# Do you carry your DSLR everywhere?



## tecboy (Jun 3, 2013)

Do you carry your DSLR pretty much everywhere even you don't feel like it sometimes?  I was at the art festival in one weekend, and I brought my compact digital camera.  I was a bit disappointed because there was a fashion show that day, and I didn't know ahead of times.  Painstakingly, I had to use my compact digital camera to shoot pictures at those models, and I always wished I should had brought my DSLR.


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## 480sparky (Jun 3, 2013)

Mine are rarely more than 20 seconds away.


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## tirediron (Jun 3, 2013)

There's ALWAYS at least one in my truck, and more often than not, one with me.


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## KmH (Jun 3, 2013)

It's just like making sure you grab your ID.

Car keys? Check! 
Wallet? Check!
Money clip? Check!
Gripped D300 w/24-85 mm f/2.8-4 lens? Check!

 "OK! we're out'a here."


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## vintagesnaps (Jun 3, 2013)

Depends on where I'm going and what I'll be doing. You can't get every possible shot that ever comes your way, at least I don't think that's realistic. You get the photos you do, and you miss some. I'd rather have quality photos than worry about getting every potential photograph that could ever have happened.


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## flow (Jun 3, 2013)

No way. Too much other stuff to carry that too. But realistically, it doesn't matter much ... I don't get to go to interesting places every day, and what am I going to shoot at the grocery store?


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## IByte (Jun 3, 2013)

Of course I do, I don't live in the grandest of neighborhoods you know!


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## sleist (Jun 3, 2013)

Yes.  Some camera is always with me.  I don' feel compelled to shoot every day, but I like having it.
My biggest roadblock to overcome is my intense need to go home after work.  If I ever succeed, I will at least have a camera with me.


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## SCraig (Jun 3, 2013)

Absolutely not.  I've always got the camera in my phone if something special comes up.


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## Whiskeyjack (Jun 3, 2013)

Everywhere that isn't work... and really only that because I'm a dog groomer and my DSLR + tiny dog hairs just terrifies me.


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## Heitz (Jun 3, 2013)

I would love to. It's just too much diff for day-to-day plus having to worry about its safety all the time. Which sucks, because I really wish I DID have it at all times


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## sleist (Jun 3, 2013)

SCraig said:


> Absolutely not.  I've always got the camera in my phone if something special comes up.



You should apply at the Chicago Sun Times - I hear they're hiring ...


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## SCraig (Jun 3, 2013)

sleist said:


> SCraig said:
> 
> 
> > Absolutely not.  I've always got the camera in my phone if something special comes up.
> ...


Good point!  Wonder if they want any Nashville stringers 'cause I ain't moving to Chicago.


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## MiFleur (Jun 3, 2013)

Nope

I am scared to have somebody steal it if I leave it in the car. So I bring it only when I am sure I will use it. I sometimes regret not having it though!


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## Josh66 (Jun 3, 2013)

I only take 'big cameras' with me if I know I'm going to use them.  I very rarely leave the house without either my Olympus XA (compact 35mm rangefinder) or a digital P&S though.

Worst case, I have my cell phone.

I used to go way overboard - bringing all kinds of crap I didn't end up using to events.  Now I try to bring as little as I can get away with.  Carrying a bag around all day can get to be a pain in the ass...


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## kja6 (Jun 4, 2013)

Nope. As much as I love photography, sometimes it's a nuisance to carry a camera body and lens with/on me. Birthday gatherings, for example: I want to have a good time and (1) not have people hassle me to take a photo to later e-mail them, or (2) not worry about babysitting the gear.

Compact point-and-shoots are more than sufficient for some occasions, and mobile phones' cameras nowadays are amazing. The BlackBerry Z10 (or iPhone 4/4s/5) takes wicked photos.

But, I'm not a "professional" photographer and 0% of my income is reliant on selling prints... so it's a different story for me


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## Pallycow (Jun 4, 2013)

If it's not on me, it's in my car.  Always.   I don't bring it out as much as I used to...but it's always within reach.


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## DGMPhotography (Jun 4, 2013)

Ideally, I wish I could. I would have multiple cameras, leaving the others at home, and putting one in my car in a temperature protected lock box that's soldered onto the vehicle. I live in the city so risk of theft is something to consider. However, I don't have more than one camera, r a car, so I leave mine at home unless I KNOW I will be using it. If a UFO shows up, I have my cellphone camera.


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## Buckster (Jun 4, 2013)

Almost everywhere I go, one of my DSLRs goes.  I don't take it into theaters and have stopped taking it into Walmart.  The few times I've been to casinos, I didn't take it in with me either.  But that's about it.  If it's not directly hanging from me, it's at least in reach within a few steps.


