The question I’m asked most often about this site is: “what kind of camera do you use?” So, today, let’s talk about my photography equipment.

So, obviously, I don’t just use one camera or one lens. I try to buy/use as high quality of a lens as I can afford — I think that is what truly makes the difference between an ok photo and an awesome one.

Different cameras and different lenses are good for capturing different things. I don’t actually take all of this along with me wherever I go, I try to guess what I’ll need before I leave the apartment. Usually, I limit myself to one camera and two lenses — this can all get pretty heavy, very quickly. (Unless I’m going somewhere truly spectacular, then I bring three lenses and my tripod and feel very torn about leaving a lens behind. What if I need it??)

Breaking it down:

 

1. My main camera: Canon EOS 70D.

It is very large but takes great photos. I love the HDR setting, which allows me to take photos of windows without blowing out the photo. That’s how I got this:

 

 

 

Without HDR, you would have either seen the stickers or the blue sky, not both.

 

2. My new favorite lens: Canon EF-S 10-18mm 

This was a birthday present from Dave and sent me into the giggles. I’d wanted a wide angle lens so badly, but they were all prohibitively expensive until Canon came out with this. (Ok, “expensive” is a relative term in photography. This lens is around $270. Before this lens out, the cheapest Canon wide angle lens (10mm) was around $700. For the cheap one. If you want the next bump up in quality, it’s around $3,000.)

These were all taken on the 10-18mm lens:

 

 

 

 

 

Super sharp photos, insane range, intense color. I love it.

 

3. My next favorite: Canon EF 50mm f/1.8mm

This lens’ nickname is “the nifty fifty.” It very small and cute, insanely cheap, and takes spectacular photos. It’s perfect. It’s like a toy lens that takes awesome photos.

Zoom lenses on the whole tend to take worse photos than prime lenses. (“Prime” means that you can’t zoom in or out, you just stay at one focal length.) I’ve read that 50mm is a photography standard, so Canon has been churning these suckers out for so long that the glass is now cheap to produce and extremely high quality.

Also, the f/1.8 aperture makes for some very fun photos that play with depth. (Being able to go that high for aperture means that if I’m taking a photo of my cat, I can decide to focus on her eyelashes or nose. One will appear sharp, the other blurry. Or, you know, the ubiquitous sharp/blurry cupcake photos online.) The high aperture also lets me take photos of things through surfaces, like windows or water, where I can get a really sharp focus on the object and not the water surface (that anemone photo.) Oh, and using this, I can take pretty clear, sharp photos at night without having to use a tripod (the rainy SF photo, the baby ornament photo).

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4. The necessary mid/wide-range lens: Canon EF 24mm f/2.8 lens (not pictured, I used it to snap the head photo)

This lens is sharp, not as sharp as my 50mm, but sharp. Colors are good, not as great as my 50mm or wide lens, but still great compared to lens that most dSLRs come with.

Sometimes, the 50mm is just too tight of a shot and the 10-18mm is too wide, and I need something in between. This is the lens I take with me if I’m taking photos inside, in a living room. I can get good shots of lots of people interacting, without cropping anyone out. (I use the 50mm when I want those keepsake photos of a toddler and grandma looking into each other’s eyes.)

 

 

 

 

5. The necessary telephoto zoom lens: Canon EF-S 55-250mm

I’m least happy with this lens, but it gives me a telephoto option at a reasonable price. I think the colors are murky, the photos lack the crispness of the other lenses. I only use this lens if the photo would otherwise be impossible to get.

Like so:

 

The only way to get that photo of cars on the Golden Gate bridge is to stand at a certain spot in the Presidio, with a telephoto lens. You also need a telephoto lens to photograph most wildlife, and I also like to use it to really get close to small things.

 

6. My other camera: Canon EOS Rebel XSi (not pictured, it was used to take the header photo.)

Canon Rebels are far beyond the XSI’s nowadays. This was my starter dSLR camera. I use this camera when I take family portraits or self portraits while using a tripod. It allows for a 10 second shutter delay, and will then take 10 rapid fire photos. I find it absolutely necessary for family portraits. (You don’t want to wait around for 10 seconds and then only get one measly photo, which may totally suck because people and children move in unpredictable ways.)
7. My other gear: Pearstone lens cases, a hood, and tripod

Lenses are quite delicate, so I keep them in lens cases when I’m not using them. I also put them in whatever I’m using as a diaper bag, instead of trying to haul around a diaper bag and camera bag.

The hood helps keep sunlight from washing out a photo. I use it with my telephoto lens to try and coax out a better quality photo.

I rarely use the tripod, only if I have the luxury of time and I’m on a photography trip. Most of the time, you’ll find me trying to stabilize my camera on top of public benches, handrails, trashcans, or Dave’s shoulder.

 

Let me know if you have any other questions!