Exactly as the thread is titled? Post what kind of camera you use for highway photos.
Mostly an IPhone 5 for day time shots since it is easy to take panos and moving pictures with....probably not what anyone was really expecting I would venture. I do a ton of edits after I down load my pictures to clean them up but really it can show sometimes that I'm not using that great of a camera behind the wheel. I use a Nikon (I have to look up the model when I get home) to take night and distance pictures (which I finally found my storage bin the other day).
The only camera I own, my mobile phone camera (Samsung GS5). Would rather like to buy an actual camera for the purpose, but money.
I use my LG v10. It can take a bit of time to get the app going though...and the pics aren't always as clear as I've wished.
Nikon D810. Expensive, but I love the full-frame sensor (helps with wide-angle shots, especially of bridges) with lots of pixels to work with. Too bulky to use behind the wheel, but then I always pull over and stop to take road photos.
Quote from: oscar on March 03, 2017, 11:48:51 AM
Nikon D810. Expensive, but I love the full-frame sensor (helps with wide-angle shots, especially of bridges) with lots of pixels to work with. Too bulky to use behind the wheel, but then I always pull over and stop to take road photos.
One of the camera stores up here in the great white north had really, really good deals on Nikon 810 cameras during boxing week. I was pretty tempted to pick it up, as it's a really well reviewed camera. I would like to make the move to full frame myself. Cost has really been the hindrance. The reason that I didn't pick up this model was I was concerned about its operation from a moving vehicle. Most notably, I was concerned about how the jostles of driving would impact the image sharpness on such a large sensor.
My Samsung Galaxy S5, my wife's LG (not sure what model) or a 12 year old Kodak Digital camera (don't remember what model that is either).
I use my Nikon D5100 for almost all of my road photos, and more often than not, I'll use my telephoto lens (Tamron 70-300mm, which works wonders for those shallow depth-of-field shots (http://i.imgur.com/3NpwnEg.jpg)) for them as well. I'm looking to get an upgrade though in the near future, as I've had this camera for about 5 years or so, and it's starting to show its age.
My Nikon Coolpix L840 does me wonders. Yes, it's a point and shoot, but I don't need an SLR or DSLR. This is basically what I would consider top of the line when it comes to P&S.
iPhone 6.
My primary camera is a Canon SX50. It has most of the important control features available (can manually set focus, ISO, exposure, aperture, and flash) as well as some other nice features (auto-HDR, 50x optical zoom), but it's still consumer grade and is not an SLR.
It can do 99% of what I'd like it to be able to do. Its only real annoying limitation is that at any exposure greater than 1" it locks the ISO into 80, which makes it very difficult to get good pictures outside at night.
I've considered springing for an SLR for a while, but I have trouble justifying the expense to myself. Especially since I have a history of having cameras break approximately every 2 years, so I'd expect it to be a recurring expense.
Super zoom point and shoot cameras like that have image sensors with small dimensions, relative to other larger cameras. The small sensor size is what allows for such significant magnification from what is, relative to an SLR, a much shorter lens. The biggest problem of course with a camera that has a small image sensor is that it won't, due to it's small size, be able to gather the same amount of light as a camera with a larger sensor, such as a mirrorless or dslr.
All that said, the biggest limitation to a super zoom point and shoot camera will always be it's low light performance.
The vast majority of my photos are from my 10 year old Kodak EasyShare C653.
When I'm not using the camera on my Galaxy S5 or S7, I use a Canon Rebel T3 with 4 different lenses (18-55mm, 55-250mm, 75-300mm, compact macro 50mm), which is my first digital SLR camera. My only regret is not getting the one with the flip-out rear display. One of these days I might actually have time to learn how to use more of the camera's features and be able to take even better photos. :pan:
I use an iPhone 5s and a Panasonic DMC-ZS35 super zoom point and shoot. For video I use a GoPro Hero4 Silver.
iPhone 6 (sometimes that's all I have with me) and a Canon G12, which is portable but good enough for my amateur skillset. The aperture and shutter speed modes are good for bracketing shots in tough conditions.
iPhone 5s, which works great close-up in static conditions. It does have a "fish eye" effect really close-up, I discovered, so when that happens I have to use Photoshop to distort the edges to neutralize the effect.
