What camera do you use?

When I'm not using my phone's camera (Samsung Galaxy 4) I use my Canon EOS Rebel SL1

 

I'm using my Canon EOS 700D...sometimes with 50mm lens, I really love it for Mini-photography, but I do also use a 17mm-50mm Tamron for more flexibility.

My phone's cam is totally crappy. I hate to use it (Anyway, I need a new phone...with a better cam, too)

 

Aaaaand I'm upgrading again! My new Olympus OM-D E-M5 Mark II should arrive Monday! I'm very excited.

 

I was reading back in this thread and someone mentioned their flash on their camera being too bright. Just an FYI that can be changed in the menu settings of most DSLR's, including Pentax. The default is a bit too bright sometimes but you can tone it down in stops to a level that's more comfortable for you. It doesn't have to stay at the default level. I don't use the on board flash much actually. I prefer a bounce flash in the hot shoe if I must use flash. It's easier to control and gives nicer light but if you must use the on board flash you can either tone it down via the settings or you can also use a deodorant cap or white film/paint container, something like that, white but a bit translucent to diffuse it a bit. I carry an old deodorant top in my kit actually, just in case I forget my big flash and need to improvise with the on board flash.

 

I'm still using my humble Nikon D3000 that I got 4 years ago for my birthday. I guess I'm not gonna upgrade soon, but it still makes awesome pics

 

I am now testing a Sony A6000 with a Sony 10-18 lens. So far is been a very good combo for casual shots. My regular camera is a Canon 7D Mark 2. The image quality of the 7D is superior to the A6000, however its not really noticeable unless one is looking at 100% crops. The weight reduction and reduced complexity of the camera seem to outweigh the 7D's image quality in many situations.

Bobby

 

Mostly I still do the Pentax thing, but when it comes to M43 cameras I admit I have a major Olympus thing and in particular I like the E-P3. It's a really great fun little camera. The best of the Olympus Pens so far I think though it's not the current model. It just has a lot of features I like and I do like the fact that the grip is removable because I don't like using the one on those cameras. I first bought a chrome E-P3 used a few years ago. I liked it so much I bought another in white to back it up. If I really like a camera usually I will buy two so I can have it longer. So if one goes I've still got the other.

The other night I found an E-P3 black body in great shape on Amazon for like $120. That's a total steal for an E-P3 body, they usually run like $190 and up, so I grabbed it. I literally now have one E-P3 in every color they made. :P To be fair I think I spent less on my 3 buying them used than one originally cost new. One of them came with a 17mm lens that runs $200 on it's own so any which way you look at it I did good with that but still when you have three of the same camera you know you're a bit obsessed. I'm glad I got the black one though. There are only a few cameras I've ever gone out of my way to acquire more than one of but this little camera is one of the best I've ever used and I'm very happy that I got to make it a trio...

The Olympus Pen series is a great series all round if you're looking for something smaller than a DSLR with a M43 mount but the E-P3 has the on board flash and the hot shoe for the EVF so you can use them at the same time if you want to. Not all M43 cameras, Olympus Pens, have that capacity. Also the tap and focus capacity on this camera is fabulous. One tap to the LCD where I want it to focus and it's THERE 99% of the time and it's fast too. Sometimes I think it's even faster than my Pentax DSLR's. The macro mode is very decent too. It's a nice camera all round and can be had for far cheaper than the current models because it's a few models back. I don't use anything before this model. They tended to be too slow before this one, but any Pen after this is usually well worth the bucks depending upon what features you are looking for.

Mostly I still use the DSLR's a lot for work and pleasure shooting, but there are times when a DSLR is very conspicuous and some days it's just too heavy for me to tote. I find the Oly's are far easier to carry and they tend to attract less negative attention in places like museums and concerts and that than a DSLR will. They're so small that most of the time they get taken for a pocket camera and that's less threatening to some places than a camera that looks professional. It's almost like having a mini DSLR in your pocket. Some of the E-PL series ones and later E-P series cameras do have a flip screen if that's something you'd like. This particular one does not though.

 

I've been using a Nikon D7000 now for around 3 years and I'm still trying to re-learn everything I knew of manual photography before (I learned pre-digital photography using my dad's old Minolta & my 1st camera was a Pentax MZ-50) as far as how to adjust the camera's settings correctly to get what I want for any given shot. I'm going to sound like an old grump here but I miss the days when everything was adjustable on the camera body itself, you didn't have to go though a list of settings on a display screen :P There are times I get frustrated and just go back to auto settings but then I feel I'm wasting what the camera is capable of. I'm getting there but I know I'm only scratching the surface of what this camera can do...I'll get there eventually ^^

 

I have Nikon D3200 and nikkor50mm 1.8f lens, I think i need another lens, because with 50mm i need to be like 1m away from object or it wont focus. I would like to get a cheaper one with zoom, not Nikkor 2000eur one. Maybe tamron/sigma or smth. Just need to figure out which ones.. any suggestions?

