Cameras

Cameras are just tools, right? For me, I’ve struggled between the views which see cameras as tools, and cameras as collectable items. For sure, a camera is a tool - designed to get you the results you need with the least amount of friction between person and machine. It doesn’t need to look fancy but as long as it lets you do what you need it to do, that’s all the matters. On the other hand, sometimes I think of cameras as items to be sought after - new technologies to make photography easier or more novel; designed with bits of character, etched, weighted, smooth and cold-to-the touch dials, designed to provide a unique photography experience. Oh - and they take pictures, too!

These are my cameras. I purchased the the Nikon D610 in April 2014 and I purchased the Fujifilm x70 in December 2016. With the Nikon D610, I’ve shot over 60,000 photos, completed a few 365 projects, and continue photographing my children, playing in the light which brings to life the photos documenting our memories. The Fujifilm comes with me places I wouldn’t have dream of bringing the D610.

Read my experience with these cameras, below.

Nikon D610

I used my Nikon D610 to take the last photograph of my mom before she died. I’ve documented my children's lives nearly everyday. The rubber grip is wearing thin in spots. A rubber tab on the bottom is chronically flapping loose; my fingers push it back into place out of habit. This camera has become an extension of me, and I have grown to love it. But it has not always been that way.

Fuji X70

I don’t write camera reviews. I try to avoid reading them. I resist the urge to get wrapped up in camera gear. It’s counterproductive for me. I don’t want to spend too much money on camera gear. I want to try very hard to invest my time and energy on improving my photography. I really enjoy the creative constraints provided by an unchanging set up and focal length. It’s a consistent way of seeing the world and I like that.