My SLR is not my primary camera.
There. I said it. I'll let it sink in for a minute before trying to explain why - if I can.
I can readily admit that is does seem a bit hypocritical of me to not always be carrying my best possible equipment with me at all times, after I just made a post praising the late Edward S. Miller, particularly for investing in a high end Leica camera with which to take such phenomenal photos.
I can try to "blame" the heft of my DSLR as the reason for this, as I certainly could not see myself lugging my Canon with me on a daily basis on the rather marginal chance that I should happen to spot a "must have" photo on my commute. That aside, there have been times when I specifically went out for the purposes of transit photography and used a compact camera instead of it, and still other times when I went out for transit photography and did not even bring my Digital SLR.
Heresy.
What had happened was...
In all honesty, there have been a number of occasions when my digital SLR would not be able to get the shot my Compact camera would. Seriously. No really, I'm saying this with a straight face.
My SLR is a Canon EOS Digital XTI, which is a particularly competent camera, though it does have its limitations. The most telling limitation is that it is not a "full frame" SLR, but rather what is typically called a "crop camera" in that the sensor does not fully cover the lens rating, leading to about a 50% increase in focal length. A 50mm lens on this camera acts more like an 80mm lens. For zoomed in shots, this can be admittedly pretty great. If I put on my 70-210mm lens and zoom it out, it's pulls in and compresses distant details to create a nicely detailed composition when taking photos with skyline backdrops.
However, when taking photos with a wider field of view, it can be admittedly a bit limiting. I only have three lenses for this camera: the "prime" 50mm/f1.7, the 70-210mm/f3.5-4.5, and the 28-80mm/f3.5-5.6. As a result, the "widest" I can go is to about a 45mm equivalent. There have been times when in the midst of composing a photo in a Downtown area, I am unable to get a prominent building on the skyline within the frame, requiring me to either reconsider the composition, or attempt to back up by as much as a half a block to fit the desired backdrop within the frame. Meanwhile, my compact cameras can back up to about a 28mm equivalent.
Impossible with the SLR
The Rundown:
Naturally, I haven't sampled the full variety of digital cameras available, but I've managed to use a pretty good variety of models nonetheless. Here is a sequential progression of the digital cameras I have toted around with me over the years, with a sample of its output, as well as some general thoughts.
My first digital camera was acquired second hand from a friend in early 2001, and I kept it for about 6 months before replacing it. It was able to get you a quick digital photo in ideal light pretty readily, but it was hardly comparable to film, with a modest 1.5MP range.
Acquired in July of 2001, this 3 MP camera was leaps and bounds ahead of the Fuji, with a fast f/2.0 3X Optical Zoom and some really great color rendition and features. It was my daily tagalong for years, when I finally supplanted it with another camera in 2005. Even then, I still carried along for a while, before regrettably leaving it on a bus one day.
Lured by the sexiness of 10X Zoom and 640x480 video, I bit for this camera in February of 2005. I found myself taking more video and fewer stills however, as I never quite felt this camera had quite the pleasing image results as the old Casio. Still, I kept this 3MP Bridge camera until it quit on its own in about 2009.
Generally not too impressed with the stills on the S-1 IS, and wanting improved video, I went in on the Z-1275 in September of 2007, which promised Schneider Optics, a 12MP resolution, and 720p video. Sadly, the features were all fluff, with the video lacking image stabilization, and the image quality being pretty lackluster in stills.
Admittedly bought (in Febraury of 2009) to function almost entirely as a discreet video camera for transit photography with its 720p Stereo Image Stabilized video, the Sony performed great in that role, though its rare use as a photography camera was limited in features and with output even worse than the Kodak.
Increasing frustration in finding a compact digital camera that didn't use a small sensor while it played the Megapixel race, but which wasn't as expensive as the unique and niche Panasonic LX-3 led me to look on Ebay in the Spring of 2009 to find the successor to my beloved QV-3000, the 4000 model that was released back in 2001. It didn't disappoint either, as it began to make transit photography fun once again.
Finally in the Summer of 2009, I could no longer hold out. The "new" Casio had reawakened my interest in photography, but I could see where its image quality was pretty dated. If I really wanted a highly detailed image, I would have to pony up the money for a digital SLR. After doing some research, I finally decided upon this model and managed to find one at a reasonable price, used on Craigslist. The camera has proven to be a capable performer, though I admit it is not quite as fun or intuitive to use as the Casio models. After all, ease of use is apparently not its main penchant.
But I didn't stop there. There were (and continue to be) some limitations with using the SLR, most notably the focal length on the wider end, but also the lens speed. While the Canon works well until ISO400, the zoom lenses only stop down to f/3.5 at best, leaving twilight and night shots to be pretty futile. Similarly, color rendition on the Canon could be really flat in certain conditions, requiring a lot of post processing. When I spotted a new Samsung camera in early 2011 that used a larger sensor than most compacts while sporting an F/1.7 lens, I elected to pull the trigger.
The TL-500 has pretty much become my tagalong camera on the daily commute, due to its compact size, light weight, and robust performance. It is by no means a substitute for my digital SLR, but it can be quickly used in situations where my SLR would struggle. Interestingly however, while I have had this camera for nearly 3 years, I have yet to take it out on its own specifically for a transit shoot the way I would have readily done without question with the Casio cameras.
Perhaps I just don't feel the same level of comfort with this camera. I'm not sure if it is more to do with a lack of confidence in it being able to handle all the situations I might encounter, or if it has more to do with me simply having the knowledge that I have the SLR now.
That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Looking ahead, I'm not sure what my next equipment move might be. I have perused everything from a large-sensored, fast camera like the Sony RX-100 to the ultrafast successor to my TL-500 in the compact category, but may ultimately take the plunge for a more capable Canon SLR that will allow me to arm myself with two lenses at the ready at the same time.
Suggestions?
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