Roger Hicks Loc: Aquitaine

This is at best a half truth. Google "Bert Hardy" and "Blackpool" and you'll find that he shot a famous picture for the British magazine "Picture Post" (a British version of "Time" or "Life" ) in the 1940s with a Box Brownie. It's been a silly-season staple ever since. Send out a very good photographer with a box camera/disposable/camera phone/pinhole, and he/she will take a very good picture within the limits of the equipment.

In other words, forget about controlling aperture, shutter speed or focal length; forget about fast lenses; quite possibly, forget about focusing. Yes, you can take great pictures like that. The range of pictures you can take is however limited. The fact that professionals use cameras with interchangeable, focusing lenses, along with controllable apertures and shutter speeds, is something of a clue. If Box Brownies were all anyone needed, no sane professional would spend more. They do. What does this tell you?

For any given application, there is a 'quality threshold'. Below it, better equipment will give you a better picture. Above it the photographer's skill counts for a lot more. The 'quality threshold' is low: most decent film SLRs manufactured since the 1960s are probably above it, so are many rangefinder cameras and even point-and-shoots. More and more digital cameras are above it too: often, well above it. But it is sheer foolishness to pretend that there is no such thing as a 'quality threshold'.

Cheers,

R.

Frank T Loc: New York, NY

Roger, I agree with you. There are times when it "is" the equipment that makes the difference.
Try to shoot an indoor basketball game with a point and shoot and it will be proven to you that you need better equipment.

PNagy Loc: Missouri City, Texas

Amen.

ole sarg Loc: south florida

I sit and look at Capa, Eisenstadt, White, etc and say how did they do it. Then I realized they could see and compose.

dasloaf

I was going through my basketball pics so I can make a dvd of through the years for a couple of players that I have 4 years worth of pictures. I feel embarrassed by my pics from 2008-09. Some are good but they are not up to my standards. I see how using my 70-200F2.8 lens and 7d have made. Some of the pics from my 30d with 85mm lens are good but I have learned alot over the past few years and now it is time to get some real training to become even better!

ole sarg Loc: south florida

You said you have gotten better.

Once you got better did you get a new camera?

Would you have been just as good with the old one once you got better?

I wonder did Monet get better with new brushes?

dasloaf

over the past 4 years, i have learned many things, improved my equipment and learned from some pros and by the school of hard knocks. I miss my 30d, it was an awesome camera that felt like an extension of my body. Maybe some day, i'll get that feeling with my 7d!

davejann Loc: Portland Oregon

While there is the old saw that a poor workman complains about his tools, that might just be because he chose poor tools to begin with and lacked the skills to compensate for their inadequacies.

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

Right On Roger!!

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

I've also noted that my very talented, well educated and independent mechanic (he works on a lot of German cars...) does not use a Leatherman tool. I'm sure he could do many things with it but he chooses the finest tools he can buy....he does excellent work...and is well paid...

ole sarg Loc: south florida

That mechanic uses the best tools he can afford because that is what he does for a living, but he could use cheap tools - after all a 9mm is a 9mm but they would not last long and could break at the most inopportune time. I know many a very good wrench who will only use Skil tools because they replace ones that break for free, come to the shop and give good credit terms.

As I said, did Monet paint better with new brushes?

Mudshark Loc: Illinois

I could make photos with cheap gear but why would I want to fight the equipment all the time and I can't afford to be on location somewhere and have gear go down.....

photo guy Loc: Chippewa Falls, WI

I had this discussion with a wedding photographer today. We both agree that the camera is only part of the equation but it's the photographer who makes the photo.

Carioca

And so what? "Better equipment", regardless of how you define it, is not available to everyone here, for a variety of reasons.

So are you here to help everyone get the best out of the equipment they have, or would you rather tell some that they might as well not even try?

Horseart Loc: Alabama

As an artist, I can answer that one! YES. As he wore out the old ones, he got better and better. All artists get better with time because they are forever practicing. If you look at early paintings of any artist and compare them to the later ones, you will see a huge difference. I can assure you that I didn't paint the same when I first started (at 4 years old) as I do now at 74.
I have taught many people to paint over the years and I can see a big difference in each of them now than when they first took lessons. I hope practice makes a great difference in photographers because I am practicing my head off!!!!