Hey all, I wrote this after daily driving a compact camera for the past couple of months. I've found a lot of benefits from using a dedicated device to take photos rather than my phone and wanted...
Hey all, I wrote this after daily driving a compact camera for the past couple of months. I've found a lot of benefits from using a dedicated device to take photos rather than my phone and wanted to share what I've gotten out of it, as well as see what others think of the idea!
If posting your own links isn't allowed, please let me know and I'll refrain from doing so in the future!
Phones are super convenient because we usually have them in our pockets all the time. But the actual photography experience with them is very unfulfilling, even with some more advanced features. I...
Phones are super convenient because we usually have them in our pockets all the time. But the actual photography experience with them is very unfulfilling, even with some more advanced features. I love taking out my proper cameras. The experience becomes much more than just the final picture. There's something to be said for having a device designed for just one thing and doing it extremely well.
Great piece! I have to argue somewhat for the benefits of digital, especially for capturing those everyday memories: The magic of mirrorless lenses and powerful algorithms in the modern compact...
Great piece!
I have to argue somewhat for the benefits of digital, especially for capturing those everyday memories:
The magic of mirrorless lenses and powerful algorithms in the modern compact camera is that they capture those memories in difficult conditions exceptionally well. Like when Grandma has the light in the wrong place, or it's very dark.
When wielding a camera, you also get to do things you can't get away with when using a phone. You get to more things around to rid the scene of mess. You can tell people to smile, you can walk crab-like from side to side, bend your knees and do all the other things that get you those good shots and memories easily.
I have to say, more often than not, I'm also willing to lug a professional camera around because that's worth it too.
Thanks so much for reading! This is an excellent observation, there's a whole different set of social norms that come with a proper camera. It definitely depends on the situation for me. When...
Thanks so much for reading!
You get to more things around to rid the scene of mess. You can tell people to smile, you can walk crab-like from side to side, bend your knees and do all the other things that get you those good shots and memories easily.
This is an excellent observation, there's a whole different set of social norms that come with a proper camera.
I'm also willing to lug a professional camera around because that's worth it too.
It definitely depends on the situation for me. When traveling, I take the a7 IV. I get a lot of joy out of framing shots and being technical about my settings, so a professional level camera adds to the experience and makes the trip more enjoyable. I also tend to make posters out of shots from the countries I visit, so I want a full-frame with high resolution RAW files.
For everyday events and celebrations, I want to be in the moment as much as possible, not adjusting aperture/ISO/shutter speed so a compact camera on auto works better in those situations.
I find modern mirrorless cameras generally do really just pointing and shooting in full auto. Take the Cannon EOS R5 mark II, for instance. You have to be a pretty good photographer to beat it's...
I find modern mirrorless cameras generally do really just pointing and shooting in full auto. Take the Cannon EOS R5 mark II, for instance. You have to be a pretty good photographer to beat it's automatic settings after setting the camera up well. (same experience with similar Sony and Nikon models).
All auto settings work fine, or if I just set one thing and the rest is auto, like setting just shutter speed, or just just aperture if I have something in mind, (or if it's really dark just limiting ISO beyond what I've set the limit for normally).
It's a compromise for sure and not the experience and joy you mention (but that takes time and breaks the moment).
For things like shutter speed or iso sure. But aperture is not something where there is a correct number. F2 vs f8 isn’t something where auto can figure out, because it’s just artistically...
For things like shutter speed or iso sure. But aperture is not something where there is a correct number. F2 vs f8 isn’t something where auto can figure out, because it’s just artistically different.
Aperture priority with min SS does a pretty good job of letting you only change the aperture and nothing else.
The only downside with carrying proper gear around is that people are always asking if you can take their picture. Except they want you to do it with their phone! They think "this person knows...
The only downside with carrying proper gear around is that people are always asking if you can take their picture. Except they want you to do it with their phone! They think "this person knows what they're doing" and they think you'll do a much better job than any other person with a phone. Which is often true but it's still just a phone shot at the end of the day.
Hahaha this is often true. I often just nod at my camera, vaguely smile and say that I'm sorry I'm a little busy. It seems to work extra well if I'm with at least one other person. Faking...
Hahaha this is often true.
