Why We Chose our System

[John]

We have users of various sytems in the club. We also have various newer members who might well be wondering what system to buy into. In this thread you are invited to put the case as to why you ended up using whatever you are using.

This might be purely by chance, given a gift maybe. It might be after extensive research. It might have been a whim.

Let's here your stories!

[John]

Why do I use Pentax?

The first part of the tale is historic. Before I could afford an SLR my Dad was given a Pentax ES and, as he thought professionals used Nikon, he traded it in for a Nikon F2. I looked at both these, found the Pentax elegant and well designed, found the Nikon, big, clunky and heavy. So when I could afford an SLR (or my credit card could to be more precise) I went for the Pentax SP1000. Gradual upgardes over the years led me to a number of other models, they lost the plot for me with the over big Z series, but found it again from the MZ series onwards.

When we moved to digital I won a Kodak compact, Sue cunningly dropped it and we changed it for a Canon compact and then a couple of Fuji bridge cameras. When I found the bridge camera did better macro shots than my film cameras, it was time to wait for a Pentax DSLR.

The first affordable on e was the *istDS and we both used those, gradually upgrading until we reach today's incredible K-5.

I have used all the other makes, so why Pentax? Compact, beautifully designed and made, weather resistant cameras and lenses, superb quality compact lenses, outstanding colour reproduction, outstanding ergonomics. Simply Hold a Pentax was the old advertising slogan that I think still holds true today. You can check out my new review of the K-5 II here: http://www.ephotozine.com/article/penta ... view-20717 but if you want a lower cost try to get an end of line K-5 or look at the less expensive K30.

If possible, always handle any camera before you buy, but be cautious of sales people who are pushed to sell particular makes or models. Sometimes their lack of real knowledge can be scary....

[Paul Jones]

I'm going to talk about Studio LIghting Kits.

Over the years I have used various different makes of studio lighting in studios, including Bowens, Broncolor and Elinchrom. I always had it in my head that my next studio lighting purchase would be a Bowens 500w kit - lots of flash power, solid metal construction, a reliable reputation, easy to use, lots of readily available lighting accessories and modifiers with the Bowens 'S' Fitting. Three of my professional photographer friends all used Bowens. No question....... I was going to buy Bowens.

But after some 12 months of research and pondering I went out and bought an Elinchrom kit.

In my research I studied websites, Youtube videos, review sites and spoke to several people. I considered studio lighting kits from the likes of Lencarta, Interfit, Coreflash, Calumet Genesis, Lastolite, etc, etc... It always kept coming back to Bowens or Elinchrom.

Once I had disregarded all other makes I then seriously had to decide which to buy. Would it be the Bowens 500 that I had always had as my number one, or would it be the Elinchrom BXRI 500, or would it perhaps be the Bowens 400w kit, or the Elinchrom DLite-IT 400w kit? Decisions, decisions...

In terms of flash power there is only a one stop difference in output between a 400w kit and a 500w kit. Would I ever realistically need to shoot at anything beyond f/22? Given the locations that I tend to work in would a 500w kit really be needed? Could I justify the extra cost? In the end I talked myself out of the need for a 500w kit.

This then left me debating the Bowens 400w kit versus the Elinchrom 400w DLite-IT kit. As they were both quite similar in price I looked at features. I don't like trailing flash sync leads, so wanted to shoot wirelessly. A big selling point of the Elinchrom system is that it has 'Skyport' wireless triggering built into each flash unit, whereas I would have to buy a separate wireless triggering kit and plug it into the Bowens (such as the Bowens Pulsar wireless trigger kit). This got me more and more interested in Elinchrom.

Perhaps it's human nature, but I started to notice Elinchrom lighting being used in lots of photography videos by seasoned professional photographers. I chatted with a few more photographers online and found that they were also big fans of Elinchrom's workmanship, Swiss engineering and reliability.

In the end I had decided that I would be buying the Elinchrom DLite-IT 400w kit. Then my free ticket for last year's 'Focus on Imaging' exhibition arrived and I saw that The Flash Centre were offering show discounts on Elinchrom kits. I waited a few weeks then set off for Birmingham NEC with my credit card at the ready.

I bought the Elinchrom DLite-IT 2 head 400w kit (2 heads, 2 softboxes, reflector dish, stands, etc). I then went to the Bessel stand a few yards away and bought a larger softbox and some other bits and pieces. This then gave me a full brand new lighting kit to use on all my shoots.

