RRS Loc: Not sure

No SS is 100% right! There's one hell of a difference between a "camera enthusiast" and someone that is a photographer. If you shoot BIF (birds in flight) just for those that pretend they don't know what that is even after years of seeing that day after day, and you are looking at shots from other photographers and wonder how can they do that. Well 6 or 7 FPS (frames per second) is nice, 14 is so much better and for sports it is almost a necessity. Yes I played with a pinhole camera but a 600 mm f4/.0 lens so much safer in photographing a Grizzly Bear out in the wild then trying to get close enough to get a good shot with a cell phone. You can be happy with being an enthusiast all your life or as you advance and you find your niche you will want or need better gear so in the end it is the equipment. Just so you know I got started in this hobby in 1954 and it has paid my bills for over half my life.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

Exactly 👍

JerryJDavis Loc: Davenport, IA

I agree, but it's not a black and white subject (no pun intended). If you make your living as a photographer, you need to impress your clients. Example: I can take a good portrait with my smartphone, and sometimes it might actually look better than one I take with a DSLR. But no one is going to want to pay you to take pictures of them, or their expensive dog, or of a wedding party, with your smartphone. I get this at work. The bigger and more badass my cameras look, the more I'm taken seriously. But here's the thing: most have no idea what is actually "badass." I use mid-level prosumer camera with a nice lens and a battery grip. The battery grip is mainly for show, as it makes the camera look bigger. The camera and the lens are "good enough" but not over the top. But that's all for work.

If I'm in the field by myself capturing images for a project, I will use whatever I have at hand. Sometimes I'll take an DSLR out. Sometimes I use my point-and-shoot Nikon P900 (great freaking camera, by the way, as long as you have plenty of light - 2000mm zoom lens gets you up close and personal to just about anything). And sometimes I just use my iPhone 7+.

I forget who said it, but I find this to be true: the very best camera in the world is the one you have with you.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

But, if you are trying to carve Mount Rushmore, you better give a lot of thought before you commit to "just" a chisel.

(getting the job done right)=(choosing the right tool for the job)+(knowing how to use the tool)

RRS Loc: Not sure

No, your film camera can't do all that my digital can! I shot Hasselblads for years and believe me I know. How many FPS does your film camera do? Do you send prints to your publisher or do you digitize them?

RRS Loc: Not sure

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

If your pictures are acceptable and pleasing to YOU with entry level gear, that's all that matters. As for me, I upgraded from the Canon xsi through the years to a 5D MKII, and a 7D MKII and I'm getting much better images simply because of the advances in technology.

Spirit Vision Photography Loc: Behind a Camera.

My subjects do not require uber-frames per second. But I do have that capability if need be. My lab high res scans my film after processing. If I want to, I can post process them, which I seldom do. The clients receive a print or a digital file.

I am not knocking high end digital systems. But I do believe that most people do not need them. The Camera manufacturers have the general public believing that the latest technology will make them a better photographer. Which simply is not true. They are in the business of selling cameras, making a profit. Plain and simple. For the vast majority of us, our present system is more than adequate to produce fantastic results.

When I was younger, I was an avid rockclimber of pretty good ability. I could ascend most climbs in any climbing shoes. However, I had a few buddies that always bought the latest shoe design, hoping that it would improve their climbing ability. Which it never did. There is no substitute for skill, talent and vision.

Technique, skill and vision will always trump technology.

KK

joer Loc: Colorado/Illinois

I would be able to tell the difference in focus speed, accuracy, noise, battery life, etc..

Sure if your shooting scenario does not require any of this then it doesn't matter.

dsmeltz Loc: Philadelphia

No. Back to Mount Rushmore. All the Technique, skill and vision in the world is not going to allow a single sculptor to achieve on that scale with just a chisel. Just ain't possible. That is why they used jackhammers.

Sometimes better equipment is necessary.

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

That may be true for some cases and not true for other cases. It depends what you are shooting. Portraits taken with fast lenses have more bokeh with a FF camera than with a crop sensor camera. Landscapes are also better and sharper with a FF camera. However, a $2000 FF camera will do just as well as $6,000 D5 in all cases except sports or birds in flight. The pro cameras are made to make more abuse than the prosumer cameras because they usually are used more often and knocked around more.

A $20 hammer or a $50 hammer in the hands of a master carpenter will do wonderful wood work however the $50 hammer will do it faster.

Retired fat guy with a camera Loc: Colorado

To all of you who seem to need the newest, fastest, highest iso, camera of the week, I call bullshit.
If you look at some of the pictures taken in the past, and I am talking about the Civil War right up to digital cameras. There are pictures that are incredibly sharp. Taken with a wooden box, a Kodak Brownie. No bells, no whistles.
Without, skill, time, practice, and a good eye, your newest, go fast camera is not going give you want you want.
For me, it is not how cool I look, or bragging rights, it is about image quality. When I first picked up a digital camera it was a Canon 10D with a cheap lens . I still have prints on my wall from that camera.

Edia Loc: Central New Jersey

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

I agree with you... and with SharpShooter. Knowledge is far more important than gear, until you need better (or more appropriate) gear. Without knowledge, experience, practice, and understanding, better gear is just an expense.

There are many who CAN benefit from better equipment. There are many more who think it will make them a better photographer. Most of the latter group are, sadly, mistaken or misled.

A great photographer eventually will find the limits of any equipment he/she owns. There's a decision point: Do you want to go beyond that limit? Or can you work within it? RENT to try, before you buy, is my best advice for those who think the results will be better with a Shiny New Toy. Renting also makes sense if you have a one-off need or assignment, and don't want to tie up thousands of dollars for a marginal improvement under rare circumstances.

Ched49 Loc: Pittsburgh, Pa.

You are right but at the same time...you completely missed my point.