 

The 2 lenses I use most often for doll photos are the AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1.8F & Nikkor 40mm f/18G EDIT - whoops, meant Nikon AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G. The biggest tip I can give is even if you keep everything else set to auto you can set the lens to manual focus so you have full control over the focusing. Going based on what my dad's said about his D3200 and what I know of the D7000 is that the autofocus can be a bit of a fickle pain in the butt. As it is, though, the 50mm is designed as a portrait lens so designed to be taken at no closer that about 1m away. That's where the 40mm comes in, especially if you're photographing tinies or want detailed close-ups. Cost wise, I can give one recommendation. If you don't mind risking shopping online for your lenses (& mods, feel free to delete this part if you see it as advertising), I bought both my 40mm & 50mm plus my hubby bought his 2 macro lenses from Camera Paradise & this is going back 3 years ago now & all are still working perfectly ^^. Digital SLR, DSLR, Digital Camera, Camera Store, SLR Camera, Lens and Photography Accessories Store All the Nikkor lenses are Nikon Genuine, complete with their boxes and bags. The one thing you have to be ready for is that they do a call to confirm usually within 24 hours of your placing an order & if you miss the phone call that can cause delays apparently (can't speak from experience there as I made sure I'd be home when I knew the phone call was coming).

 

Nikkor 40mm f2.8 you mean? It has decent good price

 

Whoops, yes, Nikon AF-S DX Micro-Nikkor 40mm f/2.8G Lens & yes, very good price. That's why I recommend them to anyone I know with Nikon DSLRs!

 

Canon 550D with Sigma 17-50mm F2.8. Really wish taking photos with primes but I'm not sure about my next camera so I can't really decide whethet to buy primes.

 

Does anyone have any experience with either the Canon PowerShot ELPH 170 IS or the Nikon COOLPIX S3700?

My husband is getting me a camera for my birthday next month. We can only afford to spend around a $100 on one, and those are the two models that I've narrowed it down to. Both look to have excellent macro functions and pretty good optical zoom thresholds, but I want to get the best camera for the price range. I'm a bit stumped on which I want to go for. Any advice?

 

I like to use Nikon D7000 and D750 and some times Panasonic GF3

 

Unfortunately I only have my phone camera right now-- A Samsung Note 4. It takes pictures sufficiently for sharing, but that's about it. My other cameras were left at my mums when I got the boot. Albeit, they were nothing special anyway. I'd like to find a nice new one at a good price.

 

I have my phone camera, Galaxy s4 It's not that great, honestly without ysing any filters. But my local library rents out a nice DSLR camera, and I plan to rent it when I get my first doll to capture the moment extra specially~ ♡♡

 

Love my canon 550D.Got my old buddy 7 years ago. It's pretty old school now, but I still love it!

 

Cannon EOS Rebel T3 is the camera I use. I really love it and I've never had any sort of problem with it so I would recommend it to anyone whose interested in producing beautiful pictures however if you've never experienced a DSLR camera before I wouldn't recommend going into it lightly.

 

I am using a Nikon D5100 ..... But I am still searching for the right lens.

 

What lenses are you using at the moment?

 

I got a Standard lens 18-55 mm and a Zoom/Macro lens 70-300mm .....

 

In that case, I can recommend 2 lenses. I have an AF-S Nikkor 50mm 1:18g portrait lens as it was recommended to me for doll photos back when I first got my D7000 4 1/2 years ago. However, my favourite tends to be my AF-S Micro Nikkor 40mm 1:28G as I have smaller fashion dolls & figures I use it for as well as having had quite a few tiny BJDs over my time in the hobby and it's wonderful for photographing them. Also great for close-ups / detail shots for larger dolls.

Hope that helps

 

Thank you sooooo much for your help ^___^

 

Not a problem =^-^=

 

Nikon coolpix p500 in current, I bought this camera when I was a poor student
Willing to buy Canon 8d body/else during Xmas sale promotion in this year

 

I use a Canon 70d, my favourite lens is my 50mm 1.8 but I also own a macro lens which I Iove to use when I want some close ups

 

Wow...so everyone take photos with Pro cameras. So cool .

I only use my cellphone camera , it is an Samsung G5.

Posting this, just to invite other cellphone user ( if any) to comment.

