is the waiting, the preparing of the image, the winding of the film, the replacing of the roll. My own camera is exactly what I need, it suits my character.

Frank Horvat : At what speed does it work? a thirtieth, a hundredth of a second?

Mario Giacomelli : I don’t know any more. It doesn’t go over two hundred. To photograph from a plane I have to borrow a friend’s camera, I’m a little ashamed to admit it, but I don’t care. It doesn’t matter to me, I would take photos without a camera if I could. I’ve no great passion for mechanics.

Frank Horvat : And what’s the lens aperture?

Mario Giacomelli : It depends. At Scanno, I did nearly everything at a 25th. For landscapes I use 2 and 22.

Frank Horvat : Half a second at aperture 22?

Mario Giacomelli : I know there is a 2 and a 22, that’s the aperture of the lens, I learnt it by heart.

Frank Horvat : So you close the aperture all the way.

Mario Giacomelli : All the way, always the same. Because it’s for landscapes. When it’s for people, and there is not much light, I do the opposite : I open the lens.

Asher Kelman · Sep 4, 2018

Wonderful interview, Jerome.

My favorite is this curved plane pinhole camera by Kurt Mottweiler.

Kurt Mottweiler: P.90 6x7 Camera

I borrowed a P.90 and had so much fun using it. I have shown this shot previously:

Well this is Kodak 160 NC-2film, 6x7 format, just a simple lab 6MP commercial scan 8BIT TIFF and curves and sharpened. Not cropped. Not corrected for distortion or bright b.g. Don't let that worry you for now

No view finder, just two lines on the top indicated angle of view! No focusing. Only one f-stop!

One can have any shutter speed one approximate with pull of a rod up and down at the speed one imagines,

one second being:

ONE-ANSEL ADAMS

and 2 second being:

“ONE-ANSEL ADAMS, TWO-ANSEL ADAMS” and so forth!

Asher

James Lemon · Sep 6, 2018

As a boy I was especially intrigued by the Polaroid camera and the noise it made when producing a picture. It was like Magic to me! But I was equally amazed when they invented the phone with a camera in it.

Asher Kelman · Sep 6, 2018

James Lemon said:
As a boy I was especially intrigued by the Polaroid camera and the noise it made when producing a picture. It was like Magic to me! But I was equally amazed when they invented the phone with a camera in it.

Yes, that was lots of fun! Sad that the era of Polaroid ended. Now it’s just a label they rent out to shoddy copiers made somewhere in Asia!

Asher

Jerome Marot · Sep 6, 2018

Asher Kelman said:
Yes, that was lots of fun! Sad that the era of Polaroid ended. Now it’s just a label they rent out to shoddy copiers made somewhere in Asia!

There is still a Dutch company manufacturing Polaroid compatible films and cameras...

Asher Kelman · Sep 7, 2018

Jerome Marot said:
There is still a Dutch company manufacturing Polaroid compatible films and cameras...

Yes, Jerome, they are working very hard. Unfortunately they haven’t mastered as yet the brilliance of the original instant Polaroid films. I have nothing but admiration for them. It’s still so wonderful to have this choice of media.

I have a bunch of “expired” but original Polaroid 8x10 film in my refrigerator. Must do a session usin then and see how the film comes out!

Asher

Asher Kelman · Oct 18, 2018

For me, there’s one special camera for my Studio where I want to be able to make prints that folk can approach very close and not lose the magical feeling of the presence of the person. A Canon 5DII doesn’t quite make the grade but few folk notice. The Sony A7R lunches way above it class (and frankly I get hardly better images from the Phase One IQ80). Likely, others could process their own images into the same class. I have switched to the new Fuji MF camera, GFX mirrorless, as the lenses are stellar and the standard zoom lens is perfect for my needs.

For photoprogammetry or panoramas for a client, any modern camera with little distortion and a solid tripod.

For street photography something black and inconspicuous like the Ricoh GR, (genuine film or recent Digital) (Instead one could use a Sony or Fuji Co pact camera to ones taste).

....... and for a romantic philosophical treat a large format camera on a tripod and either cliffs, sand dunes, a waterfall, a model or all of them! A pinhole camera will do the same! Anyone agree?

The issue for professional work is that one needs a backup camera and a reproducible workflow. I realize we should make use of rental houses more and resist the temptation to have to own everything one “needs”!