So far, the Elinchrom kit has been fantastic to use and never let me down - easy to assemble and take down, fast recycle times means I never miss a shot or have to wait, the in-built wireless triggering is foolproof, digital settings means that you can adjust power down to 1/10 of a stop, and there is more than enough power (5 stops from f/5.6 to f/22).

My only regret is that I didn't buy it sooner.


Link - http://www.theflashcentre.com/elinchrom ... -c391.html

[John]

Anybody else? There are plenty of Nikon and Canon users out there to tell us why they made that choice. How about Fuji bridge cameras as an alternative?

[Pensioner]

As a long-time Canon and latterly Nikon DSLR user, mixed in with a few 6x7 film cameras, I have recently disposed of my complete Nikon kit and moved entirely over to the Fuji X-Series of mirror-less cameras.

Why did I take such drastic action? Purely and simply weight - not my weight but that of the Nikon kit! At one time I had two bodies, approximately seven Nikon pro lenses, two Nikon flash guns, and a load of other "indispensable' accessories. The total weight was around 56 lb.! Even limiting the kit for a trip out ended up with a body, 2-3 lenses, and a flashgun still weighing relatively heavy - the outcome? I rarely went out to take photos for quite some time until I forced myself into doing so by enrolling on a GCE 'A' level course which required set assignments to be completed (now finished - got a 'B')

After a bit of reading/research and partly as an impulse buy I bought the Fuji X100 with its fixed 35mm f2 lens to do a 'street photography' assignment. This camera opened my eyes to its potential. Without the anti-aliasing filter found on most cameras the images that thing can produce is nothing short of stunning. It is very light, discreet but very well built. I can easily produce 16"x20" prints from its 10.2 million pixel chip. Indeed I found myself using it far more than the DSLR's due to its portability.

Then the Fuji X Pro-1 was launched with its initial trio of relatively short focal length prime lenses. One or two gripes about focussing speed from a few reviewers but everyone, and I mean everyone, raved about the image quality straight out of the camera from its Jpegs. Again no anti-aliasing filter in front of the sensor like the X100, combined with a 16 million pixel sensor and the fabulous Fuji prime lenses - WOW! So bye-bye Nikon D800 and the holy trinity of Nikon Pro lenses (14-24, 24-70, 70-200 f2. and hello to the X Pro-1 and the three primes with the dedicated flash as a bonus. Good grief! Now I'm out far more taking photos and don't have a dropped shoulder or sore back anymore.

The Fuji roadmap of future lenses incorporate focal lengths ranging from 15mm to 300mm (in 35 mm equivalent) including three zooms.

Now I'm totally committed and have recently sold my 'holiday' camera system - Nikon D7000, 18-200mm lens, Flashgun and the remaining, what weren't really indispensable, accessories, and bought my new 'holiday' camera the recently released Fuji XE-1 with the 18-55mm zoom lens (27mm - 83mm equivalent). Two bodies, four lenses, flashgun, remotes and a couple of filters now fit into my Billingham Hadley Pro Small and weigh less, say, than my old Nikon D3s and 70-200 f2.8 combo.

If heavy cameras are not to your taste then I would definitely recommend taking a look at the Fuji X series.

Barry

[John]

Excellent Barry, I was hoping for some good, well thought through input like Paul and yourself have provided. Many thanks!

[John Adamthwaite]

I started off with a Fuji bridge type camera, the S7000 I think. I really wanted a DSLR but the Canon 20D was over £1,000 for the body alone which was more than I was prepared to pay. Also new models with improved specs being introduced with short lifecycles and falling prices probably contributed to my cold feet. The fuji was ok-ish but anything over base ISO had noise to die for. Time passed but still itching for a DSLR I spotted that retailers were doing deals on the Canon 30D as the 40d was to be released shortly. So I took the plunge and have been acquiring various EF-S and EF (fullframe compatible) lenses from time to time. I've just acquired a Canon full frame (cheers Santa). I'd have liked to have been able to choose between Canon, Nikon or Sony but did not fancy having to sell so many lens. I guess that's what the manufacturers want - locking their users in. So I have a couple of EF-S lens to sell. I'll probably put them on a post to see if anyone is interested before doing the e-bay thing!

John

[Paul Jones]

Anyone else want to contribute...?

[kevinlowe]

My choice was based on nothing more than seeing how much enjoyment my friend was getting from his photography.

I had never really considered getting into photography as a hobby, but a very good friend of mine bought a Canon eos400d when his son was born, and it soon became one of his main topics of conversation whenever we met up. It looked like he was getting a lot out of it, so I thought 'I'll have myself a bit of that', saved up and bought exactly the same camera second hand from ebay. And I have had an awful lot of enjoyment from it, too.

