If I'd known 10 years ago that Canon crop bodies would end up so far behind for so many years I'd have moved to Nikon when I had little invested. That said, today, the 80d has closed the gap and the Canon FF cameras are brilliant.
I use a mix of flashguns, portable flash, studio flash and triggers. If I started today, I'd go straight for Godox, it's the best integrated system.
The Fuji cameras are awesome, but the lenses are very expensive, it's a great 2nd system, but not great for a primary system IMHO.
The Godox stuff does look good value for money, you recommended I look at that a while back and I will go that route in the future.
Do you think the Fuji kit isn't good as a primary system due to the cost of lenses or for other reasons? They are very pricey.
I'd spend a tiny fraction of what I have over the years.
Is that because you have bought kit you haven't used Simon?
I switched to save lugging so much heavy gear around, tried a refurbished X-E1 with 18-55mm lens and was very impressed. Found myself taking a camera out nearly all the time and realised I was enjoying photography again.
Now got a X-T1 and X-E2, my daughter had the X-E1 and liked it so much she bought a XT-10
Happy to take photos of pretty much anything, I suppose landscapes, buildings and transport make up the bulk of it, not keen on sport or street photography though.
What about you Marc, what kit do you have and your favoured subjects?
I've been struggling with what I like to photograph Rich. I like 'people' pictures, I always have, I want to get into portraiture and I have some strong ideas of styles I like - I really like fine art style portrait photography. If I'd be good enough is a different question, I'm currently learning as much as I can, it's all new to me as a serous hobby, for so long I've just enjoyed snapping pics with a phone or instant camera, I now have a basic Canon (1300D) with the kit lens and I also have a 18-135mm lens which I keep on all the time.
I just don't don't really find much enjoyment in taking pictures of 'stuff', part of the issue is because I'm not so well and I can't walk for miles, so there's not much chance of a hike. There are plenty of stunning places in Devon, but I'm too indecisive, and I just know that anyone could come along and take the same picture and do a better job. With people it's a unique picture, even if it's not very good! It probably sounds stupid, I live on a farm so I wander round taking pictures of the buildings (our cottage is over 400 years old and some of the barns are not much younger), I take pics of the tractors - old and new- but I end up with the animals taking their pics (cows, sheep, pigs from next week, chickens, horses, dogs, cats...) or taking pic s of the people working and they tell me to get lost!
I didn't think I'd like street photography as it seemed very invasive, but as I don't have anyone who will let me take their picture anymore I've had to give it a go. I was really nervous but I wandered the streets, at first I was trying to do it with the camera at waist level, but as the screen doesn't hinge at all I was guessing and of course got nothing but lampposts, shop signs and pavements. So I just started pointing the camera at people who were not paying any attention. Some people noticed others didn't, I got a few of a guy working in his pottery shop, I gave a busker 50p so I could take some pics of him. They didn't come out great - I'm still working on exposure and moving from sun to shade to sun was keeping me guessing, I got home and worked on them in Lightroom (just on my iPad, I don't have a computer at the moment) but if I'm honest I didn't know where to start. I know I over processed them, I'm going to try to learn Lightroom now as I realise how important the post processing is, although of course if I get my in camera images right I won't have to work so hard after! It was actually fun, I got braver as time went on, I didn't get any great pics, just people doing not a lot. At least its people photography, it made me think as I didn't have long to get the settings right, and all the pics came out looking ok, just not great.
So that's me. I don't know what you've read from my previous posts (if any) but I'm doing this so I can get to a level where I'm good enough to offer portraits for families with children with disabilities and life limiting conditions. All for free, my work needs to be good enough so that I can get some paying clients and I can use the profits to give the other families free portraits for their walls. I have 3 kids with disabilities and special needs Andy I know how hard it is to get pictures. The two thing she I have going for me are time (I'm a full time carer for my kids) and he enthusiasm to make it work.
I bet you wished you hadn't asked eh!
