At dawn with the Canon G12 and the Dietrich SD-1
To the great delight of the small cat, I'm usually awake before dawn. This give us plenty of time which the many legged creature spend eating and simultaneously complaining about the many ways in which I fail to properly care for his needs. For my part, I prefer to go out and enjoy quietly reading with a coffee nearby waiting for his majesty to join me so we can both watch the sunrise.
This leave me some time to think about the watch of the day and photography. I'm not a photographer, and taking pictures isn't my hobby. In fact I have no interest in learning photography, I never cared about the camera of my cell phone and I seldom switch my Canon G12 settings from auto. I can't even remember when or why I bought it. The only interest I have in photography is as a tool to take pictures of my watches.
The one I'll wear today is the Dietrich SD-1, which is one of the best looking and more unique watches in my collection. Its sapphire floating dial and light refracting bezel are also particularly interesting to catch on camera, as is the extraordinary brushing on the bracelet.
The problem is that the G12 is getting older and I was never good at using it in dim lights, which is a situation that is getting worse as we progress into winter. I know that digital sensors became much better since I bought the G12, but I have no ideas what are the models sold now and how good they are at macro shots.
So, is it worth for me to get a new camera just for getting better pictures of my watches?
I'm a big fan of watches that are interesting because they are either unique, have interesting features, well designed or simply offer a great value for their price.
Very nice! I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into watch photography. Any tips / good resources for getting started?
Very nice! I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into watch photography. Any tips / good resources for getting started?
YouTube. Just search for what you want to learn.
But it's just general photography. The same rules apply to watches as anything else. Lighting, composition, camera settings, etc.
Learning to use a polarizing filter will be important for watches.
Great looking watch. I love being rich and I love dieting so this is perfect really.
The answer is yes. Pick up a full frame Sony camera that's in your price range and it will be a big improvement over your current one. Though it really doesn't need to be a recent one. I'm using the Sony A7S that's soon going to be a decade old and the low light isn't far off from the most recent models. There's an improvement but much smaller than the previous decade which was literally night and day (pun intended).
I don't recommend going that old or even buying used if you went convenience. Just saying don't worry about which one you get. All of them today are insanely good.
Sony A7C or A7iii are both excellent value and have very minor differences mostly in the user interface so just get whichever one plus a lens you like. I'd get the 20mm personally.
Or there are much cheaper lenses that are perfectly fine. The 20mm is just a favorite of many photographers because it can do wide but also focus really close.
I really enjoy your pictures. Some are really great, they ooze a relaxed sunrise and coffee vibe. The best of your photographs have great light - that's the thing for all photography I think.
A newer better camera would surely improve the pictures - but I don't really think it's needed. Your photos are already better than the average phone cam wrist shot - and most of us see them on their tiny phone display.
I might have more cameras than watches, so I'm the last to advise not to buy another camera. But I think for your specific niche - the low light, close up yet not macro photography - a practical light setup would be more beneficial. A constant light where you can dial in temperature and a piece of cardboard as a reflector should help with the dimming winter light.
First off, you get up too early, that can’t be good for your health. Second, I can only imagine money spent on a camera can‘t also be spent on watches, which makes this an easy “no”.
I agree with what @CitizenKale and @robwei have already said above. Just to add, you can also enhance your shots by using a simple mobile phone photo app (e.g. Snapseed, Lightroom, etc.).
Very nice! I’ve been toying with the idea of getting into watch photography. Any tips / good resources for getting started?
Trust me, I'm the last one you should seek for advise on photography.
First off, you get up too early, that can’t be good for your health. Second, I can only imagine money spent on a camera can‘t also be spent on watches, which makes this an easy “no”.
I've been waking up at dawn since I was 18, so if it's bad for my health it's the slowest acting health risk ever recorded in medical history.
I agree with what @CitizenKale and @robwei have already said above. Just to add, you can also enhance your shots by using a simple mobile phone photo app (e.g. Snapseed, Lightroom, etc.).
I'm already quite good with Corel PaintShop pro and I'm using it occasionaly to fix some of my photos.
I think I'll keep the G12 until one of us dies.
I really enjoy your pictures. Some are really great, they ooze a relaxed sunrise and coffee vibe. The best of your photographs have great light - that's the thing for all photography I think.
A newer better camera would surely improve the pictures - but I don't really think it's needed. Your photos are already better than the average phone cam wrist shot - and most of us see them on their tiny phone display.
I might have more cameras than watches, so I'm the last to advise not to buy another camera. But I think for your specific niche - the low light, close up yet not macro photography - a practical light setup would be more beneficial. A constant light where you can dial in temperature and a piece of cardboard as a reflector should help with the dimming winter light.
Thank you for the compliment! It's very undeserved but still nice to read.