New Beginnings by being almost exactly where I started with this Blog!

 It has been nearly seven years since I last updated this blog in May of 2017. A lot has changed! I now own a house, work in a steady (albeit boring) career, I'm Married and I have a lovely daughter who just turned three years old!

But alas that is not what this blog is about, this blog is about..... Photography. I'd love to do a YouTube channel on 'Exploration' with a camera and talk about this subject. But I have far too little time for that, I may go on small excursions, but 90% of the time it's with my family as Weekends are family time. 

But though everything has changed, the post's title suggests nothing has. Well in terms of my camera equipment, it has changed, and it hasn't in some aspects. But to explain that I'll give a breakdown of my camera history and ultimately why it doesn't matter. 

Main Cameras-

Canon 600d (18-55mm, 50-250mm & 50mm)- My first DSLR I used mainly for filmmaking doing a degree in Film & TV Production (2011-2014) at the time. But this camera became a gateway to my love of photography. 

Olympus OM-D E-M1 mk1 (12-40mm & 25mm)- My first mirrorless, bought for its robust nature, and compactness compared even to the 600d. I shot a fair amount of Weddings with this camera combined with a Nissin i40 and Gary Fong Light Blade. However, when I got to test the mk2 of this camera I found the price increase to IQ increases not enough for after 4 years of use on the mk1 to upgrade to. 

Fujifilm X-Pro2 (23mm f/2)- Bit of a jump, but by this time I was doing my Masters in Photography and working on a project that I found my Olympus was not giving me the results I desired. A colleague of mine owned a few Fuji cameras and the IQ was definitely there. My eventual desire to leave Fuji would be how Lightroom handled the RAW files from the X-Trans Sensors. 

Canon EOS R (24-105mm, 35mm, Samyang 16mm & 85mm)- My return to Canon. This camera was stunning, its IQ was amazing and the RF 24-105mm L F/4 is one of the best lenses I have ever used. Not much I can say about why I ditched this camera except that Canon priced me out of their lenses. I was also shooting a lot of 35mm film on my Nikon F and travelling with two systems was not easy. 

Nikon Z6 (24-70mm and a bunch of old 'Film' lenses)- Great IQ though in hindsight I feel the EOS R and the RF lenses offer a 'pop' that I prefer. (This might be the old Canon user in me) but I could use with adapter my old F-Mount lenses and carry my Nikon F easily with me. I purely sold this camera because I grew bored with it as a camera.

Leica M 240 (35mm, 50mm, 90mm)- I can almost hear the eye rolls. But let me explain, yes I've lusted after a Leica for years. I owned an M3 that I had to sell when Covid hit and a Barnack Leica before it. It was just fun to use! It gave me images I was happy with, with the Pop I was looking for. I moved on from this when I realised that during Winter I wasn't using it and went almost a year without getting it out of the bag. (I had a massive slump in my photography).

Fujifilm X-S20 (18-55mm)- Ah yes, here we are. My return (much to my friend's joy) to Fujifilm. The files seem to work far better on Lightroom and I wasn't looking for a fully professional camera but a small hybrid. I am however considering the X-T5 as my next Fuji purchase for some dual card weathersealing action. 

Hasselblad H4D-31 (80mm)- The replacement of my Leica. Older, slower, heavier. But a camera I wouldn't mind leaving in a bag and only taking it out for specific moments. I recently did a portrait shoot for a Golf Club and their last six Captains with this and a Godox AD200. Again, IQ-wise it's great, only on par with the Z6 or EOS R but it's so much more fun! 

But the theme I'm subtly trying to point to is FUN! A camera should be fun for you to use. It should gel with you and allow you to get the pictures you want! Forget about IQ, forget about megapixels and just get the camera that makes you want to use it! The list above is extensive and along the way, I certainly forgot what I wanted out of a camera. In the end, now, it should be about the fun. Regardless of if it's for a hobby or professional, sure it should do the job required of it. Dual cards for stuff like Weddings and such, but in the end, you should be having fun! 

One final note I will make is gear is gear, the 600d I owned took a stellar image with the 50mm f/1.8 STM. And guess what it still would take a stellar image, the main difference is low light performance and autofocus speed and accuracy. Sure IQ has come a long way, but I have a friend (Fuji Friend) who also shoots with a 5D mk1 and that camera even after nearly two decades takes a great image. You just have to work a little more for it. 

I'm going to try and release a post every two weeks, it's going to be a mixture of 'Exploring Locations' the odd camera 'Review' a few rambles like this one and also some education, looking at the basics and also some of my favourite photographers old and new and what we can learn. 

Thank you for reading,

Reece,

The Flat-Cap Photographer