The Blog@DHP-Tools 04/23/2011
"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop. "
Robert Hughes , Art Critic
I have had a number of people ask me what I use for camera equipment, and the truth is I really don't have all that much gear, and it isn't top of the line either. One important thing to remember, no matter how good your gear is, if you don't know how to use it, you aren't going to get good results. Conversely, if you are aware of what a particular camera can do, and know the rules of photography, you can get good results with even the most basic piece of equipment. The photograph that accompanies this article was taken in 1988 with an inexpensive camera that used 110 cartridge film.
The gear that I use now is quite a bit more advanced than what I had back then. The camera is a Nikon D40 DSLR http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product-Archive/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25420/D40.html It's a 6.1 megapixel camera with an image sensor that is 23.7 X 15.6mm. It's old, and the file size that it captures is small compared to current cameras, even some point and shoots, but the sensor on this camera and most DSLRs is two or more times the size of those on compact cameras. With this camera I can create enlargements of a very high quality up to 20"X24". I would like to upgrade my camera and the main reason that I want to is to be able to make larger prints.
I have two lenses and they give me pretty good coverage through the focal range. The first is a 18-55mm, which in the digital world is equivalent to a 24-82.5mm. This is a good overall lens for scenic and portrait photography and is the lens that came with the camera. My other lens is 55-200mm. The digital conversion factor makes this equal to an 82.5-300mm lens on a 35mm camera. I use this lens a lot for my art. It's great for getting nice and tight on a small detail, or to zoom past a distracting element in the frame. I don't often use effect filters on my lenses although I do own a circular polarizing filter and a star filter. I do, however, almost always have a clear filter on the front of both of them. A good clear filter costs between $20.00 and $60.00. Better safe than sorry; I'd much rather replace a filter at that cost because of a scratch than replace a lens that costs many times that.
There are two other pieces of equipment that I always have with me. The first is a Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4802/SB-600-AF-Speedlight.html. It's simple to use and offers some great creative control for lighting. The other thing that I carry is a tripod. The one that I have is fairly inexpensive and it's an easy and cheap way for anyone to improve their photography. I find it especially useful for my night photography when long exposure times make it impossible to shoot hand-held.
Finally, I carry all of it around in this http://products.lowepro.com/product/SlingShot-200-AW,2035,4.htm (except the tripod; that attaches to the side). It's a great bag. It has plenty of space for everything that I carry and it's easy to get to what I need.
"I think the hard thing about all these tools is that it takes a fair amount of effort to become proficient."
Bill Joy, Sun Microsytems
One last thing, no matter what you have for a camera, take the time to learn how it all works. The more you know about the tools that you have to use, the better your pictures will be.
"A determined soul will do more with a rusty monkey wrench than a loafer will accomplish with all the tools in a machine shop. "
Robert Hughes , Art Critic
I have had a number of people ask me what I use for camera equipment, and the truth is I really don't have all that much gear, and it isn't top of the line either. One important thing to remember, no matter how good your gear is, if you don't know how to use it, you aren't going to get good results. Conversely, if you are aware of what a particular camera can do, and know the rules of photography, you can get good results with even the most basic piece of equipment. The photograph that accompanies this article was taken in 1988 with an inexpensive camera that used 110 cartridge film.
The gear that I use now is quite a bit more advanced than what I had back then. The camera is a Nikon D40 DSLR http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product-Archive/Digital-SLR-Cameras/25420/D40.html It's a 6.1 megapixel camera with an image sensor that is 23.7 X 15.6mm. It's old, and the file size that it captures is small compared to current cameras, even some point and shoots, but the sensor on this camera and most DSLRs is two or more times the size of those on compact cameras. With this camera I can create enlargements of a very high quality up to 20"X24". I would like to upgrade my camera and the main reason that I want to is to be able to make larger prints.
I have two lenses and they give me pretty good coverage through the focal range. The first is a 18-55mm, which in the digital world is equivalent to a 24-82.5mm. This is a good overall lens for scenic and portrait photography and is the lens that came with the camera. My other lens is 55-200mm. The digital conversion factor makes this equal to an 82.5-300mm lens on a 35mm camera. I use this lens a lot for my art. It's great for getting nice and tight on a small detail, or to zoom past a distracting element in the frame. I don't often use effect filters on my lenses although I do own a circular polarizing filter and a star filter. I do, however, almost always have a clear filter on the front of both of them. A good clear filter costs between $20.00 and $60.00. Better safe than sorry; I'd much rather replace a filter at that cost because of a scratch than replace a lens that costs many times that.
There are two other pieces of equipment that I always have with me. The first is a Nikon SB-600 AF Speedlight http://www.nikonusa.com/Nikon-Products/Product/Flashes/4802/SB-600-AF-Speedlight.html. It's simple to use and offers some great creative control for lighting. The other thing that I carry is a tripod. The one that I have is fairly inexpensive and it's an easy and cheap way for anyone to improve their photography. I find it especially useful for my night photography when long exposure times make it impossible to shoot hand-held.
Finally, I carry all of it around in this http://products.lowepro.com/product/SlingShot-200-AW,2035,4.htm (except the tripod; that attaches to the side). It's a great bag. It has plenty of space for everything that I carry and it's easy to get to what I need.
"I think the hard thing about all these tools is that it takes a fair amount of effort to become proficient."
Bill Joy, Sun Microsytems
One last thing, no matter what you have for a camera, take the time to learn how it all works. The more you know about the tools that you have to use, the better your pictures will be.
©2010/11 David Hill Photography