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## Pallycow (Jun 4, 2013)

DGMPhotography said:


> Ideally, I wish I could. I would have multiple cameras, leaving the others at home, and putting one in my car in a temperature protected lock box that's soldered onto the vehicle. I live in the city so risk of theft is something to consider. However, I don't have more than one camera, r a car, so I leave mine at home unless I KNOW I will be using it. If a UFO shows up, I have my cellphone camera.



Small town maine...so i'm lucky.  I'm sure if I was back in Texas or Florida, I would not be leaving it in my car.  lol


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## bratkinson (Jun 4, 2013)

Since a gripped, bracketed, 5D3 is all I have, dragging that around 'everywhere' isn't really an option, in my book.  Leaving it in the car at Walmart for example (yes, it IS insured on a rider!) is not desirable, nor having it 'cooked' sitting in the car on a hot summer day, or frozen in the winter.

For that reason, I'm toying with going back to my digital 'roots'...a Canon G-<something>.  Full manual control, reasonably small enough to 'hide' in the car when being left behind, very acceptable IQ, and not a major investment to replace.  But then, an SL-1 with EF-S 18-135 would really 'hit the spot' too...or mirrorless...or...


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## amolitor (Jun 4, 2013)

Nah. I only take a camera if I am actively planning to take some pictures. I found that I'm simply not a guy who can take good pictures of "stuff I see" for the most part.


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## sm4him (Jun 4, 2013)

I either have it with me, or in my car, about 90% of the time. As others have said, I don't take it WITH me when I'm grocery shopping or going to Walmart (but it IS often out in the car trunk, in its case even then). 
The times I don't even have it in the car tend to be days when it's raining and I know it's not gonna stop, and I'm just gonna be at work or something boring anyway, days when I don't feel well and know that I'm not "up to" taking pictures that day, things like that.

I've started taking the bus to work on a more regular basis (largely because I work for public transit AND because we have a new route that stops TWO doors down from my house! Sweet!)--so, I can no longer make the choice to bring it but leave it in the trunk. However, I am (among other things) the "official" photographer for our transit system, so I still bring the camera with me to work most days. Not like I'm having to carry it that far, since the bus picks up so close to my house and then goes to the transit center, where I work--literally door-to-door service!  Yesterday and today, I even grabbed the Sigma 150-500 and brought it with me, hoping to sneak out for a lunchtime photo walk along the river. Didn't happen yesterday, but maybe today.


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## runnah (Jun 4, 2013)

I have to keep it on my person at all times for work. Most of the time I leave it in the trunk in case I see bigfoot or something.


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## TCampbell (Jun 4, 2013)

runnah said:


> I have to keep it on my person at all times for work. Most of the time I leave it in the trunk in case I see bigfoot or something.



That's probably sound advice.  Every time I see Bigfoot, I've left my camera at home.


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## Gary_A (Jun 4, 2013)

I miss a day here and there but typically it is with me, and I am still on a borrowed D5000. Hoping my D7000 will be waiting for me when I get home and will be about the same I plan to carry it more often then not.


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## bc_steve (Jun 8, 2013)

I keep mine in a pelican case in my dirty work truck.  don't have to worry about theft out here so it's not even locked.

I work out in the bush and see cool stuff on a regular basis, but unfortunately it is usually either running away from me or I don't have time to stop for photos.  Yesterday I saw 3 black bears and an elk but they were all running away from me and wouldn't have been decent shots.  The moose and calf I saw a few days earlier though would have been incredible if I hadn't forgotten my SD card :meh:  (Moose tend to run down the road instead of into the bush, and the stop and look back frequently so I had plenty of opportunity ...)


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## PropilotBW (Jun 8, 2013)

No.  Like somebody above said, not everything is interesting.   I don't get paid for my work, so I'm not attached to it like some might.   
If I Come across something kinda cool, hey, I have an iPhone! (Which is attached at te hip).


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## usayit (Jun 8, 2013)

DSLR no...  

Camera most of the time.  Usually a high end PS, micro 43 mirrorless, or my rangefinder.   For the most part, they fit my daily life quite well.


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## samm (Jun 8, 2013)

Never leave home with out a camera in truck


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## Devinhullphoto (Jun 8, 2013)

I always carry my Nikon with me everywhere I go. You never know when you may run across a cool scene or anythings picture worthy. I also want pictures of my life and this way I will be sure to have a good scrapbook.

I also might mention that I am a hobbyist photographer. I may not make income on it but it is still something I'm obsessed with.


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## JenR (Jun 8, 2013)

I very deliberately leave the DSLR at home on many occaisions.  When I have it with me, I find that a wall goes up and I turn on "work mode".  I focus on getting the shot and do not always appreciate and experience the moment.  There are *PLENTY* of times that experiencing the moment is far more important.  Saying that, I generally have my trusty point&shoot in my purse for random snaps.


