londonfire Loc: NY to NC

My MO was always to get a new body/lens combo just before a big trip and do a crash course in learning the setup. I would come home and look at the pics at 100% and for some reason or another thought I could have done better. Months down the line another trip approached and I would go shopping for another setup. I’m putting the brakes on this time and going with my G6 and 14-140 lens and telling myself that if I can’t get decent shots with that camera then I need to change hobbies.

Paladin48 Loc: Orlando

NBBPH Loc: Indiana

Hooray! Great idea and thanks for the tip on Mike Browne. I have the equipment and have had for years. The problem I face is one of composition and just "seeing" what ought to be captured. The camera is there and has all of the necessary adjustments available, it is all up to my eyes and brain - and that is where I can use the help.

Diego Cabral Loc: San Rafael-Mendoza-Argentina

Your point of view seems very honest to me. It is true that in YouTube many people advise to sell and not to help

Jimmy T Loc: Virginia

Sounds promising

OddJobber Loc: Portland, OR

No offense taken. It's just a fact of life that as we age, our physical abilities decrease. Several Hoggers have opined here that VR/IS is not needed at 1/500 sec or faster, but for me, with full-frame and long lenses, I can see camera shake at 1/500th and try to stay at 1/1000th or faster. I remember when I could shoot at 1/8th, but I also remember when I could run for miles and had hair and teeth and several girlfriends.

throughrhettseyes Loc: Rowlett, TX

I've been told that the New Nikon D850 will show you how bad a photographer you really are. It's a very humbling camera because of it's full dynamic range and fast focus system. Oh and it has 43 megapixels. You better buy a new 4 Tb hard drive too because the file size of each image is huge. I want one so bad but I will stick with it's little brother the Nikon D500. Full frame is overated anyway. I can get perfect focus from edge with my D500 because its the center of a full frame sensor that will tend to have the focus fall off on the sides. So save $2000 and get a D500 and back up zoom out to match the full frames.

Bill_de Loc: US

You're lucky. I am pretty sure I experienced all that, but I just can't remember it all.

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radiojohn

Old Army saying: "Get the right tool for the job." Before you scrap the old gear, determine if the problem is caused by you, as in too slow shutter speed, etc. If you determine that the lack of sharpness or whatever is caused by the physics of the lens, then you have the wrong tool for the job. Case in point: A pro friend knew a guy who bought the exact same lens he had but claimed the lens he got wasn't as sharp. My friend borrowed the lens, took some shots and the were just as sharp as the lens he owned.

photoman022 Loc: Manchester CT USA

I host a local photo sharing "club" on Facebook. Not long ago a man looked at a photo one of the members posted and lamented that his photo didn't look as good and that he couldn't wait to get enough money together to buy a full frame camera. He posted one of his bird photos to show his "problem." His photo was underexposed. I download the photo and "brightened it up" a bit in Photoshop Elements. The photo markedly improved. I didn't have the heart to tell him that the latest and greatest full frame camera wouldn't help him as long as he didn't get his exposure right.

This past September I was in Las Vegas and at the Strip late at night. I brought my little Fuji pocket camera (had to walk through a seedy area to get to the Strip). I took a number of great handheld shots because I bumped up the ISO. I met a lady (with a number of her friends) who was also trying to get some great night time shots with a very expensive Canon; the pop up flash kept popping, but all her photos were black! She was using her flash! What could be wrong? I told her to change the ISO setting and she asked me what that was. She then handed me her camera and asked me to do it -- I could have run off with the camera into the crowd! I'm a Nikon shooter (except for the Fuji) and I don't know the Canon menu system (I couldn't even find the menus!!!!) I finally told her to go to Youtube, type in her camera model and the letters ISO, she should be able to learn how to changer her ISO there. I wonder how many shots she missed because she didn't know the fundamentals of photography?

People need to know the basics of photography.