I often just nod at my camera, vaguely smile and say that I'm sorry I'm a little busy. It seems to work extra well if I'm with at least one other person.
excellent title. i’ve been thinking of getting a proper digital camera. I’d love to have a digital TLR, but it doesn’t seem to exist outside of a few toy cameras (even just as a form factor.)
excellent title.
i’ve been thinking of getting a proper digital camera. I’d love to have a digital TLR, but it doesn’t seem to exist outside of a few toy cameras (even just as a form factor.)
I've had a few over the years. The only one I have now is a toy camera made out of really dense cardboard or whatever. You assemble it yourself. Shooting from the hip with a top-down viewfinder...
I've had a few over the years. The only one I have now is a toy camera made out of really dense cardboard or whatever. You assemble it yourself.
Shooting from the hip with a top-down viewfinder gives a more natural angle, I find. I can't really explain it, but it feels like it does a better job observing. Its easier to be discreet and chat with your subjects, if you're posing people.
Plenty of TLRs on ebay and around for not a lot of money. Just make sure you have a place to develop the film.
I've had a bit of an itch to grab a nice dedicated camera for a while. There's a DSLR in the closet I used back in college, but it's not a particularly good model (to the point that it's...
I've had a bit of an itch to grab a nice dedicated camera for a while. There's a DSLR in the closet I used back in college, but it's not a particularly good model (to the point that it's practically given away in the used market), only has the stock kit lens, and isn't worth investing in with how much nicer even compact options are these days.
I'm more inclined towards a nicer model, though. The point in the blog post about photos not being made into posters is salient, but I really just love the look and feel and moods that can be struck with a midrange-to-high-end DSLR body or mirrorless body, which are difficult to replicate with point and shoots (though point and shoots are often better than smartphone cameras in this due to not being nearly as physically restricted). This isn't very wallet friendly though which is why I've held back so far, lol.
With my brain :P I don't take pictures or videos of events - I just, y'know, experience those events, instead of looking at a phone. If anything, taking your phone out all the time during some...
When you're at an event, how do you capture memories?
With my brain :P I don't take pictures or videos of events - I just, y'know, experience those events, instead of looking at a phone. If anything, taking your phone out all the time during some event for more than a sec, to capture/record pics/videos or do whatever else is kind of... repulsive to me. Hell, you won't even see me touching my phone when meeting someone in person. Be it family, friends, or whatever. Only exception to that is if we're taking a group photo together or something. For example, last year I was at a little municipal concert with someone, and they were pulling their phone out all the time for pics / videos, which was not only distracting but also felt... disrespectful. But I understand I'm kind of alone in this.
The first downfall of convenience comes in a sea of photos.
Very true... My phone's gallery is a fucking mess just how you describe. A decade-old mess of all sorts of things. Currently sitting at 40000 media files, ranging from anything between memes, gifs, screenshots, pics/videos sent to me by other people (which I used to auto-download), image of scanned university notes/recipe books/etc, pictures I captured myself for whatever reason at random times, unhinged Taylor Swift edits, and even a handful of pictures of myself pre-transition (ew). But in my view, that's not a problem exclusive to the convenience of phones. I had similar (albeit less extreme) experiences using "cheap" digital cameras back in the day. I used to have a few that kind of shit the bed some years ago, and I had been filling my SD cards with all sorts of bullshit I would probably never look at again. In my view, at least, the problem lies in the non-tangible nature of digital images. This is why I really love analogue as a medium & I'd love to eventually get a proper film camera. Currently, my only working camera is an Instax, which is basically as crappy as it gets in terms of analogue. Analogue (eventually) gives you actual physical images, limits your "storage space", and actually makes you think, "Do I actually need to take this pic? Am I ever going to look at it or care about it? Is it worth the cost?", and that's something I personally like because it matches my style of photography. Again, I understand this doesn't apply to everyone.
even altered with AI
Another reason why I really love film. Sure, nothing stops you from digitising the analogue image and using "ai" on it, or whatever, but at an era where everything can be faked with "ai"-generated photos/videos/sound/whatever, it feels nice to have something so "uncontaminated" - something you can be (for the most part) reasonably certain is real by comparing it to the negatives. Not that you can't tinker with the negatives like they do for movies, but you get the point.
