Jason Dunn
02-16-2010, 03:00 PM
<p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com/resizer/thumbs/size/600/dht/auto/1265868549.usr1.jpg" style="border: 1px solid #d2d2bb;" /></p><p><em>Above: starting in the middle and going 'round, that's a Nikon D300, Panasonic GF1, Panasonic TS1, Flip Mino HD, Panasonic ZS3, Kodak EasyShare M1093 IS, and a Nikon D5000. I took this photo with my HTC HD2.</em></p><p>I have to admit that since the <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/say-hello-to-logan-robert-dunn-1945" target="_blank">birth of my son</a>, I've become a bit of a camera <span style="text-decoration: line-through;">whore</span> enthusiast - I just can't seem to have enough cameras with the right features in the right places to capture all his cuteness. Yes, I'm a completely biased father, but comon', <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/cutest-photo-2347" target="_blank">this is one cute kid</a>. ;-) Not shown in this picture are my Canon HF100 and Canon G1 video cameras (the latter I haven't used in a couple of years) - and I also forgot to include my Canon SD870 because it was tucked away in a container below one of my monitors. Yeah, I have a lot of cameras. The question is, am I using all of them? For the most part, yes. <MORE /></p><p>Day to day, the Nikon D300 sits atop a shelf in my office, awaiting the serious shooting days (family gatherings, holidays, etc). The GF1 gets used a fair bit - it's a "floater" camera, sometimes in my office, sometimes on the main floor, etc. I adore it because it's small, light, and has a super fast (f/1.7) lens on it with great image quality - it's so easy to pick up, turn on, and get great pictures. The Panasonic TS1 has a permanent home in the diaper bag, so it gets used mostly by my wife, but it's also my one and only waterproof camera, purchased specifically for my son's <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/Logan/pooltime/11221276_qCFnE#787036224_88ySa" target="_blank">first time in the pool</a> and <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/Logan/firstswim/11223247_rgnHd#787041426_SASd3" target="_blank">"swimming" lessons</a>. It worked really well - once I reminded myself that, yes, I really could get this camera wet.</p><p>The Flip Mino HD stays upstairs in our bonus room, where my wife and son have most of their "play times", and it gets used quite a bit for capturing cute moments on video. In fact, I'm not kidding when I say that the Flip Mino HD didn't get used beyond a quick test - even once - until my son was born. It was given to me at a Microsoft Mobius event in 2008 though, so it's not like I felt I wasted money on it. The Panasonic ZS3 stays on our main floor, and gets used quite a bit for both video and photos. The Kodak EasyShare camera was purchased from Dell Canada for $99 - I was curious about how bad a $99 camera would really be - and was surprised to find it's not too bad! It doesn't get used very often and in retrospect, I probably shouldn't have bought it - but it's nice to have one camera I consider "disposable" or would lend out to someone without worrying too much if it came back in perfect condition.</p><p>Lastly, we have the D5000. This camera stays upstairs and gets used quite a bit - I leave the <a href="http://www.nikon.ca/en/Product.aspx?m=14310" target="_blank">35mm prime lens</a> on it (a fast f/1.8) and the <a href="http://store.garyfonginc.com/puf-01.html" target="_blank">Gary Fong Puffer</a>. The Puffer does a nice job of diffusing the flash, which gets used now and then even with the fast lens. I don't use the D5000 for shooting video, largely because it's such a pain to manually re-focus. The Flip Mino is never very far away when we're upstairs though, so we reach for it when there's something we want to capture on video.</p><p>In terms of workflow, at the end of each month, I gather up all the cameras, take them into my office, and one by one offload the images (which get pulled into Lightroom) and videos (which get put into a folder). I use Lightroom to process the raw and JPEG images, and as for videos...well, <a href="http://twitter.com/jasondunn/status/9063725157" target="_blank">I'm still looking for a video editor that meets my needs</a>.</p><p>How many cameras do you have, and how do you use them? Any camera purchases you regret?</p><p><em>Jason Dunn owns and operates <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Inc.</a>, a company dedicated to creating the best in online communities. He enjoys <a href="http://photos.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">photography</a>, mobile devices, <a href="http://www.jasondunn.com/" target="_blank">blogging</a>, digital media content creation/editing, and pretty much all technology. He lives in Calgary, Alberta, Canada with his lovely wife, and his sometimes obedient dog. He loves taking pictures!</em></p><p><em></em><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p><p><strong>Do you enjoy using new hardware, software and accessories, then sharing your experience with others? Then join us on the <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Thoughts Media Review Team</a>! We're looking for individuals who find it fun to test new gear and give their honest opinions about the experience. It's a volunteer role with some great perks. Interested? <a href="http://www.thoughtsmedia.com/reviewteam.php" target="_blank">Then click here for more information.</a></strong></p><p><img src="http://images.thoughtsmedia.com//ppct/auto/1240336793.usr1.gif" /></p>