What can I say about photography that has not been said yet?

My own take is: do not let marketing make you think that your camera is not good enough.   Good photographers can take excellent pictures with point-and-shoot cameras.   Learn all you can about your camera, practice and get feedback, and keep practicing.   There is always something new to learn and to improve.   This is an expensive hobby and can easily blow someone's budget.   As an amateur I still have lots to learn and reply a lot in forums where it is always possible to find many people kind enough to give valuable advice.

I started in photography using my father's SLRs.   He always enjoyed taking photos and taught me most of what I know today.   His cameras are a Pentax ME Super and a Zeiss Contaflex that can take breathtaking photos.   However, the 35mm film decline and all the advantages that digital photography offers literally retired those two nice cameras to the closet.

Websites such as Digital Photography Review provide fine reviews and forums with tons of good information and I highly recommend a serious homework before deciding what to buy since the options are overwhelming.   After you get your camera I suggest posting photos online and getting feedback.   I have been getting excellent photo feedback from Photo Critique.

I started digital with a Minolta Dimage V that I purchased in 1997.   It's maximum resolution was a mere 640x480 pixels but it could take some fine photos nonetheless.   I used it until 2000 when I unfortunately forgot it in a rental car during one of my business travels and never saw it again.

Here are my current cameras:

 Sony DCR PC100 - I bought this camera in 2000.   The whooping $1900 I paid for it would buy me a much better camera today.   However, the video quality and features are still a match for today's cameras.   The photo quality is limited by the 1 megapixel CCD and the lack of other features only found in dedicated photo cameras.  In 2000, 1 megapixel was good enough for most "consumer type" photos and I was happy for a while.   Sony still provides some support to this camera here.

Sony Cyber Shot DSC F-717 - I bought this camera in 2003 after exhausting what I could do with my PC100 photo capabilities.   I wanted to take a next step on digital photography.   At the very beginning, the camera seems a little awkward but I quickly learned to appreciate the tilting between body and lens that gives huge flexibility when choosing angles.   This is a feature I miss in my DSLR.   The quality of the photos was always quite nice and it does not lag much behind a DSLR.  This camera can make short movies, but the results are equivalent to the PC100's photo capabilities.  That is, leaves a lot to be desired if compared to a movie made by the PC100.  Sony supports this camera here.

So, for a while I carried both cameras around.   The PC100's small size makes very easy to tuck it in a large pocket and since it uses the same battery and Memory Sticks as the F717 I never had complaints about it except that I had to change cameras, depending on what I wanted to do.   However, I wanted to move into higher levels and get a true DSLR.   The problem was choosing which camera and brand.   After a few months researching forums and talking with DSLR users I decided for the Pentax.

Pentax K10D - I bought this camera in 2008 from a workmate who was moving to Canon.   The main reason for me choosing the K10D was its compatibility with my father's old Pentax lenses.   He had some excellent lenses that cost a small fortune and I thought it was worth to keep using them.   Interestingly enough, my workmate's reason to move to Canon was also lenses that his friends would lend him.   This camera has some advantages over other DSLRs.  Some of them are: image stabilization in the body, instead of the lenses, which makes using legacy lenses much better and newer lenses less expensive and the body is all sealed against moisture and dust, which is also a nice feature.   Features I miss from my F-717 are live preview and tilting body-lens.   For other Pentax users I also suggest the Pentax Forums as an excellent tool for learning and exchanging ideas.

The links below show some photos taken in leisure and business trips.   I usually keep uploading photos so please feel free to stop by from time to time.