Tag Archives: lens

Commentary, Equipment

Shopping for your first DSLR? Some Advice

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Recently I’ve seen a lot of posts around the web by individuals looking to upgrade from point and shoot cameras to their first DSLR – and in a few cases by folks who intend to bypass the P&S step entirely and just start right out with a DSLR.

Among these folks the questions are usually “which camera should I get?” and “what lens(es) should I get?” These questions are phrased in various ways: “Is camera X a good choice?” “What is the best lens for Camera Y?” “I hear that lens/camera Z is the best – is this right?” “I’m just getting started and I plan to get the very best camera and lens available.” “What lenses do I need to complete my setup?”

While there are exceptions to almost every rule, in the case of new DSLR shooters I have some strong opinions about what the best approach will be in most cases. The good news is that the “right” answer is probably also the least expensive, the most conducive to learning about your relationship to DSLR photography, and the most adaptable to a variety of future directions that you might find your photography taking. Continue reading Shopping for your first DSLR? Some Advice →

Stories

A Somewhat Humorous Yosemite Story

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When I’m out photographing I cart around the typical pile of stuff – the big, squarish bag of camera bodies and lenses and accessories, the tripod, the works. And when I photograph in popular places I make it a habit to offer to take photographs of folks with their P&S cameras. You know the scene – the family traveled hundreds or thousands of miles to get to some beautiful place, but one member of the family is missing from every photo since someone has to hold the camera. (The embarrassing thing is that sometimes I don’t understand how to operate these little cameras, but that is a story for another post.)

Put the two together and some surprising and odd conversations can ensue. Last Saturday I was in the Happy Isles area of Yosemite Valley looking for dogwood trees in bloom when I saw a mother about to snap a photo of (I presume) her daughter, so I asked if they would like me to use their camera to take a picture of the two of them together. I put down my bag and left the camera on the tripod and made the photograph. The woman inspected the photo, seemed to approve, then looked at me and my stuff and asked, “Hey, you aren’t Mr. Adams, are you?”

Sometimes it is so hard to avoid saying the wrong thing in reply, but I think I more or less succeeded… ;-)

G Dan Mitchell is a California photographer and visual opportunist. His book, “California’s Fall Color: A Photographer’s Guide to Autumn in the Sierra” (Heyday Books) is available directly from him.

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Equipment

One Can Dream, Right?

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For a report on an entirely different category of camera than most of us use, take a look at Michael Reichmann’s review of the Phase One P65+, 645 Camera, and Lenses. This is a medium format system that includes a Phase One/Mamiya medium format body, a 60MP true medium format digital back, and a lens system. Today it costs as much as a very, very nice car. One can hope that something equivalent may eventually be available for a price that the rest of us can contemplate affording.