What kind of camera do you use?

As a professional photographer and photographic instructor, I am constantly bombarded with the question “What brand of camera do you use?”. My simple answers is, “Quite a variety”. Having been involved with photography for over 50 years now, I have a sizeable collection of equipment.

I want to get this out of the way right off the bat. If you’re in the market or just getting started, choose a brand the appeals to you and be happy in your purchase. All major brands, Canon, Nikon, Sony, Fuji, Panasonic, Pentax, Hasselblad, Leica, Olympus and all the others are manufacturing fine quality cameras and lenses. Aftermarket lens makers like Sigma, Tokina, Rokinon, Tamron and Viltrox all produce fine quality lenses. It’s difficult to make a bad choice. Once you’ve made your choice, you’ll be using it for years. The investment in quality equipment is a substantial one. These are not items you will be turning over on a regular basis.

So, what may dictate your choice, or guide your decisions? I read a survey conducted by a photography industry watchdog group. The results were interesting. Overall market share breaks down like this. Canon holds 46.5% of the market, followed by Sony with 26.1%. Nikon comes in third with 11.7%, then Fujifilm with 5.8% and Panasonic with 4.2%. These numbers reflect every camera sold, the vast majority going to amateurs and hobbyist.

Among professional photographers though, things shift. Most professionals prefer Nikon with 31% of the pro market followed by Canon with 29%. Sony comes in third with 20% and Fujifilm brings up the bottom at 12%.

What accounts for the difference between Amateurs and Pros? My experience tells me two things. First, Nikon’s color palate is more neutral. The NEF files (Nikons RAW files) are more balanced and allow for easier manipulation in post processing. Nothing is oversaturated or cool or warm shifted to start with. Essentially, the Pro shooter has a neutral palate to work from to build their own look or style. It may take a bit more work to get there, but the shooters’ individual style will come through in the end. Secondly, and I may be a bit jaded in saying this, many of the other brands invest more heavily in their marketing department.

Now, what do I shoot?

The vast majority of my work is digital these days, probably 95% of what I shoot. I still shoot with film regularly, but not as often as I used to. My digital toolbox is mostly Nikon. My primary camera is a Nikon Z8 mirrorless. I have a variety of Nikkor lenses ranging from 24mm out to 120mm, with a set of macro extension tubes for close up work. My backup camera is a Nikon D7500 DSLR. Again, I have quite an arsenal of lenses for the D7500 ranging from an 8mm fisheye out to a 600mm telephoto. In that mix I have Nikon lenses, Rokinon, Sigma and Altura lenses as well. Also, in the bag you’ll find a Nikon D3200. I keep that around as a second backup (Ya never know) and I use that one for teaching as well. A few of my beginning student have not purchased a camera yet. It’s a good loaner.

Now I say my digital kit is mostly Nikon because I keep a variety of other small cameras at the ready as well. A Bell & Howell point and shoot, a Chuzaho digital TLR style camera, a GoPro 4 Silver and a Seal Life Micro 3.0 underwater camera. I use these for teaching and pushing myself to be creative with limited options. I have found there’s no better way to force one to pay attention to composition and lighting than to take away any and all other option to produce a good shot. These simple cameras allow for those exercises to be carried out. Plus, they’re just fun. Of course, I use my Seal Life when I go diving.

For film I have my old trusty Canons. A 1980 vintage F1 and a 1977 vintage AE1. These have been my trusted companions for nearly 50 years, and they are still going strong. When I want to get my Ansel Adams on, I have a Calumet 45NX with a Caltar IIe lens, a 4x5 monorail view camera. It’s a beast, but it’s my beast and its images are magic.

So, when people ask me “What brand of camera do you use/”…