First, not every moment needs to be captured, some should just be lived.
I do agree with this. That said:
Photos should be there to spark conversation.
That sounds quite... subjective? Just like the things I'm writing here, I guess. Personally, I'm fine with the concept of "captured media = proof", although thanks to "ai" that's becoming less and less of a thing...
Second, I'd argue that every interaction with a phone is an opportunity for distraction. [...] Meanwhile, your kid is sitting there, watching you play with your phone, showing them where your true priorities are.
Yeah, that summarises my feelings from the first paragraph pretty well. It's certainly one of the main reasons even touching my phone in social settings feels so "taboo" to me.
Analog in a Digital Age
YAS QUEEN! But queens aside, I'm glad to see you iterating more or less the same points as I did while reading the article in parallel with this comment. Your 512MB card trick is really neat, by the way - good idea! You can't really find those anymore - excl. used, which I'd personally not trust - but it's a good way to put those limitations on yourself to prevent the aforementioned clusterfucks from happening.
nothing can beat a physical photo album.
100% :D
--
I'd also like to ping the wonderful @faye_luna because I think they'll be very interested in your post.
Hey all, I wrote this after daily driving a compact camera for the past couple of months. I've found a lot of benefits from using a dedicated device to take photos rather than my phone and wanted to share what I've gotten out of it, as well as see what others think of the idea!
If posting your own links isn't allowed, please let me know and I'll refrain from doing so in the future!
You're good, as long as they're not the only or the main thing you post or comment about on tildes. Which doesn't appear to be the case
Phones are super convenient because we usually have them in our pockets all the time. But the actual photography experience with them is very unfulfilling, even with some more advanced features. I love taking out my proper cameras. The experience becomes much more than just the final picture. There's something to be said for having a device designed for just one thing and doing it extremely well.
Completely agree, heck just having a dedicated button to focus and snap makes a camera worth it.
Great piece!
I have to argue somewhat for the benefits of digital, especially for capturing those everyday memories:
When wielding a camera, you also get to do things you can't get away with when using a phone. You get to more things around to rid the scene of mess. You can tell people to smile, you can walk crab-like from side to side, bend your knees and do all the other things that get you those good shots and memories easily.
I have to say, more often than not, I'm also willing to lug a professional camera around because that's worth it too.
Thanks so much for reading!
This is an excellent observation, there's a whole different set of social norms that come with a proper camera.
It definitely depends on the situation for me. When traveling, I take the a7 IV. I get a lot of joy out of framing shots and being technical about my settings, so a professional level camera adds to the experience and makes the trip more enjoyable. I also tend to make posters out of shots from the countries I visit, so I want a full-frame with high resolution RAW files.
For everyday events and celebrations, I want to be in the moment as much as possible, not adjusting aperture/ISO/shutter speed so a compact camera on auto works better in those situations.
I find modern mirrorless cameras generally do really just pointing and shooting in full auto. Take the Cannon EOS R5 mark II, for instance. You have to be a pretty good photographer to beat it's automatic settings after setting the camera up well. (same experience with similar Sony and Nikon models).
All auto settings work fine, or if I just set one thing and the rest is auto, like setting just shutter speed, or just just aperture if I have something in mind, (or if it's really dark just limiting ISO beyond what I've set the limit for normally).
It's a compromise for sure and not the experience and joy you mention (but that takes time and breaks the moment).
For things like shutter speed or iso sure. But aperture is not something where there is a correct number. F2 vs f8 isn’t something where auto can figure out, because it’s just artistically different.
Aperture priority with min SS does a pretty good job of letting you only change the aperture and nothing else.
The only downside with carrying proper gear around is that people are always asking if you can take their picture. Except they want you to do it with their phone! They think "this person knows what they're doing" and they think you'll do a much better job than any other person with a phone. Which is often true but it's still just a phone shot at the end of the day.
Hahaha this is often true.
I often just nod at my camera, vaguely smile and say that I'm sorry I'm a little busy. It seems to work extra well if I'm with at least one other person.
Faking confidence is the name of the game!
excellent title.
i’ve been thinking of getting a proper digital camera. I’d love to have a digital TLR, but it doesn’t seem to exist outside of a few toy cameras (even just as a form factor.)
