Another Month, Another Photo of Oreo

And another camera--or at least another lens. For November's 366 Snaps shots I switched from the D300 back to the Nikon 1 V1, this time with the 30-110 mm zoom.

There's lots of ways to take photographs. Some people set up a tripod, study their subject, get the framing just so, and press the shutter release just once--while others snap a dozen similar handheld shots and expect that one or two of them will work. Some people always sport the newest and fanciest gear--while others are quite satisfied to keep using the camera they purchased eighteen years back. Some routinely carry a bevy of devices to a photo shoot--while others are happy with one camera (perhaps carrying a spare lens, or a pocket cam).

Other splits: Urban grit vs. landscapes, color vs. monochrome, DSLR vs. mirrorless (vs. compact vs. phone), people vs. barns, HDR vs. SOOC, sports vs. families, square vs. rectangular (vs. pano), pets vs. wildlife. I could do this all day, methinks. My point is that preferences vary, and the there's usually no way--or reason--to say that one preference is better than another. Most of these are artistic choices, while a few reflect budget constraints/decisions.

All that to frame my return to yesterday's discussion about the Sigma lens: My normal shooting mode involves taking three to six versions of a photo, reframing and refocusing--and often changing other settings--between shots. The zoom lenses I carry support that methodology far better than a box of prime lenses would. I was already doing this with film, but since pixels are nearly free I'm now more likely to shoot six than three versions.

Which is different from saying I don't see the value of fixed-focus lenses. My favorite lens is my old, fairly slow (f5.6), and unreasonably heavy 300 mm tele. I use it a lot. But I've never mistaken it for a general-purpose kit.

If you can afford them modern mid-quality (what they call "prosumer") zooms are sufficient for most photographs. They're usually fast enough, they're lightweight, and their distortion's low. The compromise is that they're (relatively) slow, which mostly shows in bad light, but that's not often an issue when they're attached to a modern DSLR (and if it is, you may be able/willing to spend real money to solve it).

And then there's the Nikon 1. Any device that can take the two photographs on this page is probably good enough for most peoples' purposes. I shoot for my own satisfaction, and mostly publish my pix online. It's unlikely I'll ever purchase a 36 megapixel DSLR, unless the sensors get really cheap, though I'm certain I'd enjoy using one.

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This photograph is an outtake from my 2012 photo-a-day project, 366 Snaps.

Number of project photos taken: 21
Title of "roll:" Oreo
Other photos taken on 11/1/2012: I shot pix of the birds in the yard all day, switching between the two Nikons for a total of nearly 200 images. About half the photos were of woodpeckers.