When I go out with the intention of taking photos, I return back to my ‘proper’ cameras and kit. It feels like a treat to me.
Something I’m always obsessed with on Instagram is ‘What camera are they using?’. To be honest, most people only take photos on their phones these days. And why not, because it’s just so easy for editing, and light to carry around. But, that doesn’t stop me wondering when people are treating themselves to a proper camera.
It’s been a long time since I did any photography on a big scale. I studied photography at college, back in 2012. Since then, photography has dropped back a lot for me, but it’s still something I love. Hey, I’m nowhere near an expert. I ‘m definitely a hobby-photographer only. But, if anyone’s looking to see what other people are using, or if you’re thinking of what kit you should buy next, maybe this can help push you in the right direction. This is my current camera kit.
Sony A6000
Start with the basics – my digital camera. A few years ago my beloved Panasonic G1 finally gave up on itself – even after surviving an extra couple of years after being dropped from bicycle handlebars and having a cracked screen. And so my search for a new camera began. Originally my plan was to stick with Panasonic, as I’d enjoyed working with my old camera, and I trusted the brand.
But, I’d read a lot of good things about the Sony A6000 from other bloggers, and liked the photos that other bloggers had created. So, after some intensive research, this was the camera I went for. Compared to my previous camera it was a lot lighter and slightly smaller, which makes it a lot easier to carry around with me.
The Sony A6000 takes an SD card, and has interchangeable lenses that you can buy separately. Sony have brought out a few new models since I purchased this, so it’s now quite a bit cheaper than their other options. It also shoots video.
If you’re looking for a more up to date camera along these lines, the Sony A6400 is the latest option. Although, I haven’t tested this one so I can’t say if I’d recommend it or not.
Praktica MTL 5B
Just for fun, I recently dug out the film camera that got me through my first year of college. I used to really enjoy film photography. I loved processing my own film by hand in the college dark room. It’s not quite the same now – I don’t have my own dark room unfortunately. But it’s still a nice feeling to get the film camera out.
You can’t buy this camera new now – it’s pretty old. I was lucky to have inherited it from my dad. And it is quite hard to find sturdy a film camera now, as everything is pretty much digital. But if you’re out and about and manage to spot an old film camera that looks in working condition I recommend giving it a go.
I love the suspense of taking photos over a couple of weeks or different events, and having to wait for them to be developed before you know what they look like. For films, I’ve been using Analogue Wonderland. This site has loads of different makes and choices, and loads of interesting looking styles as well.
Extra Note
If I’m going out with my camera I like to keep a note of where I am, or what I’m taking photos of. Usually it’s easy to remember anyway, but if I’m somewhere as part of a travel blog post it’s good to note it down just in case. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy, just something that fits in my bag or pocket easily so I can keep notes that I want to put in the blog post.
xx
