I bought a new camera

I’ve had a complicated relationship with photography.

My photography journey began during the first year of my university days. Back then I remembered owning my very first DSLR, the Canon EOS 550D.

I love that camera. The sound of the shutter and the press of the button, it all felt so good when taking pictures. I used that camera for most of my university related events, taking photos of my classmates in school and creating great memories.

In my senior year, I backpacked across Europe during the summer days. It was there and then, that I lost my camera. Someone stole my backpack while I was in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. It was during the first couple of days of my 2 week trip. Without my beloved camera, I was forced to take photos of my trip with my iPhone. Back then, the camera in smartphones wasn’t that good.

That sense of loss I felt during that ordeal made me shun photography for a few years.

A couple of years into my first job upon graduation, I was ready to get back into the world of photography.

The Olympus OMD-EM5 II was my second camera that I bought. It was a mirrorless micro four-thirds camera. Coupled with the expensive 12-40mm f2.8 PRO lens, I took beautiful photos my various trips around the world over the years. Japan was the highlight. It was autumn and I snapped beautiful photos of the autumn leaves. I went to Cambodia with my friend for a short trip and was amazed by the beautiful countryside. These are some of the places that I took my Olympus with me as I travel.

By then, I was itching for an upgrade. Fujifilm caught my eye. Their superior film simulation and color science was the talk of the town at one point, and I was drawn to the hype.

I took the plunge and bought myself the Fujifilm X-Pro3 rangefinder style mirrorless camera. It’s an odd camera and rather bulky camera especially paired with a zoom lens. But the classic rangefinder look was too tempting to resist. It just looks soooo good.

But it was bad timing to get a new camera. Right after I bought this, COVID happened. And with it, all travel plans were scrapped. In fact, I didn’t travel for 3 years after COVID struck. By then, my poor X-Pro 3 was sitting in a climate controlled case, just waiting to be used. Sure I did bring it out from time to time, taking shots at local events around Singapore, but the fact that this mostly stayed in Singapore, was a lost opportunity. I could have taken so many photos and just experimenting with the various film simulations, having fun along the way.

I sold the entire kit away. I did felt a tinge of remorse after selling it on Carousell. But I never looked back. Thinking that I would never ever travel as often as I did before as my life’s priorities were slowly changing over the years (getting a new apartment, a new job etc), coupled with the fact that smartphone cameras were getting so good that you don’t really need a separate gear to take good photos, it was a tough sell to get another camera.

In fact, during my recent travels to Greece and one more before COVID to Morocco, I was using my iPhone as my primary camera and it managed to take beautiful shots that rivalled some of the more expensive dedicate cameras out there on the market. The fact that you have fairly power camera in your pocket was such a compelling argument to not get a dedicated camera for travel photography.

However, as Sony recently announced their new lineup of hybrid cameras, I was itching once again to own a brand new one. There is something lacking when taking photos using a smartphone. It is that tactile feel of pressing that shutter button, and hearing the shutter from within the camera body that I sorely missed during my photography days. You simply cannot replicate that in smartphones. The action of bringing the camera up to your face, peering through the viewfinder, composing your shots, briefly checking our camera settings etched in the viewfinder before pushing the button is cathartic. I missed all these.

It was a tough decision, but ultimately I took the plunge. I went for Sony’s latest full range hybrid camera, the Sony A7C II paired with a beautifully constructed 40mm f2.5 prime lens. Costing a grand total of $3600, this is my first ever full frame camera. I am still amazed at the sheer size of the sensor, squeezed into such a tiny body, you’d never believe that this is a full frame camera with all its bells and whistles one would expect.

The two-tone construction is absolutely gorgeous. I purposely paired with a prime lens to keep the entire kit small and 40mm is perfect for street photography, the type of photography that I enjoy most. The overall set-up is relatively light and very compact, so carrying this is not a burden at all.

I recently went to Changi Jewel to take my very first snapshots using this camera and the 33 megapixel sensor is mind blowing. Coupled with the prime lens, images are razor sharp. The in-body stabilisation makes shooting hand held at low shutter speeds a breeze, making this a good camera for low light situations.

My 2 hours spent taking photos at Change Jewel rekindled my love for photography. I am not an expert in composing my shots, but what matters most is that I enjoy the process.

I have more events coming up in the coming weeks and I will be sure to bring this camera along. I am heading to Universal Studios Sentosa during the weekend in a couple of weeks, followed by Comic-con Singapore in early December. With my new camera and I am looking forward to taking great shots and just having fun.