Thank you!
A digital TLR would be very cool! Heck I'd love to try an analog one, I honestly don't think I've seen one in person.
I've had a few over the years. The only one I have now is a toy camera made out of really dense cardboard or whatever. You assemble it yourself.
Shooting from the hip with a top-down viewfinder gives a more natural angle, I find. I can't really explain it, but it feels like it does a better job observing. Its easier to be discreet and chat with your subjects, if you're posing people.
Plenty of TLRs on ebay and around for not a lot of money. Just make sure you have a place to develop the film.
I've had a bit of an itch to grab a nice dedicated camera for a while. There's a DSLR in the closet I used back in college, but it's not a particularly good model (to the point that it's practically given away in the used market), only has the stock kit lens, and isn't worth investing in with how much nicer even compact options are these days.
I'm more inclined towards a nicer model, though. The point in the blog post about photos not being made into posters is salient, but I really just love the look and feel and moods that can be struck with a midrange-to-high-end DSLR body or mirrorless body, which are difficult to replicate with point and shoots (though point and shoots are often better than smartphone cameras in this due to not being nearly as physically restricted). This isn't very wallet friendly though which is why I've held back so far, lol.
With my brain :P I don't take pictures or videos of events - I just, y'know, experience those events, instead of looking at a phone. If anything, taking your phone out all the time during some event for more than a sec, to capture/record pics/videos or do whatever else is kind of... repulsive to me. Hell, you won't even see me touching my phone when meeting someone in person. Be it family, friends, or whatever. Only exception to that is if we're taking a group photo together or something. For example, last year I was at a little municipal concert with someone, and they were pulling their phone out all the time for pics / videos, which was not only distracting but also felt... disrespectful. But I understand I'm kind of alone in this.
Very true... My phone's gallery is a fucking mess just how you describe. A decade-old mess of all sorts of things. Currently sitting at 40000 media files, ranging from anything between memes, gifs, screenshots, pics/videos sent to me by other people (which I used to auto-download), image of scanned university notes/recipe books/etc, pictures I captured myself for whatever reason at random times, unhinged Taylor Swift edits, and even a handful of pictures of myself pre-transition (ew). But in my view, that's not a problem exclusive to the convenience of phones. I had similar (albeit less extreme) experiences using "cheap" digital cameras back in the day. I used to have a few that kind of shit the bed some years ago, and I had been filling my SD cards with all sorts of bullshit I would probably never look at again. In my view, at least, the problem lies in the non-tangible nature of digital images. This is why I really love analogue as a medium & I'd love to eventually get a proper film camera. Currently, my only working camera is an Instax, which is basically as crappy as it gets in terms of analogue. Analogue (eventually) gives you actual physical images, limits your "storage space", and actually makes you think, "Do I actually need to take this pic? Am I ever going to look at it or care about it? Is it worth the cost?", and that's something I personally like because it matches my style of photography. Again, I understand this doesn't apply to everyone.
Another reason why I really love film. Sure, nothing stops you from digitising the analogue image and using "ai" on it, or whatever, but at an era where everything can be faked with "ai"-generated photos/videos/sound/whatever, it feels nice to have something so "uncontaminated" - something you can be (for the most part) reasonably certain is real by comparing it to the negatives. Not that you can't tinker with the negatives like they do for movies, but you get the point.
I do agree with this. That said:
That sounds quite... subjective? Just like the things I'm writing here, I guess. Personally, I'm fine with the concept of "captured media = proof", although thanks to "ai" that's becoming less and less of a thing...
Yeah, that summarises my feelings from the first paragraph pretty well. It's certainly one of the main reasons even touching my phone in social settings feels so "taboo" to me.
YAS QUEEN! But queens aside, I'm glad to see you iterating more or less the same points as I did while reading the article in parallel with this comment. Your 512MB card trick is really neat, by the way - good idea! You can't really find those anymore - excl. used, which I'd personally not trust - but it's a good way to put those limitations on yourself to prevent the aforementioned clusterfucks from happening.
100% :D
--
I'd also like to ping the wonderful @faye_luna because I think they'll be very interested in your post.