I've used all manner of cameras while on the bike. Medium-format Hasselblad 500cm, 35mm, digital SLRs, iPhone, point and shoot, you name it.
The iPhone is great, but I have a few problems with it: - It is horrible in the cold. Mine just stops working when it gets around freezing temperature - It is horrible with moisture. I've damaged them just from the sweat in the back of a jersey pocket - While the optics are amazing for a camera you find inside a phone, it still doesn't compare to a dedicated proper camera. So while I love iPhone photography, I just found I would be out on rides and see something really great that I couldn't properly capture (for a variety of reasons - lens length, weather, poor battery, etc) so I now almost always carry my dSLR. I'm using a Nikon Df, which is a 'retro styled' digital SLR. It takes every lens Nikon has EVER made, which is why I accepted the big price tag. I have a bunch of old manual focus lenses that my Dad used to use, they all work. It shoots up to ISO 120,000 or something ridiculous, so I never need a flash. I can shoot in pitch black on s24o's and get usable photos. I can make 30" wide prints (and I have, and even sold some of them) from rides. I've been published a few times as a result of snagging good photos while riding. All that isn't doable on an iPhone, so it's worth the hassle to me. I usually keep it in my Ozette rando bag, or somewhere easily accessible while riding. I wrap it up in a down vest or something soft for padding, but am working on a permanent padded insert to keep it safe (and dry). It really depends on what you want out of it though. To me, I want the best quality photo I can manage, I want a camera that will always work (so some level or weather proofing and cold-weather performance), and I want something that is durable to handle the bumps and jumps (ideally a metal body, sturdy construction). On Monday, April 13, 2015 at 9:38:43 AM UTC-5, William deRosset wrote: > > Dear Tim, > > > I carry a Ricoh GR (V), as there are no touch-screen controls, I can set > the thing to my desired level of interaction (how manual/automated do I > want it to be, and I like being able to frame, set aperture, and pick focus > point myself), and it is big enough that it isn't awkward to use. It is > also big for a jersey pocket, has a fixed 28mm lens, and the battery > doesn't last for years like a film camera. It takes far better photos than > I am photographer--true of every camera I've owned, though only just in the > case of the tiny and moderately unreliable Sony it replaced. > > If you're looking to photography as a hobby, take a class. It'll get you > thinking about light and composition. Also, Stieglitz and all those early > photographers were working with far more primitive equipment and lens > design than anything we use these days. > > Best, > > Will > William M. deRosset > Fort Collins, CO > > P.S. I assume you're looking to digital. If film, the Ricoh film cameras > were nice (though they've got a cult following and aren't terribly easy to > come by), as were the olympus infinity stylus epic (35mm fixed lens), and > the latter in particular are very cheap, durable objects. Moving up the > size and complexity scale, a Leica III (g) with your favorite screw-mount > lens is packable, and the Rollei 35s was the compact camera of choice for a > generation of backcountry photogs. > > On Sunday, April 12, 2015 at 5:42:26 PM UTC-6, Deacon Patrick wrote: >> >> My personal suggestion is persist with the simplicity of your iPhone, >> unless you want to become a hobby photographer. Get a photography book. >> Learn the principles of solid framing and what makes a good photo. The >> photographer has much more to say about the photo than the equipment does. >> >> I love the simplicity of my iPhone. Could I take better photos with more >> effort and a dedicated DSLR? Absolutely. But the cost for doing so would be >> a lot more time and energy and money I'd rather spend differently. All of >> the photos on my Flickr photostream are iPhone. Use mittens in cold >> weather. Easy on and off. I take photos down to -20˚F. >> >> With abandon, >> Patrick >> > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
