Cameras
A quick little overview of the cameras I have used in the main photography gallery.
Canon EOS 4000D
This is my main camera, a budget 18MP DSLR that came out in 2018 that I bought second-hand in 2026. It's an APS-C CMOS sensor, which basically means it's a smaller sensor than a standard DSLR so like-for-like, a photo out of the 4000D would look zoomed in compared to a full-frame (35mm) camera. At least, that's how I understand it. I'm not an expert.
What I love about the Canon cameras in general is their shape. It fits so naturally in the hand, I love shooting with it. I've seen some others in their DSLR range, and also their mirrorless, that have the same shape. I much prefer it to some of the flat bricks other manufacturers do.
One drawback is the LCD screen, it's pretty low-res and I honestly find it impossible to use. I don't really look at my photos until they're on a PC, because the screen's colouring is off, what looks overexposed is actually about right, and the poor resolution makes it impossible to tell if a shot was blurry or not. Second drawback to the screen is it's fixed in place, whereas newer and more expensive cameras have a tilt display to make it easier taking awkward shots, like something high up or low down. If I was to replace my DSLR, I'd probably get something with a tilt screen. Mostly I prefer the viewfinder anyway, but every now and again I want to photo something high up or low down and I have to basically guess the position.
I have two lenses that I shoot with, the EFS 18-55mm and the fantastic EFS 55-250mm. Any macro or landscape shot you see, that was probably the 55mm. Any bird was the 250mm. Honestly between these two, I don't ever find myself wanting for another lens. Maybe I would go for something like the EFS 10-18mm which has a wider angle than the 55mm kit lens, so it's good for landscapes.
Camp Snap Pro
A brand new addition and the main reason I thought I'd start a cameras page, the CS-Pro!
This little fella is a cheap (£80ish when I got it) "point and shoot" compact digital camera with a 16MP CMOS sensor and a fixed focal lens. What's special about this camera is despite being digital, it has no screen. On the back you have the viewfinder, a counter of photos taken, and that's it. You won't see your pictures until you upload them to the PC, sort of half-way between a 'proper' point and shoot camera, and a film camera.
In fact when you look at this thing, it was very clearly inspired by old film cameras, it's a very retro look. It also comes with four built-in filters, a standard (i.e. minimal editing) filter, vintage-1, vintage-2, and black&white. There's a little dial on the top that you turn to swap between them. You can also override these filters with customer filters that people (or yourself) have made if you don't like the default ones.
I got this because I wanted something small I could fit in my pocket when I'm out walking and don't feel like lugging the DSLR around with me. I don't like taking photos with smartphones, and every other compact camera around this price point, even up to £200, will be screen-only with no viewfinder. The fact this is the total opposite was a big selling point for me.
Since I mostly do outdoor day-time shooting it wasn't that important, but I am also very impressed by the flash on this thing. It's xenon rather than LED, and it's a beast!
Smartphones
Lumping them all together because I don't like smartphone photography. I've said that a few times now, but to be clear it's not that I think smartphones take bad pictures, a lot of new smartphones have better cameras than actual cameras did 10 years ago. In the right hands they can even be used professionally. The reason I don't like them is the actual feeling of photography using a smartphone, interacting with the screen, not having a viewfinder, the distractions a smartphone brings like notifications etc. It's this that puts me off them.