Hey, this is Scott of Photography Banzai. In this video I'm going to talk about ergonomics, ease of use,
using a camera in practice. I think these days cameras are basically so good
that image quality isn't as important as economics in my opinion. The way that the
camera is used. The way that you can use the camera. Customize it, make it really
work for you well... I think is the most important thing about a camera, so I'm
going to go over a few points related to that in this video. The biggest most
obvious difference between cameras is the grip. This is especially evident on
my Nikon D600 and D750. They're vastly different in how they feel when you hold
them. The D600 has a really thick grip with not a lot of depth to it, but the
D750 has a lot of depth. It's a little thinner just so much nicer to use in
practice. Of course that depends on your hands, but I've found that D750 to have a
very very nice grip. Pentax cameras I've used in the past the K-5.. K-7.. have very
nice grips but they're a little short for my hands, so it is based on personal
preference, but there can be vastly different grip types that really work
well for you or work really poorly for you. My first DSLR was a Pentax *ist DS.
I had looked online and found... you know they had a lot of nice specifications
compared to other cameras at the time, but when I actually got it... because I
didn't have a way to try the camera out before buying it...
I found the grip was really lackluster. It was hard. It had a curve to it that was
really pressing on one of my fingers, but I got used to it. It's just really good
grips can be a very good thing for cameras.
Buttons and button placement can
be a huge hindrance or a really good thing for a camera in use.
You've got button placement.. What it does.. If you can customize it. There's so many
aspects of actual tactile buttons I really like to have a good amount of
buttons that can help me get direct control of what I need at the time. For
example, the X100F has a 'Q' button. It's nice you have direct access to a
screen that let's you change a lot of things, but the
placement of it is not ideal for me personally. It doesn't work well because
I easily press it with my thumb as I'm holding the camera. Probably one of the
best things about the X100F is the three main controls for aperture, shutter
speed, and ISO. You also have the two dials you can push the ISO and shutter
speed to if you would like. Works really well. You've got those three main controls
you can adjust them really tacitly. Especially the aperture, nice and in the
front by the lens where you would expect and the shutter speed dial works well
too. It's really nice to have that right there easy to change don't have to mess
with a command dial or anything like that. Video record buttons can be vastly
different between cameras. What they do.. Where they're placed. For example, my Canon
Rebel SL2 has a record button that works as the live view
turn on button when you're in photo mode in, but in video it just works as the
record, so it works pretty well in practice...
I've had somewhere especially the mirrorless cameras or any type of small
digital camera where the record button you just press it and it starts
recording the video instantly. That's pretty convenient and nice for those
type of cameras. Customization is extremely important as well. It can help you
be more effective at taking photos and adjusting to different styles. Like you
want to do high-speed action, or you want to do some other portraiture work
something where the settings are vastly different between those two styles of
photography, so for example in the D600 and D750 they have a U1 and U2 custom
modes on the main command dial, so you can set those to be any type of standard
mode.. manual.. aperture priority.. whatever, and then you can adjust almost every
setting in the camera to those U1 and U2, so you can have vastly
different setups assigned to those custom modes. Works really well. For
example, I have manual mode for one for flash and just standard manual. I also
have aperture priority for the second one, which is good for portraiture and
things that I do a lot of. With X100F, all of the custom buttons can be quickly
changed to what you want if you hold that button
down and it gives you a menu on the screen it's quick and easy to adjust
things. Just works really well in that case. Some aspects you might not think
about too much, but are very important are simple things like the port doors
where the memory card is, how easy or difficult it is to take out the memory
card put it back in. Back to the port doors, if they're flimsy.. if they're
difficult to open.. that makes a big difference, or if they're easy to move
out of the way when you're doing video stuff like a microphone. You want to have
that cord in there but you don't want to have issues with the port cover being in
the way of the screen. If it flips out... It's just a lot that really makes a good
port door or a bad port door, again with the memory cards too. One more feature of a
camera that's very simple, but you can have really bad ones and really good
ones is the battery door. For example, probably a gold standard of battery
doors I've used in the past would be the Pentax ones: K-7 K-5 and the K-3 II that I
had used. It's very simple, has a nice gasket on it for weather resistance and
you can latch it in. You rotate the knob. It locks in solidly. It's very consistent
it works well. It's very similar actually to a Garmin GPS that I have where it
rotates and locks in. Besides that the D600/D750 door has a spring, so it's
quick and easy to close and open, but doesn't feel super-confident. I've tried
some of the Sony cameras such as the A9. In that case it doesn't have a spring so
it's more difficult to close and open and you have to do an extra movement of
your fingers.. works okay, but again still not super confident. The Canon Rebel SL2
is very similar to the D600/D750 doors that I have. In this case it's even a little bit
less confident to close. Especially when I'm using my AC adapter unit for video
stuff here just taking these type of videos. I usually use tape just
case, so it doesn't open accidentally because it will turn the camera off if
it does open. The X100F door is not great either. The actual latch juts-down
below the door itself, so you can easily hit that when you're out in the field.
I've done it a few times. I've been using tape on that as well when I'm out there
just taking photos, so it doesn't open accidentally. I do use tape that doesn't
leave a residue, so it works pretty well. There's just a hassle to deal with.
All that said, of course peoples' hands are very different. Their preferences are
very different. So manufacturers have a hard time balancing what might work for
someone won't work too well for another person, but you want to find the tool
that works really well for you. That means getting hands-on time with cameras.
Really trying them out. Seeing what works well in practice. Anyways, I hope you
enjoyed this video. If you did, please consider subscribing. That helps me out a lot,
likes and shares help out a lot as well. Thanks again!