We as architects think with our creativity that we should be good at a lot of things. I am sure some think they can be master chefs and some think they can be the next picasso, but we know that is not always the case. As an architect it is expected that we can sketch. Sketch I can, sketch well I can not! I am too technical so when lines aren’t just right, it bothers me. I also determined I did not have the patience to sketch, so SketchUp is more to my liking. I know some feel the same way about taking pictures. Some of us think we can “see’ the photos just like a professional and some can not. Probably the best and most impactful comment I heard about photography is that good photographes “Make a good picture, they don’t just take a good picture”. To me this means they conceive the image prior to taking, put themselves in the best position to get the composition they want and post process if necessary to recreate that image they had in their head. I like taking pictures and although I don’t get out enough to do it, I think it is a creative and fun process. Can I take the same quality picture of a building as a professional, probably not, but I can take one good enough I would be proud to show someone.
I have more cameras than one should legally be able to keep. In this post I what to show you a few and explain what I use them for and then tell you the camera I think is the best for me, the architect, to have.
My first camera is my Canon SD1400 IS. This is a great camera to carry around just to take anytime photos. I use this camera when I go to job sites. It takes really nice pictures and fits in your pocket. I would say this would be the everyday camera people use to carry before they started using their cell phones. When I go to the job site I take many pictures. You never know what your missing until you get back to the office. This camera has never let me down. It takes great pictures and with this SD1400 in your pants pocket you hardly notice it is there.
I have more cameras than one should legally be able to keep. In this post I what to show you a few and explain what I use them for and then tell you the camera I think is the best for me, the architect, to have.
My first camera is my Canon SD1400 IS. This is a great camera to carry around just to take anytime photos. I use this camera when I go to job sites. It takes really nice pictures and fits in your pocket. I would say this would be the everyday camera people use to carry before they started using their cell phones. When I go to the job site I take many pictures. You never know what your missing until you get back to the office. This camera has never let me down. It takes great pictures and with this SD1400 in your pants pocket you hardly notice it is there.
My second camera is my Samsung WB250F. I thought this thing was the “cat’s pajamas” when I bought it. I think I got it off of Woot.com for $99. It has a lot of bells and whistles. It does panoramas, it has built in filters, it even has wifi built in. So you can take pictures with it and connect the camera to a wifi service (starbucks or McDonalds) and send pictures directly to the internet, no PC required. You can wirelessly send pictures directly to your android phone too. It is a very nice camera, but the images are “soft”. For taking pictures to put on your website these images are just not sharp enough. I now understand what the reviewer’s meant with they called it a “fun” camera.
Having had a 35mm camera in high school and college (a Minolta SRT 101) I knew from past experience the lens I would need to take pictures of buildings. The lens you need is a wide angle lens, so having a camera that allows you to swap lens is a big plus. So I purchased an Olympus PEN E-PL1, which is a micro 4/3 camera, and you can get different lens for it. I didn't feel I was up to a DSLR and this camera cost much less. There is a wide angle adaptor for the stock lens that you can purchase and it does well enough that It serves me well. I never take this adaptor off and use it frequently.
I got a bug up my fanny and made an impulse buy to purchase a DSLR. I wanted one mainly to do HDRs. (see about HDRs here). The more frames you can take for your HDRs the better you image may turn out (but not necessarily). Most cameras take 3 brackets per snapshot. 3 images automatically with 3 different settings. The DSLR, Pentax K-10, will take 5 images automatically. I have had this for a while, but only taken test shots with it.
So what I wanted in a camera was one that would take a great quality picture, unlike the Samsung. I wanted one that would take AEB (Automatic Exposure Bracketing) for HDRs, unlike the SD 1400. I finally wanted something that was pocketable, unlike the Olympus and Pentax. What I finally settled on after a great amount of research was a Canon S110. This camera takes great quality images. It has AEB for my HDRs and it’s size is inbetween my SD1400 and the Samsung. This camera give me manual control and has specs that will let you take great low level light pictures. By far it is my favorite camera of the punch. The only drawback is it has a fixed lens, so if I am traveling and think I will need the wide angle lens I just drop this in the camera case with my Olympus and I am good to go! I think it is nice to have a camera on your phone, but I do not think the camera’s can take the same quality of my S110 and it is small enough that it really isn't a burden to carry. Highly recommended. I did buy my S110 on Ebay used. I did not want to spend my money on the latest and greatest, but I did have certain specs that I wanted.
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