rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

I wouldn’t - I often stick with “old equipment” long after others would be pining for something new.

larryepage Loc: North Texas area

Thanks again for your <mostly> insightful and pertinent comments. I have appreciated following the discussion. The tennis racket example was particularly applicable to the topic. I was reminded of my own experience learning to play the piano. Like most families, mine had a very inexpensive "furniture" piano which was made by a company much more closely related to making jukeboxes. It really wasn't very good...very limited sound unless pulled away from the wall by several feet, didn't maintain tuning very well, and the "action" was so limited that there were some note patterns it simply could not be made to play. It actually caused me to develop some really bad playing habits just to be able to get through some of the music assigned by my teacher. Later, when we finally got a much better piano, I had to essentially relearn how to play properly. Now...the most interesting thing (at least to me) about this story is that my niece, who is truly a gifted musician and graduated with a music degree with emphasis in piano and voice, was taught never to blame the instrument for her performance. Her job as a pianist is to extract the best possible performance from any instrument she is asked to play.

I apologize to those who felt that my initial post was too long. It is actually an edited version of what I would have liked to write. Several other topics that I also would have liked to debunk were omitted for length. The big one was another of the "big lies" that get shared with folks who ask for guidance...the one that says, "You must use the absolutely best lenses on the newest cameras" to get usable results. I found that this statement is patently false and should be eliminated from our libraries of canned lore. Specifically, the 18-200mm f3.5-5.6 zoom that yielded quite poor results on my D300 actually works quite well on my D500. The discovery was a surprise to me, because I got the 18-200 much later and didn't use it very much. My wife has had one for her D40x for a long time, but doesn't use it much, and I've not borrowed it. My primary lens for the D300 (and the D200 before it) is the Nikkor 17-55mm f2.8 gold ring zoom. It has always provided great results on both cameras (and now on a D500), but did not meet the criteria for this experiment.

I also must apologize for not being clear that neither this experiment, the results, nor the report was intended to demean the D300 or any other camera. I think that I was pretty clear about that at the start, but apparently there was something about the words that screened them from some readers.

The intent of this discussion is not, and never was, to tell anyone to go out and buy something new. It was, rather, to suggest that there are a whole host of reasons that a newer or more capable camera (or lens) might help improve one's photography in a meaningful way. I know that in my case, going back to my poorly constructed and performing 18-70mm zoom, the desire for something different has always been driven by the need to solve a problem that technique wouldn't fix or to extend my capabilities to a new area that required something different. I don't believe that there are any words from me that something new will have any effect on artistic vision (mine or anyone else's) EXCEPT that if I am not having to worry about technique, brain processing cycles are freed up to think about composition and lighting and framing and...

Again...thank to those who have contributed.

Michael Dimeo

Thank you for your thoughtful and informative post.

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

On August 10, 1967, we had just moved into a new house in Greenville, SC. I was 12. The builder still had a punch list of "to do" items to complete. He sent a so-called "finish carpenter" to build a door to the crawl space that was accessed from the unfinished basement.

My Dad and I were unpacking boxes, nearby, when Dad spotted the guy assembling the tongue and groove lumber with a diagonal cross member, USING SCREWS AND A GDMFSOB HAMMER!

It was the only time I ever saw my Dad go completely ape-$#!t ballistic! I learned about a dozen creative ways to combine classic Old English swear words in that moment. The "carpenter" high-tailed it to his beat-up, oil-burning, rusty pickup truck and peeled out of the driveway, leaving several empty, crushed Badweiser beer cans bouncing out of the pickup bed onto the driveway. "Welcome to redneckville," I thought.

Dad looked at me, red in the face, and said, "Use the right f******g tools for the job. You don't need the most expensive tools available. They DO need to be suited to the task."

"YES, SIR!" (I could tell he was suddenly embarrassed that he had exploded that way.)

We finished building the door ourselves, once he found his tools.

I told that story at his wake in 2013. I remember that day and that moment in 1967 as if it were filmed in Technicolor.

