Considering a downgrade (Page 3): Maybe if you had actually said "shifting" instead of "downgrading" there would have been no "turmoil." Moving from equipment that does not work for...

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

lwerthe1mer wrote:

<snip>my seemingly fun comment about shifting away from my a7ii may create more turmoil than I anticipated. Maybe I need to keep my mouth shut.

Maybe if you had actually said "shifting" instead of "downgrading" there would have been no "turmoil." Moving from equipment that does not work for you to equipment that does is not "downgrading" it is ... well... moving from equipment that does not work for you to equipment that does.

How can moving from a system that does not have the lenses you need to one that does be a downgrade? A camera is only a part of a system, it is not the whole system. It is why I went with Canon instead of Nikon when I started in digital. Of course the recent great lenses by Sigma and Tamron did not exist then and might have affected my choice. If I were just starting out now, I might go with a mirrorless since, by the time someone just starting out now, would hit a lens barrier there will be better affordable mirrorless lenses. Of course I am not just starting out, am invested in my system and need lenses not yet available to mirrorless.

camerapapi Loc: Miami, Fl.

Cameras and lenses are only tools. Tools are only as good as the operator. When we do our part our gear does its part.
You have a very good camera and decent lenses now it is up to you to obtain the quality it is capable of.
Learn more about the basics of photography. Learn your gear.
It is up to you.

Chas66

See the new equipment and results you wish to get as a challenge and it may refresh your interest. I always enjoy getting to know new equipment. You have a very good set of kit, get out there and practice, try something familiar and then something out of your comfort zone and I bet you start to love photography with your new kit again.

bpulv Loc: Buena Park, CA

lwerthe1mer wrote:

You guys really give me encouragement. and are won... (show quote)

I am in somewhat the same boat regarding the lack of steadiness that comes with age. My doctor told me that using heavier objects, such as weighted eating utensils, helps steady your hands. I have found this to be true with my camera too and now seldom use my much lighter D90. I now shoot with my D800 almost exclusively, even when I could get by with the lower resolution of my DX camera, and now only buy lenses with built in vibration reduction. The combination of the VR lenses, using a bumped-up shutter speed and the weight of the heavier camera actually helps me hold the camera steadier most of the time; although the weight can also be a downside too. Since you know how to use a complex camera, you should experiment with different weight combinations first, before you change equipment, to establish what feels comfortable to you. Once you have established what is physically comfortable for you, it may help the other issues fall into place because the equipment will not loom as an issue.

As to the basic artistic slump, people have made good suggestions and you should try many of them until you break your cycle.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

lwerthe1mer wrote:

I have been a casual photographer for many years. ... (show quote)

Quit trying different cameras, thinking they will automatically improve your photography. The solution is to improve your knowledge and practice what you learn.

Read the fine manual. Read books! Watch YouTube videos. Take trips with the goal of recording at least 100 images each day.

genocolo Loc: Vail and Gasparilla Island

Very interesting discussion and some really good, heartfelt advice.

kmocabee

As a teen in the 1970s, I used a Nikon F, no meter, and a Luna Pro handheld meter. With only 2 exposure settings - shutter speed and aperture - you learn quickly about how to handle difficult lighting, controlling depth of field, selecting the right film for the task, etc.

I now have a Nikon D7000 and wouldn't ever go back to the old days. The control and flexibility I get now is amazing, and I can "go manual" anytime I wish. And of course, Photoshop and Lightroom give me more options than hours in a darkroom ever could.

That said, the experiences I had with a manual camera serves me well to this day, and I think we have lost something with all of the automation. Like every advancement, something is gained, and something is lost. I sometimes look at my photographs taken using my automatic settings, and realize that I wasn't thinking, just shooting, which is a great luxury to let the camera just do the work. So I work to make sure I'm in charge, and not the camera, and that means spending a lot of time experimenting and RTFM!

When I retire sometime down the road, I plan on getting a 5x7 view camera and go back to my roots, at least for part of my shooting. But I'll never give up my D7000 (or whatever advanced camera I have).

cthahn

You problem is you think a new camera will take better pictures and continuing to purchase new equipment will improve your photography. When you start to understand that the photographer takes the picture and not the camera, instead of being a picture taker with all new equipment.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

cthahn wrote:

You problem is you think a new camera will take better pictures and continuing to purchase new equipment will improve your photography. When you start to understand that the photographer takes the picture and not the camera, instead of being a picture taker with all new equipment.

