Topic: Choosing a camera....

[Late Developer]

Most of us have more than one film camera at our disposal and, often, a selection of film formats. However, before we head off on a day out with some idea of what we might want to photograph, to what extent (if any) do we consider which kit we should take that will suit the purpose?  Do we pack everything and decide when we get there or take just enough for a specific purpose? Does our decision-making vary?

[zapsnaps]

As lawyers love to say, 'That depends'.

When shooting models, I take a few cameras with different film types or focal length, to save swapping lenses. It seems to be less intrusive to pick up another camera to take a particular shot than to swap lenses and play with the gear.

When I'm snapping on holiday or a business trip, I take one small body and a single lens. What that can't capture, I don't take. But both of these ways of working have developed from years of experience. I used to take everything everywhere - just in case. Most of the stuff just lived in the bag and was hauled from one place to another, unused. So now it (nearly) all sits in my cabinet of curiosities and I just grab - instinctively - what I need.

[Aksel]

For me that varies depending on many factors, where I´m going, with whom, how I`m getting there, how long I will be out of the house, not to mention my mood!
I normally dislike carrying more with me than I can fit in my pockets + the camera, unless the main focus will be photographing and even then I hesitate to bring a bag along.  I always carry a plastic bag and a rubber band I use in as a camera bag in case of sudden rain. As I very seldom shoot for any other reason than my own interest I don´t care whether I loose a shot of five so, one camera, one lens. That said, I can spend way to much time thinking about what I want to take with me. When in doubt I always end up with the Mju II.

[Late Developer]

When I shot weddings as a side-line, I'd carry virtually everything I owned - as insurance against something failing or my needing something I'd forgotten to bring with me. That was the early 80s. Since then I tried, but sometimes failed, to be more selective.

Now I'm getting older, I no longer want (or have the energy) to carry around a huge bag full of superfluous kit - so I spend more time planning what I'll really need - particularly if we're off for a long weekend away or on holiday for 7/14 days. To carry or not carry a tripod is a regular dilemma.  If I'm intending to shoot landscapes it usually comes with me - as I'd rather not have to try to shoot a 'Blad, hand-held, at anything less than 1/125th. 

I carry a camera with me on my daily commute.  I went through a phase of packing a body and 3-4 small, prime lenses but, like Aksel, I now only carry one body + one lens. 

[charles binns]

I take cameras based on what I plan to shoot.

Standard travel kit for me is a couple of holgas and my Mamiya 6 (unless I need to travel light or somewhere with a reasonable chance of being mugged such as Mexico in which case the Mamiya 6 stays at home).  I might throw in one of my other more exotic toy cameras if I feel adventurous.

IR work would be with more holgas and the Mamiya Universal Press for 6x9 frames.

Macro work would be with the Arax 60.

Trees and landscapes would be with the Crown Graphic.

I like to travel light and prefer 120 film above all else really.

[gothamtomato]

I've always choosen camera/format based on what I'm going to shoot. However, more lately, how much weight I want to carry around figures into the equation (it never did 20 years ago).

[Kai-san]

If I'm just loitering around town I bring one camera / one lens + an extra battery and some films in a pocket. The lens can be anything from 20 to 135mm, the actual choice forces me to look differently at things. Zoom lenses are banned, I use my feet for zooming. If I'm hiking out in the wilderness I usually bring an SLR (135 or 120) with a fixed wide angle lens, 20 to 28mm. Sometimes I slip a Nikon 35TI in my pocket for backup, but 99% of the time it's just dead weight. And with an extra battery and a pocket full of film, what can go wrong? 

[02Pilot]

General carry is a screwmount Leica and a small lens, either collapsible or very compact (viewfinder as necessary), with HP5+. Occasionally this gets replaced by something similarly small, like a Rollei 35.

When going out with a specific purpose I'll either add a lens or two to the Leica kit or, if I'm doing MF, pick something that strikes my fancy and won't weigh me down too much. I have folders in various formats and a bunch of TLRs, so the choice often comes down to lens rendering and bulk.

Travel is again Leica-based, though I'll sometimes go to the Canon LTM bodies, which are larger but generally easier to use. Two body, three lens kit (wide, normal, tele). If I want a MF option, it's almost always the tiny Voigtländer Perkeo II.

I do have to make a conscious effort to pare down what I bring, but it almost always ends up a less frustrating experience when I manage to go the minimalist route. I'm also working on limiting the films I use; I'm basically down to FP4+ and HP5+ for B&W, and Ektar and Portra for color.

[Sandeha Lynch]

Very specific these days as any excess weight will reduce my distance.  Sunday will be Mamiya 3 with both funky lens set and 65mm, the Rotunda tri-pinhole, and some sheets to feed the Surveyor.  And none of that would happen without a car.   

[Francois]

Well, I too tend to go for a lighter bag.
These days, most of what I shoot is just with my F90x, a small zoom lens and a spare flash in the bag just in case I need to brighten the shadows.
But I even find this to me a bit much many times. What I seem to enjoy the most is just the Fed with a meter and a few spare rolls of film.
But I should say that I only do landscape...

[Terry]

It depends very much where I'm going.  These days my default camera for street work is the Yashica 44, in part because I've got several hundreds of feet of film and I would rather use it up than let it die in the fridge.  Much of the rest of the time I spend debating whether to shoot 4x5 or 5x7.  If I'm flying somewhere, it's always an Exakta with a couple of lenses.

[Jack Johnson]

I'm always in love with the camera I'm holding, which makes it really hard to choose.

At a recent camera swap I picked up a large, battered Domke that now carries five cameras (and could carry more), and I just throw it in the rear hatch and pick when lightning strikes. The idea was that I would empty more half-filled cameras, but no such luck yet. It's more Linus' blanket.

Pre-Domke, I would handle about a half-dozen cameras every morning before leaving the house, often swayed one way or the other by the last article I read, the last thrift store purchased, or the last roll of film I processed.

[jharr]

I usually start with an aspect ratio in mind, then I decide on a format/size. Then finally I will choose a camera with either weight or cache tilting the scales. Do I want the understated flash of my Isolette III with the red bellows or do I crave the attention garnered by the "hitting a garbage can with a baseball bat" shutter of the Bronica S2a?