Uses

I am very, very much an amateur photographer, so don't expect too much here.

Cameras

Canon EOS RP

This is the digital camera I got to replace my D5000.

I made the switch to Canon because I wanted a mirrorless full-frame camera, and Nikon's were just too expensive. My Nikon lens collection, such as it is, is all old F-mount lenses that wouldn't work on Nikon's Z-mount mirrorless cameras anyway, and they aren't especially nice either--they're all stuff I picked up for very cheap on Craigslist.

So far, the RP is great: It's got excellent low-light performance, it takes great pictures, and it's just real nice to use something that feels modern. Although the RF lenses aren't cheap, it seems like it's a format that Canon will probably stick with for a while--I hope.

Nikon F4

During the Spring (and quarantine!) of 2020, I decided I wanted to try and encourage my creativity and invest in one of the few hobbies I haven't (yet) tried to monetize: Photography. I wanted a camera that was a step up from my Pentax (which had developed a problem advancing film) and after some research I determined that an F4 was the way to go. It would be able to mount all my existing Nikon lenses (admitedly only two, and eventually I realized I wouldn't want to mount DX lenses on it anyway), it wasn't going to break the bank, and because it was a manual-everything, professional-spec camera from the 80s, it was built like a tank so it would be able to survive my less-than-gentle hands.

So far, I've been very pleased with it! It's a lot of fun to use, the autofocus is blindlingly fast, even compared to much more modern cameras, and although automatic film advance/rewinding certainly aren't new developments in film technology, I've never had a camera with them before so it feels new and exciting to me. The quality of images I've gotten out of it so far have been very encouraging, and the research I've done looking for and buying it has already taught me more about photography and made my photos better.

Lenses

RF 50mm F1.8 STM

This is the first digital prime lens I've used--and the first since I actually understood what a prime lens is. I have a 50mm lens for my Pentax P30t, but that camera hasn't seen use for a long, long time.

So far this lens has been a lot of fun to use. I wanted a prime lens because to some extent it forces you to think a bit more about framing, content etc--you can't zoom except by moving closer or further away. It's also nice to have such a fast lens, especially on a digital camera that can handle low light pretty well. I've taken some photos already in indoor rooms with extremely poor lighting that have come out pretty cool.

RF 24-105mm F4-7.1 IS STM

The other lens I got with my RP when I bought it. As fun as the 50mm is, I knew that I would want something with more flexibility and, well, this was the only option I could afford.

To be honest, I've barely used it so far becuse the 50mm is just way more fun.

Develop

For film, I just send it off to be developed. After several months, I finally got my film scanner hooked up, and I've started scanning film. I still have a bit to learn (i.e. how to keep my negatives free from dust and stray cat/dog hair) but so far it's been great.

For minimal digital postprocessing, I've been using darktable, mostly because it's free and I don't want to pay for Lightroom for something that's currently just a light hobby. I've also been using a copy of Lightroom on my work computer...

Retired

Pentax P30t

This was my first camera. It used to belong to my grandpa, and when he learned I was getting into photography I supposed he decided he wasn't using it anymore and gave it to me. It's a nice little camera and I enjoy using it (there's something about shooting on actual film that still feels more exciting that digital), but unfortunately dealing with film is both slightly expensive and a hassle, so I don't do it as much as I wish I did. It does not have autofocus, so it's definitely a bit more work for me.

Unfortunately, this camera developed an issue where it wouldn't advance film correctly: The last several rolls I shot only ended up being 1/2 - 1/3 used, with most of the roll just empty frames. Fixing the camera would almost certainly cost more than it's worth (monetarily), so for the time being I'm going to keep it but retired it from active use.

Nikon D5000

This was my primary-use camera for years (I think I've had it for nearly a decade) but it finally started to give up the ghost--mostly in the form of an increasing number of hotspots that make photos almost unusable. It did a lot for me, and I appreciate it.

Lenses

SMC Pentax-A 50mm
More or less the default lens for this guy, I think. Not really anything clever to say here; it works, and I don't know that much about lenses. Since this won't mount on any of my cameras except the P30t, it's been retired.
Tamron 70-210mm
Another long lens! See the pattern? Like the another zoom lense I have more fun with this one, just because I like getting close to stuff without being...too close to it. Since this won't mount on any of my cameras except the P30t, it's been retired.
DX AF-S Nikkor 18-55mm This was the lens that came with the body when I got the camera. It works fine, although for the stuff I like to take photos of (i.e. landscapes) I feel like it sits in a weird spot; It's not wide enough to really take in a lot, but it doesn't have any appreciable zoom to let me get closer to stuff. Beyond that, I'm not familiar enough with the intricacies of lenses to say anything deep about it.

This lens was traded in a while ago to get another DX lens...which was also later traded in with the D5000 because I had no other cameras that could mount DX lenses.
DX AF-S Nikkor 55-200mm I still haven't gotten over the excitement of being able to zoom in on things, so I like using this lens just because I can zoom in on stuff. It allows to to sometimes take pictures which feel a bit more candid, which is nice because I don't like things that feel too staged, but it do wish it had a bit more zoom.

This lens was traded in a while ago to get another DX lens...which was also later traded in with the D5000 because I had no other cameras that could mount DX lenses.