Right now, I use a Canon EOS 300D Rebel (the first digital Rebel model to come out) but this summer I plan to upgrade to the EOS 80D. I use a 75-300mm telephoto lens for road sign shots, though I have not taken any in a while (wife's not a roadgeek so it's hard to justify pulling over to take pictures of signs)
My regular camera, which I seldom if ever use behind the wheel while I'm driving, is a Canon EOS 20D DSLR. I've had it since March 2005 (purchased it then primarily because we were heading to Alaska that summer). I've been thinking about upgrading to the 80D, especially since right now American Express have a 0% interest promo that would let me string out the payments because I also want to replace the convertible top on my RX-7.
Usually if I have the DSLR with me I have my full camera bag along. I have four lenses for it, a 17—85 mm that I use the most, a 40 mm pancake lens, a 50 mm, and a 70—300 mm "DO" compact lens that I often use for sports photography due to distance from the stands to the playing surface. The pictures I have somewhere on this forum of the total lunar eclipse in 2015 from near the Moki Dugway were taken with the 70—300 mm lens.
If I'm driving I'll use my iPhone 6. Some of my entries in the road sign city name photo game thread instead come from video captures from my DVR 207 dashcam. (The video captures are easy to tell because they're grainier and have a time stamp.)
I've thought about getting a point-and-shoot for when I don't want to bother with the DSLR. My father has a Panasonic Lumix (I don't remember the model number) he bought because he didn't have space to take his DSLR on a trip to Australia and New Zealand a few years ago. It's an outstanding camera and I'd probably get something similar.
Ms1995hoo has a Sony Cybershot point-and-shoot I got her in 2008. I forget the model number, but it's one with a real viewfinder in addition to the screen. We both like a real viewfinder for times when the sun washes out the screen or we don't want to take off our sunglasses to try to see the screen. She sometimes tries (and she usually fails) to take pictures when I'm driving using her iPhone SE.
I have an almost 40-year-old fully manual Minolta film SLR upstairs that I last used in July 2004 on a trip to the Inn at Little Washington.
Samsung Galaxy S7
A Galaxy S6 with a dashboard mount. The voice control on the camera app makes it fairly easy (~90% success rate) to take photos on the move, though quality does suffer a little bit.
I have a Canon PowerShot with a 20x optical zoom, which lets me get most of my photos fairly easily. I also usually get good results using it for photos of overhead gantries while driving (I know, that's bad). Only thing I don't like about it is that it feels like a "toy" camera; it's one of those small rectangular jobs you hold with your fingers and you can't take a good grip on it. I've gotten into the habit of always putting its strap around my wrist in case I drop it. Also, it has no sunshade, which causes problems if I'm pointing anywhere near the direction of the sun.
Before this, I had a Panasonic Lumix, which I really liked because it felt like a CAMERA and had a hand grip. But it had only a 12x zoom, which sometimes caused grief. Alas, I dropped it (on the floor of the car, carpeted and just a couple feet!) and it hit just right that the optical zoom wouldn't work anymore. Of course, the American way is that it was cheaper to buy something new than to get that one fixed.
My film camera was a Canon AE-1. I still have it and several lenses in storage, but it's been more than a dozen years since I've pulled them out.
I used to use whatever smartphone I had on me at the time (and still occasionally use my Nexus 6P from time to time), but now I generally use my Canon Rebel T6, with a standard 18-55mm zoom lens, and a pair of old film lenses I inherited.
I'm using a Canon SX20 IS digital camera. It has a whole lot of features, including programmable and fully automatic, ISO 3200, manual focus, and a dual viewscreen/viewfinder. I'm quite fond of it. It's an older high-end point-and-shoot, just a step or two below a DSLR.
I also have a little Canon pocket-sized point-and-shoot (A1100 IS, I think) that's handy for when I don't want to lug the big camera around.