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

When I was just a little boy, my parents used to take me to the camera store. I wanted to see the cameras. Such amazing designs, such amazing lenses, such amazing prices. My father would buy a new camera every few years even though his pictures where never really very good. He was always reading the DXO sharpness charts and discussing the micron size of the pixels. His images were hardly ever in focus. After he passed I was going through his things. I fear he read on UHH that equipment is what matters most and as he grew older, he never could free himself from this thought.

rehess Loc: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Thank you - this explains a lot of things.

oregonfrank Loc: Astoria, Oregon

If an individual has a certain level of photographic skill and acquires an upgrade in equipment, I would expect some improvement in images once that person becomes familiar with the new equipment. Following this logic, I find it difficult to accept that it is only the “person behind the camera” that matters. For example, why upgrade to Zeiss or pro-level lenses if the skill of the photographer is the only factor in image quality? A superb image results from a complex process involving several factors including skill of photographer, quality of equipment, environmental situation (i.e., weather, lighting, position of subject), artistic inclination of photographer (at least a little different from “skill”), and sheer luck. I believe that events in life in general, including artistic events, are more complex than we typically acknowledge. Frank

CHG_CANON Loc: the Windy City

Photography is easy when you don’t know how, but very difficult when you do.

Picture Taker Loc: Michigan Thumb

You hit it on the head "CHG CANON"

burkphoto Loc: High Point, NC

True.

A certain banal reasoning happens here and on other forums, though. “Oh, if I only had... I’d be able to...” Then they get it, and they don’t submit better images to the galleries.

That’s when equipment doesn’t matter.

Given knowledge and commitment and talent and practice, it eventually can matter — a lot.

But just because a user sets the camera on ‘P’ and presses the button does not guarantee results that impress. Too many folks won’t Read The *Fine* Manual. They don’t know what they don’t know.

Jackson Browne’s “I’m gonna be a happy idiot...” comes to mind. So does Thoreau’s, “The masses... lead lives of quiet desperation.”

As I learned as a pro lab manager, there are some people who should just stay away from technology...

oregonfrank Loc: Astoria, Oregon

“A certain banal reasoning......”

Some on this forum devote substantial time and effort to photography, and thus become expert. Most of us, I would guess, do photography because we enjoy it — simple as that. I have some nice equipment, which I enjoy having. I also have taken some nice photos that I enjoyed taking and enjoy having. What I do not enjoy, however, is the “talking down” from members who have chosen to devote a bigger chunk of their lives to photography than most of the rest of us. I am willing to learn what I want to learn from those who have accomplished more. But just because I am not an expert is no reason to indirectly refer to photographers like me as “happy idiots.”
Frank

aellman Loc: Boston MA

Indeed. He was ahead of his time as an early G.A.S adopter!

Thomas902 Loc: Washington DC

larryepage the Nikon D300 is an epic piece of kit...
Use mine commercially (have two) for many years and they paid for themselves many times over...
They are still in service...

The eight hundred pound gorilla in the room is actually illumination not the camera kit.
If you know how to light, apply makeup, style hair, and select chic wardrobe ensembles that speak to your narrative then you may likely exceed your client's expectations...

btw, my clients never ask me about my kit... well, may what kind of makeup product I use... that's about it..
Below is an example of my makeup artistry... and illumination...
Since you feel compelled to imply it's the kit... Well this image is from an epic Nikon D300 with a stellar AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR optic... an awesome combo!

I'm absolutely certain you can master the violin when you purchase your stradivarius violin larryepage...

My greatest joy and fulfillment in life comes from bridal makeup artistry... bringing out a brides ultimate visual statement on the most important day of her life... Photography is just a job to generate marketing material and pay the bills..

btw I play a stringed instrument that is over 50 years old... and it's spruce top is just now reaching it's zenith... love the feel of those vibrating strings... and the touch and feel of a wooden musical instrument...
Cameras and lenses can't even come close in my humble estimation... I feel sad for those who have never known the joy of playing a musical instrument especially with other like minded musicians... it is such a thrilling rush!

All the best on your journey larryepage...
.

Nikon D300 w/ AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR

(Download)

junglejim1949 Loc: Sacramento,CA

SuperflyTNT Loc: Manassas VA

It definitely matters what kind of work you do. When I’m out hunting a green heron it’s not gonna sit around and wait for me to get the lighting set up properly.