The Perfect Camera

2018, lifestyle, photography, student

Hello!

I got my beloved little Canon EOS M10 camera over a year ago now and I’ve used it for assignments, photography, YouTube videos and it comes with my everywhere I go (mostly because I’m weekly vlogging now, but also in case I want to snap a picture!).

Obviously, when I say the ‘perfect’ camera, I don’t mean explicitly – every person who takes photos wants different things from a camera but I’ve recommended this camera to a lot of people and as a bridge-to-DSLR and very portable and convenient camera, I can recommend it for a variety of reasons.

For one, the camera quality itself is really good – I usually use it on auto just because I find that the time it saves me is really worth it but the depth of field is great, the auto-exposure is pretty decent and I find the colour vibrancy in the pictures is really beautiful. The auto focus isn’t always great but when it works it works really well.

The detachable EF-Mini lenses really do make the camera feel that bit more high quality – to the degree that I took the camera to a concert once and it was taken off me and I had to collect it at the end because it was ‘too professional’. It’s nice to have the freedom and choice to change the lenses. I personally don’t have any other lenses because I’m a student on a budget but I have longingly trawled through Canon’s website and the variety of lenses is incredible. Particularly for bloggers if you were shooting photos on the go and you had more lenses to choice from you’d be less restricted in what you can shoot. It’s always great when you have less work to do in post.

One of my personal favourite things about this camera is the app that comes with it called Camera Connect – the camera has internet connectivity potential and once your phone is connected (which is super easy, by the by) you can download and edit the photos you’ve taken. You can even use your phone as a live view and change the camera settings on the go. I find it really useful if I’m taking pictures that I want to share quickly or if I’m using my camera on a news day and need to send photos back to the editorial team as soon as I can. The app makes it so simple and it’s something that I didn’t even know I wanted till I had it (nor did I know the camera was capable of it until after I got it).

The perk of it not being a big DSLR camera is that it fits in basically every handbag I own. The fact it’s a lens that doesn’t actually fold away like a point and shoot would makes it a little bulkier but I find it still fits in most hand bags – personally I carry a backpack with me everywhere I go but if you were struggling to fit it in, you could either just wear it round your neck with the strap or if that feels a bit too unsafe (depends on where you’re going I guess!) then you could always detach the lens and that’ll make it a bit more compact. I don’t find the size to be a problem though.

One of my favourite features and a big factor in why I chose this camera is the hinged LED screen – I can flip it up to see when I’m vlogging, which makes the lack of focus issue not so much of an issue because I can see when the focus goes out. I find it’s also really useful when I’m taking blog photos on a tripod because I can put the screen to whatever angle is easiest to not crane my neck. It just makes everything a bit simpler, which is all I really want from life.

It’s a great platform camera to learn a bit more about photography and videography and build on the skills of a point and shoot camera before potentially stepping up again to a DSLR camera. In terms of videography I think the M10 is great for vlogging because you have more control with the specific settings but it’s not the size or the weight of a DSLR. Then the connectivity with the app and how it makes photos instantly sharable and they can go straight on Instagram or maybe in a news story – it’s really practical and handy for a blogger, a journalist or just anyone who is making a lot of content and needs a camera that can keep up with it.

Wouldn’t it be great if this post was sponsored by Canon? It’s not, but I have always thoroughly enjoyed Canon cameras and feel like I get amazing results with them.

Is there anything else you’d like to know about the equipment I use? If you have any questions about the Canon EOS M10 please do leave them in the comments, tweet me, dm me on Instagram – whatever you fancy!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx

YouTube | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Snapchat: SophieALuckett

Tech Wish List!

2016

Hello!

I’ve been making YouTube videos and vlogging for nearly three years now and as a very creative person, I often have ideas and visions of content I want to make but am limited in terms of quality or, in some cases, functionality of my equipment to make what I want.

I often daydream about the kind of equipment I’d like to buy and I figure this list could be a vlogger/blogger/creative persons dream so I thought I’d share my dream kit list for you today!

(Side note: the header photo includes my current kit with is a Canon 100D DSLR, a Rode mic I bought from a friend and a Samsung point and shoot camera that I kind remember the model name of, alongside my little SD card wallet and a lens cap)

Canon EOS M10 – bridging the gap between a DSLR and a generic powershot camera, it has a detachable lens and a lot of the automatic features of a point and shot. I just want to play. It would look so beautiful I’m so pumped.

GoPro Hero 4 Black – I feel like every YouTuber wants a GoPro. A lot of YouTubers have a GoPro but I really, really want one. When I went to Centre Parcs with my family in June we rented bikes and I really wanted to do a montage video but didn’t want to smash my iPhone that I was vlogging with at the time. I really want to go swimming at some point and it would be so cool to be able to do like an underwater vlog. I feel like I’d do more adventurous things if I had a GoPro.

Phantom 3 Drone – I’ve not really done much research into drones, I think I like the idea of a drone more than actually having one but it would make monthly vlogs look really cool. I don’t know how many different shots I could get in Southampton but before the novelty wore off (and if I travelled somewhere fun) it would be amazing.

Soft box lighting – I’ve got to use softboxes before in photography at uni but to have my own ones to have actual good light in my big girl videos (that’s what I call videos that aren’t like follow me around vlogs). I currently use a floor lamp that cost me £7 from Argos and a bedside lamp, which actually works really well but this is a dream list right? I’ll put everything on my dream list.

Canon 5D – now this is a very, very expensive camera that I would be reluctant to hold in case I dropped. But it’s very pretty. And makes absolutely beautiful video and photographic content. The Mark III is extortionate and the Mark IV is available for pre-order. It would make the fairy lights in the background of my big girl videos very blurry.

Lenses – a variety of lenses means a bigger variety of content and quality and I have a lot of opportunity to rent these kinds of lenses from university but again; dream list, in an ideal world, having these lenses for myself would be fun. It’s part of my aim to make vlogs and content as beautiful as The Michalaks who essentially make a little film every week to document their lives for their two year old son when he grows up. They’re such an amazing, hardworking family, I truly adore them.

iMac – again, I have access to iMac’s at university and I have a Macbook Pro but again; ideal. If I had a separate computer for editing videos, photography and blogging then it would free up space on my laptop for other bits and it can be for relaxation rather than working (if you can call blogging working). I know that makes me sound so whiny and spoilt but this isn’t something I’m saying I need now, it’s just if I had the spare money this is what I might spend it on (realistically I’d go travelling but that’s not the point!).

I’d probably invest in a selection of mics and mic stands too, but I’ve not thought too much about those so don’t have any links or anything!

I daren’t think about how much this list costs. I fully intend to work and work and get to a point where I can afford to spend money on equipment like this, but currently I’m working on getting to the point!

Thank you for reading,

Sophie xx

 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/sophiecountsclouds/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC-3CmMYbZuSV5eSvGgkW5Cg
Twitter: https://twitter.com/sophiealuckett
Instagram: http://instagram.com/sophiealuckett
Snapchat: @SophieALuckett
Uni blog: http://sophieannblogs.blogspot.co.uk/