Noisy Grain

minimalist photoblog by Practical Sander

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About the gear

And what brushes did Sun Dutch paint with?

Usually, on this type of website, people like to show off all the gear they have — and I guess there’s a reason for that. Basically, I don’t really mind it, especially since every tool comes with its own story or reflection. So, without dragging it out any longer, here are my easel, brushes, and paints!

Digital cameras:

The Nikon D300 is my main photography tool. Most of the time, it’s paired with a 35mm lens, which is starting to be enough for most situations so I rarely take it off. Unfortunately, if it breaks down (and it will, someday), I don’t really have many alternatives.

There’s a pair of compact Canons lying in drawers, but they act more as souvenirs or keepsakes. The Powershot has been with me pretty much forever, and the IXUS belongs to my waifu. She bought it specifically before the trip to Mongolia, but as luck would have it, she ended up leaving it behind in Poland.

Naturally, I always have the camera on my Motorola smartphone with me as the ultimate last resort. It’s the first phone I ever bought with my photography needs in mind. I wanted to have a good camera right in my pocket, ready at hand. What can I say, it’s my favorite phone ever. However, the lens protective glass breaks quite often for me, I’ve had to replace it couple of times already.

Film cameras:

Practice is the salt of this blog, that’s where everything all began. My box for film exposure is fully mechanical, with no unnecessary microchips, light meters, or autofocus systems.

I keep the Nikon F65 for situations that require accurate exposure, without the hassle of calculating everything in my head based on phone readings. Paired with a 50mm lens, it’s a very pleasant setup for a trip.

As a curiosity, I also have a Zenit with a Helios lens, usually serving as a hammer. Somewhere at the bottom of a drawer lies a Minolta F25 (in its original case), a point-and-shoot for every occasion, but who am I kidding, when I’m gonna use it really?

In need of renovation:

In addition to all the previously mentioned cameras, I also have some that are currently on the sidelines, as they require a bit more attention before I can comfortably use them.

One of them is the indestructible Nikon F4, though it could use some cleaning and lubrication here and there, just so I’m not pushing its limits. Until I check that off the list, it sits politely on the shelf and pleases the eye. Some people complain about its weight, but to me, that’s actually a plus — I like feeling that I’m holding something solid in my hands.

For that same reason (and out of a desire to try the legendary medium format), I have the legendary Praktisix with a Zeiss lens. Unfortunately, due to a stroke of bad luck and my lack of foresight, it suffered some damage and is now waiting to be repaired.

Home computing:

In this regard, I won’t impress anyone. For many years, my most powerful piece of hardware has been an old but trusty custom-built Gigabyte PC, bought from a friend in 2017. The component layout hasn’t changed much since then, so it’s definitely showing its age compared to current standards. I keep thinking about adding another 8GB of RAM, but other expenses keep pushing that plan back. The main upgrades, aside from additional drives, have been swapping the Zalman case for a SilentiumPC one and installing an M-Audio Delta Audiophile 2496 sound card. In a few years, it’ll probably end up as a retro desktop running Windows 10 — although it’s just as likely that I’ll keep using it with Linux. The important thing is that it handles Darktable and GIMP (or Krita) just fine, and for games from the 1998–2018 era, it’s perfect.

Behold the desktop, 2021
Motorola One Vision

I have very fond memories associated with the EliteBook 840 G1, as this model served as my corporate workstation for quite a few years. Admittedly, the unit I currently own isn’t the exact one I used back then, but it’s no worse. In fact, it’s slightly better in terms of quality: it has a backlit keyboard, and I upgraded the screen to a 1080p panel. There’s something strangely pleasant and soothing about it, perhaps an association I developed during the pandemic. Running MX Linux, it still handles all assigned tasks reasonably well — including Darktable. As you might guess, it’s my go-to interactive typewriter. Sometimes I feel it might be a bit dull and too “corporate,” but then I think, I wouldn’t want any other.

First days of lockdown, 2020
Motorola One Vision

The Dell D600 is my retro toy running Windows XP, letting me travel about 20 years back in time. Its specs are so average they practically scream “2005”, it probably spent a good few years in some auto repair shop as a diagnostics station. It doesn’t have a dedicated graphics card, which brings some obvious limitations, but for games from the late ’90s and early 2000s, it’s more than enough.

Testing classic titles, 2025.
Motorola One Vision

A Toshiba laptop plays a similar role, though much less frequently. I got it around 2008, and it’s basically my time capsule from the late 2000s. It was my first proper personal laptop. Back then, it served me for work and staying in touch with the world, though I would occasionally run simpler games on it, like the early Call of Duty titles or emulated PSX games. Especially since, for gaming, I initially had a PS2 Slim (which I foolishly gave away in good faith to someone in need), and later a PS3 Super Slim — which, to this day, remains my main multimedia device. It handles everything I throw at it.

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