Asher

Doug Kerr · Oct 18, 2018

Almost all of my current photography goes onto the Internet, mostly onto Carla's blog, some onto this forum, generally resized to a maximum dimension of 800 px for delivery. So, many of the demands on image quality are relaxed (perhaps sadly).

And because my mobility is a bit compromised from spinal stenosis, I found that schlepping a larger camera system doesn't work well. I offloaded my stable of Canon DSLR's and EF lenses, and moved to the world of non-interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras, potentially considerably smaller and lighter.

But, just as when in our first "downsizing" we moved into a house the same size, my current "major" camera, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000, is as big and heavy as a mid-range Canon DSLR with a 50 mm lens aboard. It is a full-featured non-interchangeable lens mirrorless camera with a "one inch" sensor (20 Mpx). The lens has a focal length range of 25-400 mm ff35 equivalent, with an maximum aperture range of f/2.8-f/4.0 (f/2.8 . It is very responsive and has very complete and flexible controls. It does a fairly good job in low-light conditions.

But of course I really did need something that was actually smaller. Its stable mate, physically very much smaller (it can easily go into my pocket) has the very same sensor and processing chain. It is a Panasonic Lumix DMX-ZS100. Its lens has a focal length range of 25-250 mm ff35 equivalent, with an maximum aperture range of f/2.8-f/5.9. Its controls are as flexible as those of its cousin, although the smaller package gives fewer buttons to assign to things.

The lens on the FZ1000 is superior in many ways to that on the ZS100 (squeezing a lens with that focal length range, feeding a sensor of that size, into a very small package obviously brings some compromises). But it responds well and does a passable job in very low light situations.

Carla most of the time uses our Canon PowerShot G16 (about the same size as the ZS100. It has a much smaller sensor and a more modest focal length range, but its lens is excellent. She thinks the pictures are generally better than those from the ZS100. She's probably right.

Best regards,

Doug

Asher Kelman · Oct 18, 2018

Doug Kerr said:
Almost all of my current photography goes onto the Internet, mostly onto Carla's blog, some onto this forum, generally resized to a maximum dimension of 800 px for delivery. So, many of the demands on image quality are relaxed (perhaps sadly).

And because my mobility is a bit compromised from spinal stenosis, I found that schlepping a larger camera system doesn't work well. I offloaded my stable of Canon DSLR's and EF lenses, and moved to the world of non-interchangeable lens mirrorless cameras, potentially considerably smaller and lighter.

But, just as when in our first "downsizing" we moved into a house the same size, my current "major" camera, a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ1000, is as big and heavy as a mid-range Canon DSLR with a 50 mm lens aboard. It is a full-featured non-interchangeable lens mirrorless camera with a "one inch" sensor (20 Mpx). The lens has a focal length range of 25-400 mm ff35 equivalent, with an maximum aperture range of f/2.8-f/4.0 (f/2.8 . It is very responsive and has very complete and flexible controls. It does a fairly good job in low-light conditions.

But of course I really did need something that was actually smaller. Its stable mate, physically very much smaller (it can easily go into my pocket) has the very same sensor and processing chain. It is a Panasonic Lumix DMX-ZS100. Its lens has a focal length range of 25-250 mm ff35 equivalent, with an maximum aperture range of f/2.8-f/5.9. Its controls are as flexible as those of its cousin, although the smaller package gives fewer buttons to assign to things.

The lens on the FZ1000 is superior in many ways to that on the ZS100 (squeezing a lens with that focal length range, feeding a sensor of that size, into a very small package obviously brings some compromises). But it responds well and does a passable job in very low light situations.

Carla most of the time uses our Canon PowerShot G16 (about the same size as the ZS100. It has a much smaller sensor and a more modest focal length range, but its lens is excellent. She thinks the pictures are generally better than those from the ZS100. She's probably right.

Best regards,

Doug

I suggest a used GRII 28 mm in one pocket. It's APS-C , ultra sharp lens, and you can crop and enlarge. This will handle 95% of your needs with applomb!

In another pocket or in Carla's purse something light with a longer lens

Asher

Doug Kerr · Oct 18, 2018

Hi, Asher,

Asher Kelman said:
I suggest a used GRII 28 mm in one pocket. It's APS-C , ultra sharp lens, and you can crop and enlarge. This will handle 95% of your needs with applomb!

