Why Gear Doesn't Matter
Mar 27, 2017 15:06:31 #
Why Gear Doesn't Matter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4bhXRdAGOU
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
-- Theodore Roosevelt
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4bhXRdAGOU
Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
-- Theodore Roosevelt
Mar 28, 2017 05:22:58 #
Mar 28, 2017 06:59:00 #
James Slick
Loc: Pittsburgh,PA
Good images are not dependent on gear alone (many fine images in the film era with 620 Kodak Brownies). The BEST camera is the one you HAVE. I have a Pentax K-S2 that is weather resistant and can even shoot some quick full HD vids, Rugged enough for daily use, But I daily carry a $120 Samsung P&S, its thin, has a 10x optical zoom,charges on a micro USB and can also crank of some HD video. Which is more likely to get that one off unexpected event? Same with phone cameras. I'm a camera nut, so I think to pack at least the P&S, But just about everyone carries a phone today, So a lot more "reality" is being captured than ever. And for the Gear geeks and photo nuts among us, Remember the better these phone cameras are getting, the more likely their use will inspire future photogs. Just like the Brownie Box cameras of yore!😀👍
Mar 28, 2017 08:24:17 #
I agree with Ted Forbes (The Art of Photography, YouTube). The iPhone is the most significant thing in Photography since the 35mm camera.
Mar 28, 2017 08:42:42 #
James Slick
Loc: Pittsburgh,PA
delkeener wrote:
I agree with Ted Forbes (The Art of Photography, YouTube). The iPhone is the most significant thing in Photography since the 35mm camera.
Phone cameras (iPhone, Android), In terms of bringing in those who wouldn't otherwise be "bothered" with photography by nature, could even be compared to box cameras or instants, especially those with easy interfaces. Grab,go shoot without a bunch of settings to mess with.
IMHO this is even more so with video. Sure 8mm made "home movies" easy, video Camcorders even more so. But the sheer amount "home movies" shot within a week on phone cameras probably exceeds years of 8mm or VHS. YouTube gives a platform unimaginable even 15 years ago. Truly a revolution!
Mar 28, 2017 10:49:52 #
One of the most common questions that we see in the forum is what camera should I buy? or what lens should I buy? Not to say that "which is the sharpest lens" is also becoming a usual question.
To deny that modern cameras and lenses can make our job easier would not be fair. Digital has so many advantages that today exposure, just to mention one aspect of photography, is easier than ever.
In repeated occasions I have suggested to learn the basics of photography as the first step to better shots. The best camera and the most professional lens in the world do not guarantee better pictures. We all know that a professional can do with any camera and a reasonably good lens what others cannot do with more sophisticated gear. Expertise and experience always win when it comes to photography.
Today, as is very well explained in the video, updating has become a ritual. New cameras are indeed in the market every year, sometimes an update to a previous model with a few more features. The "old" camera is not obsolete by any means since it still shoots and can shoot excellent files if handled by a good photographer.
I never owned a Nikon D200 but when I handled one for landscape photography I was caught immediately by the beautiful colors of the files, the so called first generation Nikon colors. I thought at the time I did not need anything else but I was lured by the D300 and I bought it. Now colors could be manipulated but even so I was not getting the same colors I did with the D200. All other cameras that I have owned so far from Nikon have behaved exactly the same as the old D300. My first digital camera was the Nikon D100 and it also had terrific colors.
We have the tendency to update as new cameras hit the market. This is only human nature since the old cameras are very competent although I admit the new ones have features that could be useful for some types of photography, like the Time Composite in the Olympus OM-D series that I have not seen in other cameras. For night photography that feature proves to be very useful.
So, it is very hard to hide the fact that a good photographer can do miracles with the camera in a cell phone. It is also hard to hide that an old camera like the D200 is most probably all we could need to make beautiful photographs. Without a solid photographic knowledge updating will not bring the best in us. Noise has become part of life when in the past it was not a great concern. Modern cameras and softwares have resolved most problems with noise. It is very hard to find today a lens that will not show its sharpness when we do our part.