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## Jad (Jun 8, 2013)

I have taken my camera on a lot of rides in my truck and it never left the seat. I prefer to dedicate my time to just photographing and find that I make my better images when I am only doing one thing. If I am walking with friends or out trying to do several activities in a day I rarely ever make a photograph I like. For me I need to concentrate just on making pictures and have more success that way.


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## Dikkie (Jun 11, 2013)

For a concert, I mostly go just to enjoy the music and watch the show.

When shooting photos at that time, I mostly can't enjoy the concert that much. 

Also, when there's a mosh pit around... not preferable to jump into with a DSLR.


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## kathyt (Jun 11, 2013)

JenR said:


> I very deliberately leave the DSLR at home on many occaisions.  When I have it with me, I find that a wall goes up and I turn on "work mode".  I focus on getting the shot and do not always appreciate and experience the moment.  There are *PLENTY* of times that experiencing the moment is far more important.  Saying that, I generally have my trusty point&shoot in my purse for random snaps.


This. I have a 4 year old, so he needs my attention too. So it just depends who is going to be with me at the time.


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## shicanebuzz (Jun 11, 2013)

O|||||||O said:


> I only take 'big cameras' with me if I know I'm going to use them.  I very rarely leave the house without either my Olympus XA (compact 35mm rangefinder) or a digital P&S though.
> 
> Worst case, I have my cell phone.
> 
> I used to go way overboard - bringing all kinds of crap I didn't end up using to events.  Now I try to bring as little as I can get away with.  Carrying a bag around all day can get to be a pain in the ass...



As many places I can manage to take my DSLR camera, otherwise I rely on my Iphone or sometimes even someone else's camera!


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## Nat. (Jun 11, 2013)

I usually take a small 35mm camera with me (Minolta Freedom Escort 35mm f/3.5) or my 110 SLR (Minolta 110 Zoom SLR, 25-50mm f/4.5). I only take my DSLR when I'm specifically going out to take photos.


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## ronlane (Jun 11, 2013)

I have mine with me a lot more than not.


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## S.Pierce (Jun 11, 2013)

Even though I wish I could I don't. A fear of mine is that if I leave it in my vehicle it will be be prone to damaged by the extreme heat in the hotter months. Can that even happen? :scratch:


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## ShooterJ (Jun 18, 2013)

I do always have a camera with me. I've had a point-and-shoot with me almost all the time for years, working in law enforcement (even before I knew anything about photography)... I carry so much weight in gear on me all the time, that to me, having a DSLR in a comfortable shoulder bag doesn't phase me much.. so yeah, it's usually with me. 

EDIT: My duty belt has pouch on it that I carry that little compact digital in for shots of victims, tags, vehicle damage, etc..  add in a .45 fully loaded, 4 extra magazines, taser, ASP, OC, 2 sets of handcuffs, radio, phone, search/glove kit and flashlight.. LOL.  On my time off, it is NO hassle to have just a shoulder bag with a DSLR.


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## CowgirlMama (Jun 18, 2013)

KmH said:


> It's just like making sure you grab your ID.
> 
> Car keys? Check!
> Wallet? Check!
> ...



This about sums it up for me. I'm more likely to forget my phone or keys than my camera (I'm a big walker, so I can get quite a distance from home before missing my keys). It's practically part of me. I'm also more likely to lose my phone or keys than my camera.


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## Solarflare (Jun 18, 2013)

Obviously I can take my DSLR literally *everywhere* but I have it with me 95% of the time and I'm trying to get this "at least 30 photographs a day" thing going. Should be much easier now with digital, than back in the good old analog days - no ?

P.s.: And for the other 5%, I have a compact camera.


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## Gavjenks (Jun 18, 2013)

S.Pierce said:


> Even though I wish I could I don't. A fear of mine is that if I leave it in my vehicle it will be be prone to damaged by the extreme heat in the hotter months. Can that even happen? :scratch:


Yes. The electronics would likely be okay, but your gaskets, glues, delicate plastic pieces, etc. might not fare so well.

If hot enough, they could permanently deform, peel off, or fail. This is more likely if you attempt to operate the camera at very high temperatures (if you do leave it in the care, very gently remove it and let it cool down before shaking it or operating any of its mechanics).

You'd probably have to be up around 180-200 fahrenheit for damage to occur spontaneously.  Operating the camera or roughly handling it at 150-170 may be enough to cause damage in some cases, though.


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## webestang64 (Jun 19, 2013)

tecboy said:


> Do you carry your DSLR pretty much everywhere even you don't feel like it sometimes?  I was at the art festival in one weekend, and I brought my compact digital camera.  I was a bit disappointed because there was a fashion show that day, and I didn't know ahead of times.  Painstakingly, I had to use my compact digital camera to shoot pictures at those models, and I always wished I should had brought my DSLR.



I don't carry my DSLR everywhere I go......because I don't own one......But I do carry a 35mm SLR film camera with me at all times. 75% of the time it's loaded with B&W film.


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