[GeoffWard]

An interesting topic this. I only bought my first DSLR in May this year, prompted by a holiday in Jamaica and being frustrated by the lousy results we got with our little point and shoot Samsung compact. I was aware of the existence of Digital SLR's but knew very little about them and indeed a tiny amount about photography. Colleagues at work all threw in their Two Penneth and said go for Nikon or Canon. I promptly visited Mathers in Bolton and came out with a Canon 600D with 18 to 55 kit lens.
You know what is coming next, I caught the bug and now 6 months later the 600D has gone along with its kit lens and been replaced by a 7D, an EFS 15 to 85 , Sigma 30 mm F1.4, EF 70 to 300 ( Replaced 2 weeks ago by a 100 to 400 L series lens ) and I also have a wish list for 2 more L series lenses. The laughable thing is I still don't know what I am doing, but hopefully now that I have joined ADAPS all that will change.
It is interesting that I was influenced by other people's opinions and didn't look beyond the big Two. I have to say I was very impressed by the Pentax K5 when I had occasion to try one at Jess ops in the Trafford Centre some weeks ago ( I was dragged there by my wife and managed to escape for half an hour into Jess ops ). The Pentax felt right in my hands with good ergonomics and had I not already bought into the Canon system I would definitely have been tempted. What I find bizarre is the fact that Mathers who I believe are Pentax dealers never tried to sell me one when I walked into their shop on my first visit, they must have made an assumption that it would be futile to try and change someone's mind who had walked in with a pre conception.
Anyway enough of me wittering on, I look forward to seeing you all at the next meeting.

Regards Geoff.

[Pensioner]

Just to update my little set-up with the Fuji X-Series, another reason or two why I moved over from my very large and heavy Nikon kit was the fact that a number of manufacturers have indicated their intention to produce products for the Fuji X series.

I've recently bought into two of these and I'm keeping a close eye on a third.

Firstly is Lee Filters - last month they released their 'Seven5 system' specifically for mirror-less camera systems, with their physically smaller lenses. So this morning I received their Seven5 holder, three Seven5 adapter rings, and the Seven5 ND Grad filter set from Robert White here in the UK. Well-made, lightweight, and providing great flexibility re my landscapes.

Next is 'TriggerTrap' - this is a dongle which attaches to the camera and iOS or Android device (iPhone, iPad, etc.) via a cable and provides remote control of the camera. On the iOS or Android device you have an application (free from App Store) which you use to operate the camera - this app gives the following functions: -

Timelapse Mode
TimeWarp™ Mode
Sound sensor Mode
Shock & Vibration sensor Mode
Metal & magnetism sensor Mode
Facial recognition Mode
LE HDR Mode
LE HDR Timelapse Mode
DistanceLapse™ Mode
Motion detection Mode
Cable Release Mode
Star trail Mode
Bulb Ramping Timelapse
Wi-Fi Slave Mode
Wi-Fi Master Mode (trigger other devices running Triggertrap Mobile
Sunset & Sunrise Calculator
Lag-o-Meter

What's more TriggerTrap has been manufactured for many, many different digital cameras and only costs £26 for the dongle and cable of your choice!

Last but not least is Zeiss, well respected manufacturer of superb lenses, who have stated that they are bringing out some fast prime lenses for the Fuji XF fitting - can't wait.

So there you have it - and what's more two bodies, two hand grips, five lenses, one flashgun, three remote releases, two spare batteries, and my Lee filter system all fit into my Billingham Hadley Small camera bag!!

Barry

[PhilipHowe]

CANON

I chose Canon as my system, as I moved to Manchetser to go to University and was walking through the arcade opposite Afflecks Palace and wandered past the camera repair shop in there. They had a Canon A1e for sale with a 50mm lens. It looked like someone had tried filing it down with a hammer! It was battered, scratched, completely silver, almost chrome and had a tag on it where the price had worn off. The bloke told me it had been there for about 2 years but said it worked perfectly and if I bought it, he'd give me a roll of film and if I wasn't satisfied, he'd give me my money back. Loved it. Anyway, in my third year, I had to sell it, just to eat and got around double what I'd paid for it. I think I paid £65 and I got around £120 for it.

So, in 2006, having had a few Pentax Optio S cameras (3.1mp, still the best digital compact I've ever had, I used to drop them and the lens would stick out), I decided to buy a DSLR on Boxing Day, just as we were about to go on a 4x4 Safari in the desert in Dubai. It had to be Canon and the only one in my price range was the 350D, but did some good haggling and got a good deal.