According to Jack Dykinga "if we concentrate our attention in camera gear we will be excellent technical photographers. If we concentrate in seeing the nuisances of light our pictures will stir the soul."
To deny that modern cameras and lenses can make our job easier would not be fair. Digital has so many advantages that today exposure, just to mention one aspect of photography, is easier than ever.
In repeated occasions I have suggested to learn the basics of photography as the first step to better shots. The best camera and the most professional lens in the world do not guarantee better pictures. We all know that a professional can do with any camera and a reasonably good lens what others cannot do with more sophisticated gear. Expertise and experience always win when it comes to photography.
Today, as is very well explained in the video, updating has become a ritual. New cameras are indeed in the market every year, sometimes an update to a previous model with a few more features. The "old" camera is not obsolete by any means since it still shoots and can shoot excellent files if handled by a good photographer.
I never owned a Nikon D200 but when I handled one for landscape photography I was caught immediately by the beautiful colors of the files, the so called first generation Nikon colors. I thought at the time I did not need anything else but I was lured by the D300 and I bought it. Now colors could be manipulated but even so I was not getting the same colors I did with the D200. All other cameras that I have owned so far from Nikon have behaved exactly the same as the old D300. My first digital camera was the Nikon D100 and it also had terrific colors.
We have the tendency to update as new cameras hit the market. This is only human nature since the old cameras are very competent although I admit the new ones have features that could be useful for some types of photography, like the Time Composite in the Olympus OM-D series that I have not seen in other cameras. For night photography that feature proves to be very useful.
So, it is very hard to hide the fact that a good photographer can do miracles with the camera in a cell phone. It is also hard to hide that an old camera like the D200 is most probably all we could need to make beautiful photographs. Without a solid photographic knowledge updating will not bring the best in us. Noise has become part of life when in the past it was not a great concern. Modern cameras and softwares have resolved most problems with noise. It is very hard to find today a lens that will not show its sharpness when we do our part.
According to Jack Dykinga "if we concentrate our attention in camera gear we will be excellent technical photographers. If we concentrate in seeing the nuisances of light our pictures will stir the soul."
Mar 28, 2017 18:08:56 #
photoman022
Loc: Manchester CT USA
The idea that you gear doesn't matter breaks down if you print your photos. Can you enlarge a smart phone photo to 11x14 without it excessively distorting? I don't know because I don't own a smart phone. I own a dumb phone that is only good for making phone calls.
If all you do is shoot and post to the internet, then it doesn't matter what you use. But I enjoy enlarging my photos and hanging them on my wall; my friends and family who receive my enlarged photos appreciate them. Two of my photos hang in the legislative offices of the Connecticut State Capitol; that could only happen by printing the photos. My entry level DSLRs are capable of taking great photos which I can enlarge to 11x14 (and bigger).
Does gear matter? No (if all you want to do is publish to the internet). Yes (if you want to enlarge bigger than a 4x6).
This is just my humble opinion.
If all you do is shoot and post to the internet, then it doesn't matter what you use. But I enjoy enlarging my photos and hanging them on my wall; my friends and family who receive my enlarged photos appreciate them. Two of my photos hang in the legislative offices of the Connecticut State Capitol; that could only happen by printing the photos. My entry level DSLRs are capable of taking great photos which I can enlarge to 11x14 (and bigger).
Does gear matter? No (if all you want to do is publish to the internet). Yes (if you want to enlarge bigger than a 4x6).
This is just my humble opinion.
Mar 28, 2017 18:16:16 #
photoman022 wrote:
... I don't know because I don't own a smart phone. ...
iPhone used as a reference
https://iphonephotographyschool.com/print-iphone-photos
Mar 28, 2017 18:31:17 #
James Slick
Loc: Pittsburgh,PA
photoman022 wrote:
The idea that you gear doesn't matter breaks down ... (show quote)
I would agree if you're going for a large print to hang in a gallery. but many,many people never print today. and most photo prints are going to be 4x6 anyways. The enlargement argument was used against 35mm as well. In the 70s/80s the best one could do from a pocket sized camera was 110 pocket instamatic or 16mm "spy" formats. The least capable phone cam today is better than those for snapshots.
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