Randyfrieder wrote:
No, I don’t think so.
Sometimes you don’t know what a new item will bring to your life and the inspiration it will help you create.
My argument to this,
using a car as an example:
I have a perfectly good, working car. Does that mean that I don’t ever “need” to get a new car?
Of course, I don’t need a new one.
But, that doesn’t account for the incremental yearly improvements and changes that may or may not, make me a better driver.
There is also the joy, that comes with driving a new car.
A happier driver is a good thing.
Same with my cameras.
I was perfectly happy with the D850. Great camera, it sure served me well.
But, I see the way the world is going,
and it is mirrorless.
I bought the Z9, with no expectations, of better images, both being 45mp, can use the same lenses, etc.
Nope, I bought it because it was a good time for me to switch.
I also had a desire to explore and exploit the new opportunities that the camera brings to the market.
How can you grow, using the same old tools and technologies, and expect to keep up with your competitors??
They are all using the latest technologies, why shouldn’t you??
I had no idea at the time, what a difference that camera would make to me as a professional photographer.
I didn’t buy it because of a particular need.
But, I found many after the fact.
That camera has unquestionably made me a better photographer and I am delivering better images, under many different circumstances/conditions, to my clients.
If I stayed with what I had,
because it did everything that I thought I wanted and needed, I would never have been exposed to the new features of mirrorless in general and the Z9, specifically.
Ymmv
Imho
📸 Regards, Randy 📸
Stagnation is akin to using a view camera, when everyone else is using new kit.
No, I don’t think so. br Sometimes you don’t know... (
show quote)
Joy of using or motivation to learn are both "needs" if you have them. I get that. What I don't get is the automatic twitch reaction that some people have to equate gear with skill.
Gear equates to POTENTIAL to solve problems or improve efficiencies.
Skills are acquired by study, observation, trial and error, constructive feedback, and repeated application of same.
The vast majority of people who like to eat don't ask a chef what pots and pans they use. They just eat the food and (hopefully) compliment the chef. The right kitchen utensils do make cooking and cleanup easier and more efficient. But until you know how to cook, the $10 pan from Walmart and the $100 pan from an industrial kitchen supply house will burn a dish just as easily.
What Emily is saying is the same thing I stress with newbies: For that base set of needs, a decent adjustable camera with a modicum of common features will suffice. As you learn and grow, you will reach a point where subject matter may demand better gear, or you realize what the next level device can do for you. Until then, improving knowledge has a greater impact on output quality (viewer response to your work) than does a new camera.
Professional camera use is different from enthusiast/hobbyist use. Professionals can justify expenses and write them off, and have a genuine need to use equipment that is current enough to qualify for [Brand] Professional Services service and repair. Pros don't want cameras that can't be repaired quickly, or that don't qualify for loaner bodies to be shipped while waiting on repairs.
The well-heeled enthusiast may be able to throw thousands at equipment. I recall a high school friend whose father was a heart surgeon. He had the Corvette for weekend jaunts to their beach and mountain houses they owned, and one day he decided to take up photography. He bought two new Nikons and six lenses with leather bags for everything, along with a supply of film.
After exposing a couple of rolls of film, and getting it back from the lab, he realized his results were no better than from his point-and-shoot rangefinder Yashica. He hadn't read the manuals. He didn't take a course, or subscribe to a magazine, or try anything further. He stashed the gear in a closet in his foyer.
Years later, after he died, my friend found it all when she and her Mom were cleaning out the house to sell it. The receipts were in the pocket of one of the bags, along with two rolls of expired film from the initial purchase. The brainy heart surgeon had decided it was too much trouble to learn to use that "sophisticated" Nikon F2AS! He fell back on what he knew, which was the compact rangefinder.
If the good doc had just taken a short course, or read a couple of books, or even asked me for help, he would have been able to use it. Heck, his daughter had taken a course and knew how to use all that stuff. But of course he wouldn't let her touch it.
Until there is some knowledge behind the camera, results are not assured.