I’ve done a lot of photography in my teens, mostly animal photography. But i stopped around 2020-2021. Recently though ive found a big interest again in picking up photography again as a way to distract myself and keep myself busy with something i enjoy. I mostly do street photography and animal photography.

Do you even need cameras though?⌗

No you don’t, the aspect for me that makes photography special is the moment you capture, the play with subjects, light and so on. Our phones these days have thanks to very good sensors and software gotten to the point where from a technical standpoint the pictures they produce are extremely good, but i still do not photograph with my phone at all, i’ll say why next but know i really don’t mind Smartphone photography and i think its a great medium. But why don’t i use my phone then?

Theres two reasons, the first is technical: a actual camera has a way bigger sensor then a phone and also a actual lens, something which a phone needs to compensate by software or multiple sensors/lenses. The bigger sensor allows to capture a lot more light and as a result a lot more details then a phone. But for me the more important reason is the factor of having a camera in my hand, this is purely emotional but having a real camera in your hand which weights something and has controls and a big optical zoom ring is just a different experience, i simply love having the physical controls, the finder and so on. Its just a very different experiences.

What cameras do i use?⌗

I’ll go into the details here of which cameras i use, when and why.

Fujifilm X100V⌗

This is a mirrorless APS-C compact camera with a built in lens which is a prime 23mm f2 lense. This camera has a few factors though which make it very special. For one it has a very retro design reminding of older film cameras which where not DSLR’s, but thats just a skin. The X100V is full of modern tech and systems. The second reason is that it has film simulations for actual old film roles which allow the camera to create very unqiue looks out of the camera without needing post processing RAW files.

The fact its a prime lens might sound like a disadvantage but its not, it fuels creativity by forcing you to think more about positioning and framing. Which a zoom lens lets you cheat out of to some degree.

The camera also has physical controls for all settings(shutter speed, aperture, iso, white balance…), now the way they are designed can require you to stop using the finder(if you are) but gives a great feeling of control, i mostly shoot entirely manually on this camera, since its mirrorless it allows to preview the actual view of the sensor on the screens. I save JPEGS and RAWS but almost never use the RAWS since the JPEGS are pretty amazing out of camera.

Its a great camera to have with you all the time(i often just put it in the jacket pocket and have it ready fast that way) since its super compact but still produces stunning pictures and it handles ISO noise very very well. I should add that this camera has had a surge in popularity through social media but i only learned later of that. I bought it after seeing a review of it which also introduced me to it in early 2022.

Nikon Z7 II⌗

This is a professional Fullframe DLSM i bought in 2024, i use it for everything related to animal photograhpy and anything where i need a fullframe sensor, anything where i explicitly go to photograph, its my main work horse. Since it has a very good 46mp sensor it allows cropping without a big issue and is good for printing too. The Z7II is a professional DSLM with a lot of modern features and a very good digital view finder, a big touch display. It also has a amazing handling of ISO noise and is pretty accurate and dynamic in colours and how it captures them. I only shoot in RAW using the Z7II and always post process the images in lightroom. Oh and also the shutter sound is absolutely amazing and unique. I have 3 lenses for the Z7II:

  • Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8: This lense is a zoom lense, i bought it with the my first Fullframe DSLR(Nikon D750) back in 2019 since i was mostly doing animal photography back then, its a massive lense, nothing you can casually carry on a day trip, but the f2.8 means its able to capture a lot of light and creates a stunning bokeh, it also has a optical stabilizer. Nikon does not sell this lense for DSLR’s anymore, only for their mirror less mount.
  • Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8: This is a pretty good alrounder, i bought it at the start of 2024 refurbished. Its still big but a lot smaller then the 70-200 and its focal length range allows for wide angle into start of zoom lense which makes it useful in most cases. The autofocus is a bit slower then the 70-200 but still absolutely fine.
  • Nikkor 35mm f1.8: This is a lense i bought with the Z7II, it is a amazing quality prime lense i use for most of my street photography. I use a ZTF II Adapter for the 70-200mm f2.8 and the 24-70mm f2.8 since they are not made for the Nikon Z mount.

Nikon F80⌗

This is a Film camera, so it does not have a digital sensor but an analog film. I got this camera from my mother, after i discovered i can use the 24-70mm f2.8 and the 70-200mm mentioned above with it, such that the auto focus and the aperture can be controlled from the Camera. Even though modern cameras are better in most ways, shooting with analog film is a very different experience and is a lot of fun too, i find that i am more careful regarding composition and motive then when i use digital.

But analog film depending on the brand of film have very very unique looks and create emotions and feelings, which are not easy to reproduce digitally.

I use the Nikkor 70-200mm f2.8 and the Nikkor 24-70mm f2.8 with the F80 since they are natively supported, Further i have a Nikkor 50mm f1.8 for it which i got from my mum, i have used this lense but less because for me 50mm is not a very desirable focal length, but rarely it does come in handy.