 

I use Nikon D3200 and it feels like I can't live without it ))

 

The majority of my photos were taken on my Galaxy S4.
I got a Canon PowerShot for my birthday earlier this year, so that's what I'm using now. But it is still a far cry from the DLSRs that most everyone else uses.

 

Out of curiosity, wondering who here uses a true pro camera? Personally I would love to go for a full frame (not exactly a fan of crop frame) pro camera that will take my existing Nikkor G lenses, so probably going to be looking into a Nikon D610 body or above but, of course, would love a true pro level camera body like the D5 (it's just not exactly in my price range any time soon).

 

I upgraded my Sony A6000 to an A6300. Mostly for the silent shooing mode and better auto focus. I am using it with a Sony 10-18 F4 lens with optical stabilization. It is a great combo for SD sized photography. That lens can get in real tight. Its very light weight and looks mostly like a point and shoot. It has a eye focus mode that works perfectly on Doll eyes as long as there is some white of the eye showing. Very please for casual shooting. Again not as good as a DSLR, but it still rocks.

Bobby

 

The D610 would serve you well for doll photography, and general purpose photography. For dolls, human portraiture, landscapes, etc. the D810 is Nikon's top of the line. The single-digit D-series (D5, D4, etc) are specialty cameras, like their 1D series Canon counterparts, favoring tank-like build quality and high frame rates over megapixels. These are not usually favorable compromises to make unless you're shooting things that are moving or changing very quickly, or in extreme harsh environments. They are favored for sporting events, moving animals, motorsports, safari, and photojournalism. If you have a primary need to shoot subjects like that, it's a great body, but for doll photography you're better off with the cheaper, higher megapixel bodies. The next step up from the D810 for a professional still-subject photographer would not be the D5, it would be a PhaseOne, Hasselblad or similar medium-format setup.

 

@JenKat I currently use a D800E, and a 2x/3s on and off before that. I've always disliked the battery grip of the true pro series because it's too heavy for me, and I mainly shoot portraits so I don't require fast fps.

I've also tried a 300s/7200, but oddly I find that I can't adapt back to a crop sensor after using a full frame camera because the view just looks so... off.

 

I am not using Pro bodies yet, just higher level consumer stuff, but I use my iPhone more than any other camera I have. Its handy and I can just do an impromptu shoot on the living room floor to try things out. I also use an iPad air 2 as well. The camera is not as good as the iPhone, but it makes it easy to see the results. I have been wanting to get one of the Samsung phones as the cameras are move DSLR like than the iPhone. Do you just snap away or are you using some of the higher end features of the Samsung camera app?

Bobby

 

Just the focus. Not much. Actually you can see my Instagram. I post every photo there . Hope you´ll find something you like.

 

Agreed on not liking the weight of the true pro series re. the battery grip & ease of portability, especially if you're travelling around a bit on foot so I don't feel too bad at the lack of affordability for me at the moment there but definitely do want to go full frame as crop frame is driving me nuts, especially when using my Nikon AF-S 50mm f/1.4G portrait Lens. Full frame plus higher image quality are my 2 main considerations & definitely need a new camera body before I'll consider buying a wider range of lenses / upgrading to sigma art lenses at the moment. The D800E is definitely available on the much more affordable end of the price spectrum for camera bodies / more within my camera budget & fits the image quality criteria. How do you find it for ease of use? I've only just gotten used to where everything is on the D7000 & have heard some of the higher level cameras are actually more intuitive to use so I'm curious there.

 

@adam , Thanks. Between what you & @rainwaltz have said it's sounding like the D800 series will probably be the way to go for me then considering what I'm after & for either D800E or D810 I can get a body for around the $2500 AU mark from my usual Nikon dealer which is very very reasonable. Again, big thanks to both of you

 

@JenKat The D800 mimics the button positions of its larger kin, which I think is more intuitive. There's also more real estate on the body, so there's more buttons which means I don't have to go the the menu just to change something -- I can just hit the button quickly. I didn't use the D7200 long, but I can't say there was much difficulty adapting to it. The main differences I noticed were:

- Metering mode flicky-dial-thing has been compressed into just a single button on the 7200
- The mode dial (P/A/S/M) button is on the left (7200) instead of right.
- There's a couple of new settings called U1 and U2, which I think are customisable modes?
- There's an info button that can make your settings come up on the screen.
- I think the 7200 has an improved flash function, but since the flash on my 800E is taped down (I never use it) I can't compare it well.

