My gear: Cameras

Canon EOS 1D mkIII. A brilliant camera and my choice once I felt the need for a cmaera with a better, faster autofocus than the 5D could deliver. The AF is fast and (though the subject of much criticizing) has never failed me yet, neither with concerts of motor-sports. The 1.3 crop 10megapixel CMOS sensor delivers fantastic images and as 10fps can deliver under any circumstances. Shooting at higher ISO values at concertphotography however limits the camera a bit.

The Canon 5D mkII is a full-frame sensor camera 21megapixel camera. ISO values are brilliant up to 4000 ISO making it a fantastic camera in low light situations. Output of RAW files is incredible and fullframe adds possibilities to the use of lenses that 1.3 or 1.6 crop sensors simply can’t. However the autofocus is still the same as that of the previous model and that’s just plain terrible. Not well fitted as a sportscamera then, but in concertphotography it delivers precisely what I want, as long as the camera can find something to focus on. In all other situation: take the 1DmkIII

Fuji Finepix X100. The (currently) ultimate streetphotoragphy camera for me. Not nearly as bulky as an DSLR, fixed 35mm lens, 14megapixel CCD and a hybrid viewfinder that works! The retro look totally works for me and having a decent viewfinder to compose is just fantastic as I can’t compose looking at the backside of a compact, that just feels wrong. The fixed 35mm lens is a point of debate on the camera as the X100 isn’t cheap and it has been a worry for me also, but I decided that I’d take the lens as a challenge. You will (or me in this case) have to make the subject fit in the frame. Not adjust the zoom or change lenses. It’s a practise in decent frame filling. It’s also deliciously silent. It should do well as an every day camera.

I bought the Hasselblad 500 C system for two reasons. The first is the desire to actually own a Hasselblad. The analogue cameras may not be nearly as much in use any more as the were until recently, but the Hasselblad system was and still is an incredible piece of engineering and looks gorgeous. The other reason that I bought it, is a desire to go back to a more calculated form of photography. Digital has numerous advantages: instant feedback on settings, the ability to adjust on the fly and much lower costs after purchase, but there is something special about being limited to a small amount of images you can take. On the Hasselblad system that’s 12. Only 12 images on one roll and at current prices o developing you won’t overshoot any more than is necessary. So when working with the Hasselblad I need to take extra care of my compositions and shutter speed & aperture. The system is in testing at the moment and giving me rather more headaches than I hoped for.

This camera is not immediately intentioned for concerts and certainly not for sports, but for landscape, cityscape, architecture, (some form of) street photography and if I ever can get myself to do so: portrait photography.

Canon Ixus 75. I hardly ever use this, but it’s ultra compact and I bought it as an every day camera some time ago. However -as I mentioned in the Fuji X100 paragraph- I really don’t like composing on the rear screen of a compact camera, so this is more of a backup camera for when all other gear fails.