In all cases, it’s all about picking the right gear for the job, so this episode the gang talks about the cameras they use when they’re in specific situations from street photography to travel, sports to portrait work. It’s all about picking the right poison for the job.
Portraiture – James is an amazing portrait photographer who has done hundreds of wedding and even taught on the subject. And while he does shoot plenty of digital images when out doing portrait work he uses a few film cameras. The iconic Hasselblad 503 and more importantly the Carl Zeiss Sonar 150mm f/4 lens and the other being the Nikon F6 with the AF-S Nikkor 85mm f/1.4G lens. For Mike, however, being a loving father, he does most of the portraits of his kids using his trusty Canon AE-1 and a 50mm lens.
Travel – Most of the gang have the travel bug. And at least three of us are huge fans of New York City. And when travelling, especially by air you have to keep your kit fairly compact. For Bill, he mostly works with the compact Olympus OM-1n for 35mm and the Rolleicord IV to cover off medium format work. Alex’s travel camera of choice especially for New York City is the Nikon FA with the MD-15 motor drive attached. But it’s the lenses that truly make the trip and it’s the three lens kit that he takes no matter the camera, a wide angle (24/28/35), a normal (50), and a short telephoto (85/105/135) to round it out. Both Alex and Bill use messenger style bags, Domke for Bill and the Peak Design Everyday Messanger for Alex.
Street – Street photography is one of those genres that tend to polarize people on the gear that should be used and how it’s to be done. But for John, it’s all about comfort and for that, it’s the Voigtlander Bessa R3m and with a 35mm lens, he finds he can wander around and stay out of the notice of his subjects, wide enough to catch the moment, yet not too wide to lose the subject. As for the manual focus, he sets the lens to f/8 and sets the focus and forgets it and let’s hyperfocal distance do its thing. Also, the camera is easy on his back.
Sport – Our newest addition to the team, Trevor, has a lot to share when it comes to the professional side of photography. He even got some shooting in during the last time the Toronto Blue Jays won the World Series in 1993! And for that, the camera of choice is the Nikon F4 with the 80-200mm f/2.8D lens. The camera and the lens gave him all the reach he needed to catch the action of the first base line.
Looking for a good spot to get your gear and material fix check out Burlington Camera (Burlington, ON), Downtown Camera (Toronto, ON), Film Plus (Toronto, ON), Belle Arte Camera (Hamilton, ON), Pond’s FotoSource (Guleph, ON), Foto Art Camera (Owen Sound, ON). Out West there’s The Camera Store (Calgary, AB) and Beau Photo Supply (Vancouver, BC). Additionally you can order online at Argentix (Quebec), buyfilm.ca (Ontario), the Film Photography Project or Freestyle Photographic.
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