Introducing… all 6 of my cameras
Why do I have 6 cameras, you may be asking yourself? Honestly, I’m kind of asking myself the same question. I think it’s the n+1 problem, where the ideal number of cameras (and camera accessories) is always equal to one more than the number I currently have.
Yes, I bought a camera last week, and yes, I still want another one. And don’t get me started on all the lenses and accessories I want for my current cameras. It’s absolutely a problem.
I also had 5 cameras when I wrote this blog post, and then, upon coming home after a super busy weekend, my husband goes “I got you a present!” and um… it was another camera. I’ve added it to the list below :)
Well… shall we get into it?
My ride or die
The main camera that I shoot on is the OM-D E-M10 Mark IV. If I could only keep one of my cameras, this is the one, hands down. I take this on all my hikes and trips, I’ve used it to shoot weddings and headshots, and it’s a great little workhorse. It’s a mirrorless micro four thirds, which means that the quality is just a hair down from a D-SLR, but it’s lighter and better for video, should I ever decide to get into that side of things.
The OG
Not the first camera I ever got (that was the plastic Crayola camera when I was five), but my first “real” camera. I learned recently this type of camera is called a bridge camera, because they bridge the gap between point-and-shoot cameras and more serious cameras, like mirrorless and D-SLRs. Mine is a Cannon Powershot SX30IS that I got when I graduated from high school. I saved up my money forever to buy this as a present for myself, and when I went to check out from the store, my dad swooped in and said he’d buy it for me. Some of the oldest pictures in my gallery are from this camera, and it’s stood by me through many soggy Alaska hikes, a semester living abroad in Denmark, and many other adventures in between. A great starter camera, but I was ready for an upgrade. I’m still too emotionally attached to get rid of it, though.
The one that might be cursed
Last year, I went to the Curiosities and Oddities Expo and one of the vendors was selling a vintage brownie camera, probably from the 60s. Yo girl loves photography and vintage, so it had to come home with me. I’m not sure if it actually works, so I’ll need to track down some film for it at some point and see if it can actually take photos. I do have a friend who fixes up vintage cameras, so maybe I’ll see if she can help me get it working again.
I was too scared to ask why the camera was at that expo and I fear it may be possessed with some sort of camera ghost, but maybe I’ll end up with some cool double exposures once I get it working…
The adventure camera
GoPros are… expensive. So when my husband and I went to Europe 6 years ago with a budget of 20 euros per day, we did not get a GoPro. We got an off-brand adventure camera that’s a little bit bigger, but is rugged, dust proof, and waterproof, and shoots HD video. (For anyone who cares, it’s a Samsung HMX-W300.) It’s primarily a video camera, but also takes decent photos. This is one I don’t really use professionally (though I may start if I start making videos), but it’s fun to take on lake trips and places I want to capture memories but don’t want to worry about damaging my main camera.
I thought I lost the charging cable to it, so I hadn’t used it in a long time. Turns out it doesn’t have a charging cable, just plugs directly into a USB adapter. So that explains why I couldn’t find the cable, I guess.
The (second) newest addition to the collection
When we were on our trip to Europe, I got to briefly play with an Instax camera, which I loved and then immediately decided that I needed one. I tried to find one used, but didn’t have any luck, and really wanted one before my friend’s wedding this weekend, so I could snap some photos outside of the main event.
So… I went and bought myself one. And I absolutely paid the extra $20 to get the one that was way cuter and looked like a vintage camera, because as we’ve established, yo girl loves vintage and photography.
It’s been such a long time since I’ve shot on film (like - since I was 8), and it’s an interesting mind shift to remember that there is a limited number of photos I can take. I mean, yes, there is technically a limit on my memory card, but it’s over a thousand photos. I can take 60 (well, 58 now) pictures before I just straight up run out of film. And each photo costs between 50 cents and a dollar, depending on how good a deal I got on the film. I hope this will help me be more aware and conscientious about my shooting habits - it’s a fun challenge that I only get one shot and then it’s done! No editing, no “oh, let me try a couple different framing options.” I don’t think I’ll use it much professionally, but it’s certainly fun to play with.
The one that might just be for decoration
After getting home from a super busy weekend, Mateo goes “so, I have a little present for you,” and gave me a Polaroid Land Model 250 that he found at our local Goodwill for $7. He saw how much fun I was having with the Instax, and couldn’t resist. We have no idea if it works, and the film is almost impossible to find, but it’s such a cool piece of history. I want to track down at least one set of film just to see if it works, but there’s only one company manufacturing it, and it’s about $63 for three photos - when it’s even in stock.
Something super fun about the camera - it was manufactured in the late 1960s and actually says on it that it was made in West Germany.
I might have to take both it and the little vintage Brownie to my friend that knows a thing or two about vintage cameras, because it would be amazing to get them working again. I’ve also heard there’s a whole community on Reddit that mods the Land Model cameras to work with Instax film, so that might be a rabbit hole I send myself down when I have more free time again.
So, see, 6 cameras is a totally reasonable number! They each have their purpose, and honestly, that’s a big part of the reason I haven’t gotten a DSLR yet - I don’t know how much more it could do than one of my current cameras. But that may be next on my list.
What is your n+1? The thing that you just always need one more of? Mine is also skeins of yarn, journals I will never write in, and long-line bras from Girlfriend Collective.
