Cameras

Nikon D700

My main camera body these days is the Nikon D700. Quite simply, it’s the best, most ergonomically designed SLR that I’ve ever used. The thing fits perfectly in my hand and feels both solid and manageable when I’m going light and fast. The controls are placed in all the right places, which makes it very easy to shoot one handed, even without the batter grip.

I feel that it encompasses the best of all worlds in my photography. It’s lighter and more compact than a D3, and it’s got a faster, more precise autofocus and a full frame sensor, which the D7000 does not have. At 6 frames per second, it’s plenty fast for most types of action that I shoot. Any more than that just makes for more editing.

The D700 has incredible low light sensitivity and high ISO capabilities, and with it, I feel comfortable shooting in just about any type of setting, both inside and out. It’s got a pop up flash that can control up to two groups of Speedlights and enough custom functions to make it an extremely versatile DSLR camera body.

I’ve shot with my D700 in a wide variety of situations and believe me, it takes a beating. I’ve banged it around quite a bit and I’ve used it extreme cold up here in Alaska and I’ve always been happy with it’s performance. Image quality is fantastic, certainly good enough for professional publication. In fact, this fall, Nikon will be featuring my work shot with the D700 in their DSLR comparison guide.

View the Nikon D700 at B&H Photo

Fujifilm X10

In my mind, the Fuji X10 is the best all around compact camera in it’s class.

It offers a very sharp Fujinon 28-112mm Telephoto Zoom Lens, a 12MP CMOS sensor that produces crisp high resolution photos, intelligent flash capabilities, very fast autofocus, super close macro, 10 fps shooting, Full HD video, an optical viewfinder, a great image processor, and full manual control for every single feature.

The best thing about the Fuji X10, however, is that it looks, feels and acts like a real camera. With a very classic design and a rugged build, the X10 is a joy to hold and use. And while it doesn’t have the biggest, most high resolution sensor, the fastest autofocus or the best viewfinder on the market, it does just about every thing really well, and it doesn’t cost an arm and a leg.

For the price, the Fuji X10 is simply one hell of a camera. I said camera. Not point and shoot. Not digital camera. Camera.

Read my full review of the X10 here.