When I got back, I read and learnt a lot, but I now know I wasted a lot of money on lenses by upgrading to the next one up and the next one up. I should have bought the 24-105L the day I got back.

I had a 28-135, 28-200, 70-300.

I now have :

Canon 5D Mk1, 350D (getting tempted by the 6D though), 50mm f1.4, 24-105L f4 IS, 70-200 f2.8L IS, Tamron 90mm f2.8 Macro.
Olympus ePen EPL1 - my travel camera
Olympus 1050sw - my shockproof, waterproof camera

The only things I need to complete my kit are a 2x extender for the 70-200 and a 24-200 for the Olympus.

Surplus lenses - Yashica 50mm f1.4 (canon adapter), Tamron 70-300 Di f3.5/5.6, Lensbaby, Stereo 3d lens, 18-55mm kit lens.

[paulinefisher]

When I decided that I needed a new hobby and that it was going to be photography I started researching all of the makes on offer which took me at least a couple of months. By the time I ventured into Jessops in Bolton I was thinking Nikon or Canon but still had no real preference. I wasn't impressed with Jessops, the main reason being that the salesman insisted on talking to my hubby (who dabbled successfully in film photography some years ago) even though the camera was for me. Anyway I digress, what clinched it for me was that when I actually got my hands on the cameras in question the Canons just felt instinctively right for me, I can't explain why but that was how I decided on the make.

Choosing the model was to a larger extent decided by price and as I was buying new (for warranty/cash back etc) I went for the 450D, I shopped around and after visiting Mathers in Bolton and finding real customer service still on offer I bought the camera with a twin kit lens kit (18-55 & 55-250).

Over time, like Phil, I came to realise that I may have been better buying body only and a better quality lens first off but having said that I still do use both of these lenses as they are light to carry around unlike some of the better quality lenses.

I have moved to a newer camera but stayed with Canon and of course I have spent money on all sorts of kit that I probably could have lived without, but hey I'm a woman and I like shopping.

[Brian]

Originally I got into photography purely because I was getting some Urbex action in my life and I wanted to record my "days out".

Iinitially I started with some of the old Fujifilm, bridge camers, started my trip with an old Fuji s3000 (2MP 5x zoom) think I got mine at Jessops but not too sure, christened it up at Rivington or it could have been inside Wittingham mental hospital on an urbex trip , within a year I had moved on to an s4500 (4MP and 10x zoom I think, loved this camera cos it did some stunning colours in sunsets ) got mine from UK Digital in Clitheroe, christened it on a day out to Bolton Abbey, again a year goes by and I move up to an s9500 (9MP and silly zoom, was never really that impressed .. not sure if it was cos it didn't meet the colours of the 4500 or the fact I was ready to take the slr plunge by now), purchased at the now defunt Kamera in St Helens, Think I gave it a run out to Fountains abbey.

8 months later I went and got me a Nikon d80, at the time my friend had the d70 and I was impressed .. I looked at canon, sony and the nikon when I was checking out the cameras and I found the sony and canon build quality to just feel too cheep in my hands .. the Nikon felt the part .. it felt heavy, it felt secure... it just felt (and looked) right .... I also prefered the sound and the view finder on the Nikon and having used and seen the end results of a Nikon it was the one for me .... Purchased at the old flagship manchester jessops store on Deansgate, again I think it got its christening at Fountains or Rievaulx abbey up in Yorkshire

Forward 4 years and I move to my current d7000 which as much as I dont get the use out of it I want to I am really happy with ... Purchased at Calumet in Manchester where they lovingly restored my d80's filter to its shining glory (Another ereason I moved to the D700 cos I have a "scratch" on the hot filter), I think I christened it on a studio shoot with Gill, Les and Danny with Chloe as the model.

Throw in a few different lenses and flash solutions and I have a enthusiasts set up .. I wouldn't count my kit in the Pro or semi Pro range I would like to do much more and have more skills but I do get frustraited with my photography at times

So where has my photographic history gone ?

Fuji s3000 - ex wife .. no she didn't fleese me for it I gave it out of good nature cos I had moved to the 4500
s4500 - I did give this to my brother when I went to the s9500 but as he now has one of my dads old Sonys I don't know what he did with it
s9500 - Currently with my friend in Wakefield on Indefinate loan .... I had no need for it and she wanted to get back into togging (aint I kind , John will hit me at the club tonight)
D80 - currently my back up camera but as I use the d7000 more I find its short comings and dont find myself looking back that often .. I think I should get a second d7000 if I really want a back up