What I use


I use quite a few different cameras and graphics editing programs....


Digital

I own a Fujifilm DS-7 digital camera. It is capable of 2 image sizes - 640x480 and 320x240. I almost always use it in the 640x480 mode. I have 2 memory cards for it, one holding 30 images, the other 60. I use it primarily in my (homemade) studio, and outdoors in good light. The sensitivity of it corresponds to ISO 100, and since it doesn't have a flash, it needs bright light, or things tend to look grainy or blurry (if the subject was moving at the time the image was taken) - though this is not necessarily a bad thing if you use it to your advantage.


35mm

I use quite a few different 35mm cameras. Let's start with the simplest.

01 - Kodak S. Auto flash, auto focus, auto advance. A nice little point and shoot camera, I got it 10 years ago. It's been thru a lot with me - California, New York, a fall off a bridge, a bomb scare, etc. It finally took it's last roll of film on Dec. 24, 2000, and then quietly died. It will be much missed, as it was a good camera. In the past year, I used it mainly for candid shots - friends horsing around, etc. The focal point was about 4 feet, and since I like closeups, it just wasn't capable of doing so. It will be very much missed. [Update: After tossing it at the trash can, missing, and having it land on my hard floor, it now once again works. Go figure.]

02 - Mamiya Sekor DTL1000. A 30 year old SLR camera. A good friend gave me this, along with an 85mm to 205mm telephoto lens, a 2x teleconverter, and more. Thanks to the wonderful world of ebay, I began picking up filters, special effects lenses, etc, for it, including extension tubes, so I can do the macro/closeup photography I love so much. Alas, this beloved camera gave out over the summer. It too, like the Kodak, will be very much missed. I am trying to find another DTL1000, to replace it. I liked it a lot, and am extremely loath to give up the 55mm lens, the 28mm wide angle lens, and the 85mm to 205mm telephoto lens it came with.

03 - Minolta XG-A. This SLR is a loaner from a good friend. I've only been using it since August or September of 2000, but have already put about 20 or 30 rolls of film through it. Thanks to adapter rings, I can use many of my filters and lenses (mentioned in 02 above) on it.


Lenses and Filters

Right. I got too many to sit here and name them all. Let's just say I have a nice selection, but that I am always looking for more. I am also always looking for ideas to try out (like getting 3 mirrors 8 inches long, and 3 inches wide, forming them in the shape of a triangle - reflective side on the INSIDE - and then sticking the lens into it), so have some homemade equipment too. Don't ask me about the lights, don't want the fire department to condemn them!


Software

I use three different software programs, not counting the one I use to get the images off of my digital camera. They are:

01 - Lview Pro. Used to resize and convert images from one type to another (i.e., gif to jpg). I also use it to adjust contrast, convert to greyscale. I sometimes use it to make digital manipulations (contrast, negative, etc). Also a handy program to make contact sheets.

02 - Adobe Photoshop 5.5. A monster of a program to learn to use. It has some really neat and interesting effects, and am slowly exploring them, to see what it can and cannot do.

03 - Neopaint. Never heard of this, I bet. It's a DOS-based program, and it is good for what it does. I've used it for a few years now, so I know my way around it. This is probably why I don't give it up, it's a good program.


Flatbed Scanner

I use a Microtek ScanMaster v310. It was given to me by my friends whose house burnt down. The top is blackened, and it's got a quirk or two, but it still works - for now. I suspect it may be going out soon.


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