In another pocket or in Carla's purse something light with a longer lens

That's a very tempting notion. I may look into that.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug

Asher Kelman · Oct 18, 2018

Doug Kerr said:
Hi, Asher,

That's a very tempting notion. I may look into that.

Thanks.

Best regards,

Doug

Doug,

The new GRIII will be out in 2-3 months and the price of the Perfectly fabulous GRII will drop 10% and then be stable. Or you can by a demo model or “Refurbished” which is essentially the same or brand new but over-produced for that market at a particular delivery cycle!

That camera, (like Pro Nikon or Pro Canon long lenses), is actually “money in the bank”, that you use for fun right now and essentially almost for free), as it will retain 80% its value relatively well!

It is a metal pro-level sturdy little camera that wont intimidate anyone. The addon 21mm supplementary lens is nothing less than superb! Agreed it has no telephoto “reach” but, it is so brilliant at what it does, that one can forget what’s missing.

Really, we have to celebrate and respect what god has given us. Woman and the GR are such gifts!

Asher

Peter Dexter · Oct 18, 2018

James Lemon said:
As a boy I was especially intrigued by the Polaroid camera and the noise it made when producing a picture. It was like Magic to me! But I was equally amazed when they invented the phone with a camera in it.

When the phones with camera first came out years ago there was cartoon in the New Yorker showing a man on the street with a phone to his ear. In the caption he says "Hold on a second, I think I just took another picture of my ear".

Peter Dexter · Oct 18, 2018

Asher Kelman said:
Doug,

The new GRIII will be out in 2-3 months and the price of the Perfectly fabulous GRII will drop 10% and then be stable. Or you can by a demo model or “Refurbished” which is essentially the same or brand new but over-produced for that market at a particular delivery cycle!

That camera, (like Pro Nikon or Pro Canon long lenses), is actually “money in the bank”, that you use for fun right now and essentially almost for free), as it will retain 80% its value relatively well!

It is a metal pro-level sturdy little camera that wont intimidate anyone. The addon 21mm supplementary lens is nothing less than superb! Agreed it has no telephoto “reach” but, it is so brilliant at what it does, that one can forget what’s missing.

Really, we have to celebrate and respect what god has given us. Woman and the GR are such gifts!

Asher

Regarding the GRIII I saw the phrase "with support for an optical viewfinder" included in a description of it. What does that mean? I can't imagine using a camera in daylight with out one, at least not from my experience with my Sony a6000.

Asher Kelman · Oct 18, 2018

Peter Dexter said:
Regarding the GRIII I saw the phrase "with support for an optical viewfinder" included in a description of it. What does that mean? I can't imagine using a camera in daylight with out one, at least not from my experience with my Sony a6000.

I have a number of Ricoh small GXR and GX200 pocketable cameras and they share a removable eyepiece with a flexible joint. This doesn’t fit on the GR series right now. It could be that they will building in the electrical port for that below and behind the GR flash bracket. To make room for that they would only have to shrink the border of the back LCD display which seems entirely feasible.

I will find the VF-1 viewfinder it for you. There is is VF-2 which add a dial for diopter correction but they are interchangeable with GX series cameras. With the GXR, the lens and sensor are sealed and in a separate removable module. I have most of them. I almost exclusively use the 50mm as it’s stellar!

But they mention “optical viewfinder” so that would be easier. These are, you no doubt know, after all, standard optics which one simply matches to the angle of view of the lens. They mount on the flash bracket! I already have one, but from a different camera brand.

Asher

Jerome Marot · Oct 18, 2018

Asher Kelman said:
I suggest a used GRII 28 mm in one pocket. It's APS-C , ultra sharp lens, and you can crop and enlarge.

It is not a replacement for a zoom P&S. But if we want to suggest an APS-C camera, I am partial to the Sigma DP Merrill series. At least, a camera that is markedly different. They are quite cheap used.

If the frame needs to be full ("Kleinbild" or 8 "thirds"...), nothing electronics beats the Sony RX1 and its lens is superb.

