It is Friday and Fridays are for fun. Maybe we can get through the weekend with out another two feet of snow falling on us. I keep thinking about spring and wondering how far south I would have to go to get a glimpse.
I get asked the same question on a regular basis so I am going to address it in this post and permanently link the post in a prominent place. I thought writing about it would be a great Friday fun post because taking pictures is what I do for fun and I know that some of my readers enjoy it as much as I do.
What kind of a camera do you use? It seems like such a personal question. We all know that when it comes to photography it is about the camera. Some take good pictures and some do not, we just press the buttons, what could be easier?
I use two camera’s. One is a panasonic Linux with a wide angle lens. I bought it at best buy last year, it was an open box special. It is small and I keep it with me. One of the greatest values in having a camera is actually having it available when a photo opportunity presents itself. Much better quality than the camera in my phone. It is wonderful for the quick shots I often take from my car. It has a stabilizer in it so even if the car is moving I can get a good shot. It also works well for interior property shots, if there is decent lighting in the home. This shot was taken from a freeway entrance ramp, with the Panasonic, and is of the Minneapolis skyline:
The other camera is a Canon Digital Rebel, I think I bought it in January. Some of the pictures I take with it are not blurry. It doesn’t have a stabilizer, and the lens does not zoom as far and the angle is not as wide. It has a zillion tiny buttons on it and if I press the wrong one, or forget to change the settings the pictures mostly don’t turn out. I am using the canon for the architectural shots and the night shots I like to take. I took this one with the Canon a couple of weeks ago of the St. Paul cathedral which is one of the most photogenic building in St. Paul, it kind of poses for me:
Local readers who are interested in photography should join Flickr. There are several groups dedicated to pictures of St. Paul and of the Twin Cities. Joining groups makes taking pictures more fun because their are people with similar interests to share them with.
My blog is being redesigned by the design pros at the RealEstateTomato to better accommodate my photos. I like to show the Twin Cities on my blog, not just write about them.
I have a Sony Steady-Shot DSC-H2, which I love because it’s a small camera with a big lens that really pulls in light. I can use it for natural-lit settings without the flash all the time.
Your pics are still better, but some of that is because you take so many of them! It’s great to just carry the camera with you all the time.
Thanks for sharing, I had been wondering what kind of camera you use. Your pictures are beautiful and so clear-St Paul looks like a beautiful city. A new camera is on my wish list. Have a great weekend and I hope you get some sunshine 🙂
Great idea to post about this subject. Funny too because we were just discussing this topic ourselves. Photography for me began as a hobby in highschool in a darkroom. Costs of an enlarger, the chemicals, and a completely dark room are just outside my budget. Plus, instant gratification is always nice.
I shoot with a Nikon D80 and love it. Thinking about upgrading to the D300 at the end of the year. The higher ISO range and noise reduction algorithm it posses is the cat’s pajamas (ha).
Totally dig the long-exposure of St. Paul cathedral. Absolutely beautiful.
Great post. I don’t think anyone should leave the house without a camera. Mine is practically attached to my hip. Love the thing. Very valuable tool.
Happy Fridays and looking forward to talking to you!
I just got a Digital Rebel XTi last fall and love it… with the 10-20mm lens (16mm-32mm with the 1.6x conversion factor) I can get a 102 degree field of view, which means more than 1/4th of a circle.
With a $30 tripod & $100 HDR software, I can shoot most any home with good results… not quite as good as the $150+ photographers, but close enough for web!
I also got a more simply point and shoot too, but it doesn’t take as nice of pictures as yours does.
Erik – it isn’t because I take more pictures, it is the camera. i just bet my lens is bigger than yours.
Andrew thanks for stopping by. I have seen your photos and they are wonderful.
Aaron – like I said in the post it is all about the camera. 🙂 I enjoy talking the property photos too. I use free HDR software but have not used it with property photos, I will try it.
Jamie – that is why i wrote the post people ask.
Cool shots. I love the last photo in your article, that’s awesome! Great post
Since when did you switch to the “Twin Cities” on your blog? I thought you detested that term? We’re a separate city, remember?
I didn’t switch, this is still the St. Paul real estate blog. the term twin cities works well for this post because I have a picture of each city. I don’t call my real estate blog the twin cities real estate blog instead I specialize in St. Paul, just like Aaron has the Minneapolis real estate blog. he also used the term twin cities when referring to both towns but specializes the name of his blog. Never a problem with twin cities that is how the region is referred to, and Metro area for the larger area outside the twin cities.
Good to know, T. Twin Cities is hard to get away from especially when one looks for census demographics, etc. Sometimes it can be annoying when one wants JUST St. Paul! 😉