Heehee, my main lens is a 50 1.4, and I bought the Sigma 35 1.4 just a few weeks ago! I've used the 800E+50mm setup for 4 years because it's light and versatile; I have it on a black rapid strap and it's sling-and-go for me. I've also shot through all sorts of weather (light rain, heavy fog, snow, blistering heat) and dropped it onto concrete/road/tiles, and it's still held up beautifully. I was kind of worried after the drop so I sent it for servicing, and the service guy was very impressed by how new it looked.

Of course, I'm not endorsing risky behaviour with any sort of expensive equipment, but... just in case you feel the urge to, you can have peace of mind that your camera will likely be okay. The body didn't even dent with a 1m drop onto tiles (cat swiped it off a table).

I would advise getting a second battery, because the battery life can get depleted fast if you're shooting with live view.

 

I have a canon 700d

 

I am using a Nikon D3100 ^^ Is old but I love my camera.

 

I use a Nikon D300. I think it gets the job done. I am looking into getting a new lens but not quite sure which one to get.

 

Canon 450D 50mm. I like )

 

Was wanting to look into getting a camera to photograph my dolls and was wondering what you guys use or would recommend for a first timer?

 

You've posed quite a difficult question here. It's hard to recommend a particular one, or type, to you but I'll try to give you something to consider.
The cameras on mobile phones can be remarkably good these days and really equally as good as a many compact cameras. There are compact cameras which will give superb results, and control, but they are in the higher price bracket. So if you have a phone with a good camera you could stick with it. It really depends on budget and how much control over the camera and results you want. The next stage up is what's called a bridge camera, for example Canon Powershot or Panasonic Lumix which should give you good results and a certain amount of control. Step up again and it's the DSLR, Digital single lens reflex, which gives you considerable control and superb pictures but the learning curve will be fairly steep. There is an overlap in all these cameras so some compacts will be better than some bridge cameras etc. Personally I use a Nikon D7100 with prime lenses but I can still take some rubbish pictures. It's best if you decide on a budget, then weigh that against a phone with a very good camera, or step up. I hope this has been of some help to you. There are some superb photographers on this forum so I'm sure you'll get some great advice.

 

I agree with Mister M, I used an old Olympias single shot for the first year until I was ready to commit to the photography part of the hobby, Then I found an older Canon Rebel at a pawn shop for a couple hundred dollars. I recently upgraded to a Canon 7D Mark ii and I've been in the hobby for 8+ years. From the experience I can tell you that it's about practice not the camera~ Plus with the Instagram doll community phone photos are so easy and fun to post.

 

Thank you both so much! You both have given me so much to think about and now onto some major research and thinking lol

 

Well, even in 2016, I am still using my good, old Nikon D50 and don't intend to change.

 

I'm using a Nikon D3100 with 35mm, 50mm, & 80mm prime lenses! I sometimes have access to a Nikon D90 as well.

 

I always use my Nikon D7100 to shoot my babies and I don't think I'll ever get tired of it.

 

I was really into photography for a long time, so I use to keep using my mum's old Canon Powershot digital compact. She surprised me last winter holiday season with a Canon EOS Rebel T5 (Canon 1200D) and I was elated! I use it all the time now; we're inseparable.

 

I use a Canon 6D, with my main lens being the 24-105 f/4 L.

Brilliant camera, but the photographer is more important than the gear.

The main advice I'd give anyone is make sure your light is good. Most of the "bad" photos I've seen are bad because they are poorly lit, so the camera ramps up it's ISO and turns the colours into mud and dumps a bucket of noise into the image.

 

It's more convenient to take pictures with my phone, but when I take my boys outdoors, I bring out my Canon 700D (T5i) with a 50mm 1.8 lens. You don't need a super fancy camera for doll photos. I think it's better to invest the extra money on a good editing program, like Lightroom. There are free alternatives that are good, but it's harder to find tutorials for those compared to Lightroom. Editing is what makes the difference between a polished photo and a raw photo.

 

I use a Nikon Coolpix P520. The camera was a present, and i´m still learning how it works.

 

Sony A6000 + Canon EF 50 f/1.4 USM, it is good for shooting the low depth of field doll portrait.

 

I've always been an avid user of SONY. Most of my gadgets came from them. I dislike having to carry bulky things (aside from my precious dolls ofcourse). Even though I have other cameras, I keep using my nifty little Sony TX-66 because 1) very convenient / portable 2) It takes very decent, pretty photos for such a very small camera. I don't have photography background but I've learned some things for being gadget-nosy. You have to choose the right way to shoot, good lighting and an editing material for minor polishing.

 

iPhone 6 s... rip

 

Canon 600d

 

Pentax k-50...and proud of it (?

 

A Canon 750D