In this post, I share a bit of my philosophy regarding camera choice. I have heard and often repeated the saying, the best camera is the one you have with you. Some also say, it is not the camera but the photographer that matters most when making a photo. I think what matters most varies but for now I want to focus on the camera selection.
When traveling I always take at least two camera bodies. Then I select which one to use depending on the type of subjects I plan to shoot. There are numerous ways to compare and contrast the two bodies to decide which I want to use. One camera’s features include special tracking for birds, airplanes and fast moving subjects. The other features a shooting mode specific to night sky photography. One is smaller than the other and much less conspicuous, which makes it a good choice for street photography. The larger camera has longer battery life. The smaller is lighter. Occasionally, I opt not to take either of my Olympus cameras.
I love my Olympus systems and reach for one of them most of them. However, if my activities include a lot of water something strenuous that requires both of my hands, I leave my expensive cameras behind. Such was the case when I went horseback riding in Monument Valley.
Having some experience riding horses, I felt confident as far as staying on the horse. I did not really want to deal with a large camera while climbing hills and traversing canyons on the back of a horse. So, I chose to take a point and shoot that was advertised as virtually indestructible and of course I had my cell phone, which at the time was a Samsung Galaxy S7.
The following photo, printed at 16″ x 24″, currently hangs at the University of St. Thomas Max Center in Conroe TX as part of the the Horizon’s show. Three entrees were selected for the show and my cell phone photo made the cut!