Back in the day, I got pretty adept at using a Minolta 35mm SLR camera behind the wheel, but I've gotten so used to using a camera with a viewscreen that I don't know if I would want to try juggling a big camera while driving.
Currently: Canon EOS Rebel T3 (1100D). Occasionally, I'll use my iPhone 6.
Past: Canon Digital Rebel (300D), Olympus C200Z, Kodak Easy Share, Canon EOS Rebel XTi, Canon AE-1, and a cheesy Vivitar 110 cartridge camera.
For the last 5 years, a Panasonic-Lumix DMC-ZS19.
I've been using my Canon EOS 90D DSLR for a few years now, and I really love it!! But it's time to step up my game. My current lens (https://youbil.com/best-price-for/lens) has seen better days, thanks to some scratches from all that use. Plus, I'm itching to add some variety to my photography. I've got my eye on a long lens for those far-off shots, and I'm even thinking about getting up close and personal with some eyelash pics. It's time to shake things up and explore new horizons in my photography journey! If you've got any lens recommendations or tips, please share!
Sony HX400V for shooting manually. Sony RX0 to mount inside my car and set to shoot every second while I'm driving.
I had forgotten about this thread. Updating my prior post, nowadays I mostly use my iPhone X for photography just for convenience and because the results are usually pretty good. I seldom take my DSLR with me when I travel these days. In my earlier post I mention that I was considering something along the lines of my father's Panasonic Lumix point-and-shoot. Ultimately I didn't buy one of those because when he died, I got the one he had (my brother got his other point-and-shoot). I've taken it with me on a few trips when I didn't want to take the DSLR, especially for air travel due to carry-on limitations (I don't like to check a bag), but I've still wound up using my phone more simply for convenience. I do have a small tripod for my iPhone and I can trigger the shutter using an Apple Watch when I want to be in the picture and I don't want a stupid photo with the camera held at arm's length.
I use an old little iPhone 8. I've taken over 10,000 photos with it. I don't want to upgrade my phone.
Quote from: Hunty2022 on September 23, 2023, 09:12:52 AM
I use an old little iPhone 8. I've taken over 10,000 photos with it. I don't want to upgrade my phone.
For road video, I have a Gopro Hero 10 Black that suction-cups onto my car. Any still photos I use my phone, or if I have the Gopro on me while we're stopped, I'll use that. Thing takes BANANAS pictures.
Quote from: hbelkins on March 05, 2017, 12:39:02 PM
I'm using a Canon SX20 IS digital camera. It has a whole lot of features, including programmable and fully automatic, ISO 3200, manual focus, and a dual viewscreen/viewfinder. I'm quite fond of it. It's an older high-end point-and-shoot, just a step or two below a DSLR.
I also have a little Canon pocket-sized point-and-shoot (A1100 IS, I think) that's handy for when I don't want to lug the big camera around.
Back in the day, I got pretty adept at using a Minolta 35mm SLR camera behind the wheel, but I've gotten so used to using a camera with a viewscreen that I don't know if I would want to try juggling a big camera while driving.
My brother gave me an old Nikon DSLR camera he had, but I don't use it for road photography. It doesn't permit viewing the scene on its viewscreen, only the small viewfinder, so that negates it for my shooting-while-driving endeavors.
I've never mastered the art of taking pictures while driving with my phone, and I'm no fan of the digital zoom that phones have to use because they don't have adjustable lenses. In fact, I keep digital zoom turned off on my camera.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2023, 10:37:43 PM
My brother gave me an old Nikon DSLR camera he had, but I don't use it for road photography. It doesn't permit viewing the scene on its viewscreen, only the small viewfinder, so that negates it for my shooting-while-driving endeavors.
Is there a setting for what Nikon calls "Live View" (https://nikonschool.co.uk/hints-and-tips/how-to-use-live-view-on-your-nikon-d-slr)? Honestly, I have to look up many of the features online to get an idea what they do, and read feedback on when that setting change is desirable. The drawback to that kind of view is that it usually wears down batteries faster.