Peter Dexter · Oct 19, 2018

Is there an illustration of what the added optical viewfinder would look like on the GRIII? The inclusion of a view finder was one of the principal reasons why I chose the Panasonic Lumix LF-1 when I purchased it. 95 % of point and shoot images I take are outside. I've yet to see an LCD screen that would produce a usable image in bright daylight. I gather the Richoh also lacks flash so no fill flash with out an add on external unit. Adding those two items would probably compromise its pocketability.

Asher Kelman · Oct 19, 2018

Peter Dexter said:
Is there an illustration of what the added optical viewfinder would look like on the GRIII? The inclusion of a view finder was one of the principal reasons why I chose the Panasonic Lumix LF-1 when I purchased it. 95 % of point and shoot images I take are outside. I've yet to see an LCD screen that would produce a usable image in bright daylight. I gather the Richoh also lacks flash so no fill flash with out an add on external unit. Adding those two items would probably compromise its pocketability.

The GR series has a pop up flash. The electronic viewfinder for the Gx/GFX series cannot mount to the GRII as it lacks the electronic port. Any $36 upwards viewfinder from Amazon or eBay will work
As this is a common wish of digicam users. I have one but I need to find it! Works perfectly!

Asher

Asher Kelman · Oct 19, 2018

Jerome Marot said:
It is not a replacement for a zoom P&S. But if we want to suggest an APS-C camera, I am partial to the Sigma DP Merrill series. At least, a camera that is markedly different. They are quite cheap used.

If the frame needs to be full ("Kleinbild" or 8 "thirds"...), nothing electronics beats the Sony RX1 and its lens is superb.

Jerome,

I am not as succinct as you, but I love of your recommendations: both superb and should make anyone a prince, (nice one, LOL)!

The RX1 has such a fine lens and great sensor that it can almost replace a zoom, at least in my hands! It is essentially a 42MP Pro camera squeezed into a pocketable digicam with a superb fixed 50 mm lens. This one camera could pretty well replace all my cameras if I wanted just one simple solution. Wide angle by stitching overlapped frames, telephoto by cropping and enlarging with the new Topaz filter if need be!

The Sigma Merrill is essentially portable MF quality magic for folk who pay attention to good lighting!

Asher

James Lemon · Oct 19, 2018

Asher Kelman said:
For me, there’s one special camera for my Studio where I want to be able to make prints that folk can approach very close and not lose the magical feeling of the presence of the person. A Canon 5DII doesn’t quite make the grade but few folk notice. The Sony A7R lunches way above it class (and frankly I get hardly better images from the Phase One IQ80). Likely, others could process their own images into the same class. I have switched to the new Fuji MF camera, GFX mirrorless, as the lenses are stellar and the standard zoom lens is perfect for my needs.

For photoprogammetry or panoramas for a client, any modern camera with little distortion and a solid tripod.

For street photography something black and inconspicuous like the Ricoh GR, (genuine film or recent Digital) (Instead one could use a Sony or Fuji Co pact camera to ones taste).

....... and for a romantic philosophical treat a large format camera on a tripod and either cliffs, sand dunes, a waterfall, a model or all of them! A pinhole camera will do the same! Anyone agree?

The issue for professional work is that one needs a backup camera and a reproducible workflow. I realize we should make use of rental houses more and resist the temptation to have to own everything one “needs”!

Asher

You can not beat a medium format or large format print from a film camera. Yes digital has surpassed 35mm film format but would have a long ways to go to catch up to medium,large format film. Especially if you want to produce nude pictures the size of billboards

Doug Kerr · Oct 19, 2018

Hi, Asher,

Asher Kelman said:
The RX1 has such a fine lens and great sensor that it can almost replace a zoom, at least in my hands! It is essentially a 42MP Pro camera squeezed into a pocketable digicam with a superb fixed 50 mm lens.

Why do you say 42 Mpx for what is squeezed into a pocketable package?

Best regards,

Doug

Asher Kelman · Oct 19, 2018

Doug Kerr said:
Hi, Asher,

Why do you say 42 Mpx for what is squeezed into a pocketable package?

Best regards,

Doug

Doug this is a miracle piece of professional grade but relatively costly, $3,298, compact engineering.

It’s essentially the exact same camera, electronically and specs as the much, much large Sony A7RII but with a the limitation, (or benefit), of a fixed 50 mm lens.