Please learn to use "quote reply" so that it is clear what you are responding to. You are clearly not responding to the chain of statements made by the OP who made his reasons for his wish to change clear in several different entries. Including comfort with the current equipment and lack of a lens for the camera that meets his needs. Nothing about believing that new equipment (actually old equipment since he is talking about going back to a system with which he is already familiar) will make him a better photographer.

As a result I believe you must be responding to some other commentor. If you had used "quote reply" we would know what that person had said.

jlsphoto Loc: Chcago SubBurbs

lwerthe1mer wrote:

I have been a casual photographer for many years. ... (show quote)

One has to remember "Photographers" take pictures not the Camera! Work on your skills. You said you know the exposure triangle and composition parameters. Now remember you are photographing light. How does the light react with the subject matter. Work on reading light.

As photographers we need to understand the camera meters see everything as 18% middle gray. With digital the range of light shadows to highlights is less that with film. We need to understand this to expose for the best range our camera sensors can record. We have to learn to outthink the camera meter and for sure the camera on auto settings. What you are looking at and camera sees may be very different. You said you are going to keep your cameras, great.

Study how the meter works in your camera the different metering, average, spot, matrix. Work on these topics about seeing light and your photography will vastly improve. Get it right in camera to spend less time in post.

SusanFromVermont Loc: Southwest corner of Vermont

lwerthe1mer wrote:

I have been a casual photographer for many years. ... (show quote)

Glad to see that the advice received here has encouraged you to stick with what you have and work with it more. I also have difficulty with hand-holding the camera for sharp images. So I use a tripod most of the time. If you have a good, steady tripod and a wired remote release, it makes a big difference. It is not cheap, but worth it if it re-ignites your photographic enthusiasm. There are some good threads on this forum about what to buy - to summarize, Feisol carbon fiber tripods are decently priced and good, then there are Really Right Stuff, etc.

The best way to get out of a slump is to just take pictures without caring if they are good or not. Pretty soon you start caring, and keep on taking pictures!

Toment Loc: FL, IL

lwerthe1mer wrote:

This response below to my post fairly accurately d... (show quote)

Just keep reading the posts here, doing the YouTube thing, reading the photography lit, and enjoying yourself. It's easy doing it that way...

dennis2146 Loc: Eastern Idaho

lwerthe1mer wrote:

I have been a casual photographer for many years. ... (show quote)

Rather than struggle with the equipment you currently use, why not get some training to use that equipment properly. You can upsize, downsize go to different formats but it sounds as if you have the proper equipment already. Just learn to use it. Check with a local camera store or maybe a community college, both of which should offer some training.

If there is something specific you are having a problem with ask right here on UHH and many members will be willing to give suggestions.

Dennis

Peterff Loc: O'er The Hills and Far Away, in Themyscira.

lwerthe1mer wrote:

You guys really give me encouragement. and are won... (show quote)

A few points emerge from this discussion that are worthy of further consideration.

1) Getting old and infirm sucks, but not getting old sucks more. Keeping strong helps, taking a heavy camera out beats going to the gym as far as I am concerned, and the simple mass inertia of a decent DSLR and lens mitigates some of the lack of steadiness. Exercise, stay strong and active.

2) Changing equipment won't solve your underlying lack of motivation, get a new lens if you think it would help, but it isn't your equipment.

3) Perhaps you need to find a few projects to provide focus to your motivation. We live in interesting times, they are changing, and they need to be documented. You seem to live in the iconic city of Birmingham Alabama. Whatever political persuasion you or others come from, there is history in the making and plenty of opportunity to choose a photographic project. If not that, some other kind of project that provides a photographic focus, rather than just wandering around aimlessly snapping pictures.

Whatever you do, good luck, but find a purpose or better still, a mission where photography is the means but not the end.

BebuLamar

I think the 28-70 is a good all around lens. I shoot most of my photos with the 24-85mm lens. I am old too but the weight rarely bother me (except in the past few days playing with the Nikon F4. Some how I have a hard time holding it. I don't have problem with the F3 and motor drive or the F5). I don't travel much and pretty much doing my hobby alone. I find subjects near by and around the house.