I bought a Canon EOS R last year, as the price dropped significantly. It's amazing what you can do with it, but honestly, it gets to a point where I have to block-out features so they don't override your desired settings. Fortunately, Canon allows all of that kind of customization, but it took me a few weeks to set it up how I'd like it. Those touch screens are easy to use, but also easy to override accidentally...it's a good thing there's an easy Lock button!
The 24-105mm RF kit lens is about all I need for road and travel photography, but the 100-400mm zoom is nice for a few hard-to-reach shots. A rotating polarizer is a must.
I still have two 50mm f/1.8 prime lenses (EF and FD), though each needs an adaptor for the RF mount. The EF 50mm was a great road lens but the crop-factor yields a wider angle than I desire. The FD version is all-manual, but that's an advantage when the autofocus can't find your desired point (f/8-11 and tweak the focus just closer to infinity, and you're set).
Quote from: epzik8 on March 03, 2017, 04:27:24 PM
iPhone 6.
Since this has been bumped, I've moved on to an iPhone 12.
Quote from: vdeane on March 03, 2017, 08:34:22 PM
The vast majority of my photos are from my 10 year old Kodak EasyShare C653.
I'm still using this camera, although I should look at replacing it by the end of 2025 as the year resets to 2006 after 12/31/25, and I'm too lazy to figure out a way to store dates properly for my website so they all just read the image metadata on the fly.
Quote from: Hot Rod Hootenanny on March 07, 2017, 07:52:13 PM
For the last 5 years, a Panasonic-Lumix DMC-ZS19.
4 or 5 months after this post (back in 2017), I went and bought a Nikon D5300, primarily for concert photography.
The Lumix lasted lasted till October 2020 when the lense got jammed.
Nowadays I'll mix in photos from my Galaxy S20 cellphone, that I purchased last spring, with the D5300.
Minolta MN35Z as of October 2022
Quote from: formulanone on September 24, 2023, 09:36:09 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2023, 10:37:43 PM
My brother gave me an old Nikon DSLR camera he had, but I don't use it for road photography. It doesn't permit viewing the scene on its viewscreen, only the small viewfinder, so that negates it for my shooting-while-driving endeavors.
Is there a setting for what Nikon calls "Live View" (https://nikonschool.co.uk/hints-and-tips/how-to-use-live-view-on-your-nikon-d-slr)? Honestly, I have to look up many of the features online to get an idea what they do, and read feedback on when that setting change is desirable. The drawback to that kind of view is that it usually wears down batteries faster.
It's a D80. No live view.
Quote from: hbelkins on September 26, 2023, 10:44:36 AM
Quote from: formulanone on September 24, 2023, 09:36:09 AM
Quote from: hbelkins on September 23, 2023, 10:37:43 PM
My brother gave me an old Nikon DSLR camera he had, but I don't use it for road photography. It doesn't permit viewing the scene on its viewscreen, only the small viewfinder, so that negates it for my shooting-while-driving endeavors.
Is there a setting for what Nikon calls "Live View" (https://nikonschool.co.uk/hints-and-tips/how-to-use-live-view-on-your-nikon-d-slr)? Honestly, I have to look up many of the features online to get an idea what they do, and read feedback on when that setting change is desirable. The drawback to that kind of view is that it usually wears down batteries faster.
It's a D80. No live view.
Oh, never mind...that camera was introduced in 2006. (I'm not hip to the Nikon model timeline.) It might be fun with you have some older Nikkor lenses hanging around, and various third-parties make adaptors, usually between $20-50, for all sorts of old manual lenses. But one can get 10MP images from cell phones nowadays. Even their Coolpix series produces some decent shots, from what I've seen from others' works. Although, I have to wonder why one would want an $700 fixed-lens Coolpix when that's above the entry point for their beginner DSLR or mirrorless lineup. But there's much less expensive versions of that lineup as well.
Probably would be great for still road images, but would depend on your own confidence for moving shots. One problem with most AF lenses is that adjusting them in manual-focus mode (and setting it to something like f/8 near 30ft-to-infinity) is quite sloppy, rotating movement is vague, and it requires a lot of patience.