JPL

Before I started this topic I did have very disappointing experience with some Youtubers. I like to turn on my TV when I wake up in the morning and check some youtube videos about photography and other things I am interested in because I like to see what others are doing. Sometimes it is just interesting or fun and sometimes I also learn from it. I usually do this for half an hour or one hour before I get dressed and start my work. Lately I have been very disappointed. I have tried to watch Tony Northrup and it is mostly advertising for some website and long dialogs with his wife about something rather useless stuff or high end gear he is promoting. And sometimes his videos are followed by another video a few days later where he has to explain or make arguments for something he has said in the first video. All in all this is just a long and boring waste of time, usually.

But what really made me mad about those Youtubers was Fro knows photo. I know he is promoting Sony and that is ok with me. He is also selling his T shirts and showing off his fancy Youtube studio. Occasionally he has even made a useful video. But he got me tempted to watch a video some 2 weeks ago. It had the title, "Ken Rockwell is my new best friend" or someting like that. So I decided to watch this video as I have been to Rockwells website a few times and find it very interesting. And the video indicated that it would have something to do with Ken Rockwell. I was hoping that part of the video would be an interview with Ken. But, no, this was just 1 hour or so of nonsense about nothing and no Ken Rockwell there. That really pissed me off.

To me those 2 guys are the most useless popular photography Youtubers.

One more I had in mind is The angry photographer. He is bold and he is gear oriented and he is very cocky but not as angry as his channel indicates and I know many people dislike him. So it is ok to say he is strange. But I actually like his videos because he knows pretty well what he is talking about even when he does it in a manner that make people dislike him ;)

Others I sometimes see are Matt Granger and Jason Lanier. They are sometimes very good and sometimes just promoting gear.
And then there are guys like Steve Perry that are addressing more specific stuff like how to get the most out of Nikon autofocus system etc. That is very good. I also like to look at videos about old film cameras and lenses and repair of this stuff but that is another matter.

But when I found Mike Browne I figured he was probably one of the best on Youtube because he is giving very good lessons in short videos about stuff all beginners and many others will benefit from if they watch the videos.

InfiniteISO Loc: The Carolinas, USA

I am a hobbyist musician, and like the hobby of photography there are musicians that are making wonderful music on inferior equipment and other people that get caught up in acquiring the best instruments money can buy. Many of the latter don't practice enough to ever get competent. At the same time, professional musicians need those great instruments, often more for reliability and repeatability than anything else.

I think the idea of video-based photographic instruction that is not pushing new and expensive hardware is a great concept. Video is quickly replacing written instruction, although that in itself is a bit sad. Many people with great gear don't even know the basics. How many times have you seen folks out on vacation lining up a group shot that you know is doomed to be mediocre at best because of lighting and orientation? Also, many amateur photographers, myself included, tend to shoot too many poorly composed images instead of fewer well thought out images. With a 24MP sensor, I don't really worry about framing as much as I did with a 12MP, and there was a similar regression when I went from 6 to 12. With greater real estate, I can throw more away. And back to sheer numbers, if I had to develop and print all the pics that I took last year, I would be flat broke. The ability to shoot cheaply has made many of us sloppy. I think I may be evolving into a better photo manipulator than a photographer.

I am really starting to pay attention to all the free instruction that's out there, including threads on this forum. I think it's going to make me a better photographer.

JPL

I agree with you. Youtube is great tool for learning stuff, like in photography. But when the videos are mostly about something else it becomes a waste of time for the audience. Time is limited, I for example do not like videos replacing text on news sites because I get the news much faster by reading them than watching a video. For teaching it is different because it is so easy to show in the video what you are talking about and explain it with pics and show how you make them. And those Youtubers that can do that in short videos are my favorites.

RayG

Just had to reply when I read this comment. In my experience you are absolutely right!! When I was 11 the first camera I owned was a hand me down 4 X 5 Speed Graphic from my Dad (still have it). And though at the time I may not have fully appreciated it, all my friends had Kodak Brownies don't you know, my dad had the patience to teach me all the ropes. That, with the help of a mid 1940s vintage GE light meter resulted in a life long passion. I did not appreciate until I had my first Canon SLR how much I had learned and how that helps me even today take advantage of the non-auto features of my DLSR's

LoneRangeFinder Loc: Left field

Several girlfriends...that’s why you can no longer run for miles....