Why I Bought the Camera I Did

I occasionally get asked why I forked over the money to buy the camera that I did. I tell them that my camera was designed for sports photography which means that it is a relatively fast camera, is durable and is also sealed pretty well to prevent water from damaging it.

As fireground photography can be a harsh environment these are traits that I wanted, hence my purchase.

All of the the stuff that you can see flying around in the image is water from the monitor, which is pushing 600 GPM of water off to my left. The round spots are fine droplets of water that have hit the lens. I didn't get soaked, but a few seconds after this picture was taken, I did get kind of wet. As my camera is sealed up pretty well, I wasn't too concerned, but I would have been with my old one.

People at work ask me all the time what Camera they should buy. That's a tough question for me to answer most of the time, it's pretty subjective. I usually answer that question with several of my own:

• What do you want the camera to do for you?
• What about your old camera is so bad that you are replacing it?
• How much do you want to spend?
• How much effort do you want to make learning how to use your new camera and how to take better pictures?

For me,  the camera that was designed for sports photography, many of the same conditions present on the athletic field are present on the fireground.

• Inclement weather/moisture
• Fast action
• Potential for physical abuse/damage
• Dirty working conditions

All of the above were present for the above image, we made it through with no problems.

This one has worked out well for me so far, I hope it continues to do so. It's going to have to last me a while.

Thanks for reading,
Schmoe