“On the cutting edge of imaging technology, the Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II Digital Camera from Sony packs in a full-frame 42.4-megapixel Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor behind”. To have that in a really pocketable Black Metal brick is to me wonder!

Asher

Doug Kerr · Oct 19, 2018

Hi, Asher,

Asher Kelman said:
“On the cutting edge of imaging technology, the Cyber-shot DSC-RX1R II Digital Camera from Sony packs in a full-frame 42.4-megapixel Exmor R back-illuminated CMOS sensor and BIONZ X processor behind”.

Sure, that is the RX1R II. I had thought we were speaking of the RX1 (about 24 Mpx, I think).

To have that in a really pocketable Black Metal brick is to me wonder!

Indeed.

Best regards,

Doug

Jerome Marot · Oct 19, 2018

The RX1 (first and second models) has a 35mm lens, not 50mm.

Jerome Marot · Oct 19, 2018

James Lemon said:
You can not beat a medium format or large format print from a film camera. Yes digital has surpassed 35mm film format but would have a long ways to go to catch up to medium,large format film. Especially if you want to produce nude pictures the size of billboards

Comparing dissimilar media is difficult, but my comparison of prints displayed in museum and galleries makes me believe that the best digital 24x36 cameras are comparable to medium format film. I have not seen the output from recent digital MF cameras, but earlier CCD models were also excellent.

The Sigma Merrill is an interesting camera, but not MF quality.

Asher Kelman · Oct 19, 2018

Jerome Marot said:
The RX1 (first and second models) has a 35mm lens, not 50mm.

Of course! Thanks for the key correction!

Better that way!

Asher

Peter Dexter · Oct 19, 2018

According to this the GR III has no built in flash:

https://www.dpreview.com/news/7912788156/ricoh-announces-development-of-long-awaited-gr-iii

The Sony RX VI and Ricoh GR III are almost equal in size and weight but the Sony does have a built in flash. It also has an articulating screen which is useful when you want to take a picture of something very low like an insect or flower or be able to hold it over your head for a shot. The one area where the Ricoch might beat the Sony is image quality and sharpness with it's fixed lens vs, zoom but the jury will remain out until full testing of the Richoh. The difference between 20 and 24 mp isn't significant in my opinion.

James Lemon · Oct 19, 2018

Jerome Marot said:
Comparing dissimilar media is difficult, but my comparison of prints displayed in museum and galleries makes me believe that the best digital 24x36 cameras are comparable to medium format film. I have not seen the output from recent digital MF cameras, but earlier CCD models were also excellent.

The Sigma Merrill is an interesting camera, but not MF quality.

My reasoning is that a larger sensor gathers more light.

Doug Kerr · Oct 19, 2018

Hi, James,

James Lemon said:
My reasoning is that a larger sensor gathers more light.

Well, indeed, if we are shooting with the same aperture (that is, same f-number), for a given scene the total luminous flux on the sensor is proportional to the area of the sensor.

And of course if we have the same field of view on two cameras, the one with the larger sensor will need a greater entrance pupil of the lens to attain that same f-number. And so the lens will probably be bigger and heavier.

And for the same f-number, for focus at the same distance, the camera with the larger sensor will exhibit a smaller depth of field (if reckoned on a "visual acuity" basis), which of course is good for some things and bad for others.

So as always, more is - more, or less (more or less).

Best regards,

Doug

fahim mohammed · Oct 20, 2018

My choice of cameras is determined by my ' intent ' for the use of that tool.

I have said this before, shall say it again...one should start with an ' intent '. The purpose. The why?

Then one should investigate the tools ( cameras in this case ) to do the job..to be fit for purpose.

My photographic aspirations have changed over the years...mostly due to my age and physical fitness.

But the ' intent ' has not altered..travel photography with an emphasis on people and places.
Then the bulk and weight of the equipment I can carry; and the moneys I have for this my photographic passion.

I have even thought of switching over to MFT. But it is not only the camera body but the lenses that make up a system. Pro lenses are heavy, bulky and expensive.

Currently this is my system. Relatively less bulky, less heavy and less expensive than an equivalent system...

Fast apertures, FLs I generally use, WR. Fits in a small bag. Meets my criteria for travel without compromise in image quality.

Gear and Gadgets: Questions on choice of the tool for the job and the lke! My choice of cameras and reasons!

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