The Camera Debate

Karalee · May 16, 2004

I know that a lot of people in this forum own a lot of different cameras. My question is, is it better to keep all the cameras you buy within the same maker family or is it okay to have a fuji, canon and nikon ect.

Love to hear what you got to say....

Jeff Canes · May 16, 2004

It nice to keep your primary cameras in the same family so the lenses can be easily interchanged and its more economics, but it also nice to have lots of different cameras

I have gone with veriety, have afew Canon FD and EF cameras love them all, a Hasselblad, :roll: Rollei 127 and Holga, Variety Is Good!

malachite · May 16, 2004

Just like Jeff said, it's more economical to keep things in the same family when you're dealing with 35mm sized SLR stuff just because of lens choice. Get into medium or large format, same story. I know eventually I'll get a DSLR here soon and it'll be a Nikon. Not because I think it's better than Cannon but because I already have half a dozen lenses for it.

mrsid99 · May 16, 2004

Gotta agree with everyone, the main argument for staying with one brand is the pure economics of inter-changeable lenses.
If one brand could cover all the bases then there'd only be one brand.

Karalee · May 16, 2004

Lots of great insights here, keep em coming

photogoddess · May 16, 2004

Kind of on the fence on this one. While I love it that most of my Canon gear is interchangable, I have some cameras that are just worth having even though the lenses and accessories are uniquely their own. I use each camera for different things but if I have to lug gear around all day, I do tend to stick with my Canon 10D, EOS 2000 and lenses that fit both.

ksmattfish · May 16, 2004

I love variety, but I understand the economics of sticking with one brand for 35mm or medium format SLRs. There's not really a lot of difference between different brands models of similarly priced modern 35mm autofocus SLRs anyway. If you are looking for variety I say try something completely different: a Holga, make a pinhole camera, a TLR, etc...

I like to regularly use a variety of cameras. Different designs exercise different aspects of my photography, and besides, it's fun.

Harpper · May 16, 2004

ksmattfish said:
There's not really a lot of difference between different brands models of similarly priced modern 35mm autofocus SLRs anyway. If you are looking for variety I say try something completely different: a Holga, make a pinhole camera, a TLR, etc...

Matt does have a good point. I wouldn't mind using a variety of cameras either but there's really not a huge difference when going from one brand to the next within the same format. Basically you would be wasting a lot of money just to say that you have used both a Canon and Nikon 35mm camera. A cheaper way to go would be finding a friend with a different brand and just trade cameras for a week.

Karalee · May 17, 2004

ksmattfish said:
If you are looking for variety I say try something completely different: a Holga, make a pinhole camera, a TLR, etc...

Pinhole cameras are great but i havent done that in a while.... whats the deal with these Holgas I keep hearing about (Im ashamed to make that statement

)

TheProf · May 17, 2004

As was said before, 35mm.. yes it is wise to stick with the same. But when you get into other formats thats out the window. Actually I dont think I have ever owned two of the same makes of cameras. currently I have Calumet, Fuji, Nikon, and Voightlander.

drlynn · May 17, 2004

Karalee said:
ksmattfish said:

If you are looking for variety I say try something completely different: a Holga, make a pinhole camera, a TLR, etc...

Click to expand...

Pinhole cameras are great but i havent done that in a while.... whats the deal with these Holgas I keep hearing about (Im ashamed to make that statement )

A Holga is a cheap, plastic toy camera that shoots 120 (medium format) film. They are full of light leaks, and even the lens is plastic. They have to be taped all over (inside and out) and many of them break after just a few rolls of film.

They are very popular, tho, especially in the art world. You can probably get one for $25 or so on eBay.

Luminosity · May 17, 2004

Was wondering about the interest in these cameras myself.

So from what I understand so far , Holgas are unique in a 'kitschy' way ..sorta like record players are to music lovers ?
As the cameras are so cheap it takes the 'seriousness' out of photography and puts the 'play' back into it. Seems they allow people to have fun with the 'unpredictability' factor of photo results (apparently unique to each Holga ) and the improvisation that comes into play when using these cheap cameras .

When in doubt , Google it ! :wink:

drlynn · May 17, 2004

Yeah, Luminosity. They all have their own quirks, but there are some that most of them share. There is a pretty big triangular light leak that is very common, as well as other things.

There are several peoples on here who Holga. Maybe they'll chime in.