Apr 12, 2013, 15:34
(Jun 2, 2004, 04:37)shuttertalk Wrote: I would like to welcome everyone to the forums, and just to get the ball rolling, - two simple questions:
1. What camera do you currently have, and why did you choose to purchase it?
2. What camera would you like to have, and why?
Feel free to elaborate!
I currently own a Minolta 7000, Olympus OM10, Pentax K10D Super and K30. The Minolta was brought as a present many years ago, the Olympus much later on some vague 'black and white' photography whim. Neither were used in anger (so to speak) and of course 35mm cameras were by now in the process of being superseded by the digital revolution. I resisted this revolution based upon nothing more than the weight and feel of my old Minolta rather than any significant or meaningful photographic knowledge of course, and as such gradually allowed the Minolta and Olympus to slowly gather dust as my (limited) interest in the subject slowly diminished.
One day, however, my then partner and I decided that we should perhaps get with the times and purchase an all singing and dancing compact digital camera (an Optio something or another). It was a revelation, and a constant source of wonder to me thereafter but nonetheless for that I still didn't bother to explore its full potential nor attempt to get to grips with photography properly either. I eventually split from that particular partner who, generously, let me take the camera with me. Having then become involved with a fine Scottish lass, she inevitably took me to her homeland and unwittingly introduced me to a landscape that God clearly used as his practice ground.
That little digital camera was never used as much thereafter quite frankly, and serious photography ultimately began to impinge upon my consciousness for the first time. The turning point came whilst overlooking Loch Awe and finding myself standing beside a guy with a full on DSLR fitted with a huge lens and suddenly feeling an inexplicable pang of envy! Upon returning to London, the idea of upgrading to similar kit became increasingly more attractive thereafter until one day I happened to be walking past a camera shop selling a Pentax 'bundle' (K10D with 18-55 + Tamron 70-300 Tele-Macro lenses) for £400...I came, I saw and I purchased!
Photography took an even bigger grip after this outlay, and even though my photographic skills are still not exploiting the K10D to its fullest, I still couldn't resist adding a K30 and Sigma 150-500 lens to my collection in order to grow into both and learn how to feed my love of our feathered friends (particularly the indigenous/visiting birds of prey here in Britain).
As my understanding of cameras has increased, I find myself looking increasingly more towards Nikon as a benchmark of overall performance, and have consequently considered changing over on more than one occasion. In reality, however, I've kind of grown to love the Pentax approach to things and the general feel of their cameras and as such (and what the hell) I'm going to stay with them for the time being...
...And (P.S) I'm still with that fine Scottish lass 10 years down the line, and still lovin' every moment of it