cambriaman Loc: Central CA Coast

The photographer makes the picture, the camera only records it for the photographer.

frankraney Loc: Clovis, Ca.

Very nice photo....... And you are right..... You don't really need an expensive camera, as long as you have a good understanding of the triangle.

jimdandy

Got to hand it to you tnturk. You really stirred some shit up. Oh, and I liked your pic.

sodapop Loc: Bel Air, MD

Agree. There will always be a better camera than the one you have. Or car or boat. Some can't afford a Porsche or a Nikon 850. The op said that he spent his "fortune" on family activities. As he should have. Photography and other hobbies can be fun and fulfilling at any level.


Some of us aren't so lucky and will never be able to buy high spec gear no matter how many hours a day we work.
And I think your final comment is rather insulting to tnturk.[/quote]

PAR4DCR Loc: A Sunny Place

You hit the nail on the head

Don

Bill_de Loc: US

Everybody should have one expensive camera whether they use it or not. Then when somebody admires your work and says, "You must have a really expensive camera", you can look them square in the eye and honestly say, "Yes I do!".

--

SteveR Loc: Michigan

[/quote]

sodapop.....I agree with you about the expense of purchasing a D850 and the commensurate lenses. Not all of us can afford to get into that, although, all things considered, for the price of a bass boat, or the cost of golf, one could get into some really good equipment. Many can't afford those things either. There is nothing wrong with shooting a crop sensor camera. My first DSLR was a D7000 and I was amazed at the photos that it took. Combined with a 28-300mm and Tamron 10-24mm with a 35-80mm f4-5.6 from film days, a $2500 investment (the price of one exotic FF lens) provided me with what I would say was a kit that would be adequate for just about most amateur photographers. The only reason that I have gone full frame is that I have more discretionary cash than I did while we were raising the kids. If not, I would have stuck with dx cameras. Don't be overcome by gas. Yes....the D850 will do wonderful things. Yes, better than the D7XXX cameras. But....at a cost. Don't be overcome by gas if you don't have the cash. Gas masks are cheaper.

SharpShooter Loc: NorCal

LoL, that's the best reason for most people to have one.
I'll bet if you ask how many here have the Trilogy, about half the room would raise their hands. It's probably the same people contending that any camera will do the job......, GO FIGURE!!! LoL
SS

TriX Loc: Raleigh, NC

Of course I read the original post, BUT YOU SAID: “The only thing a PROFESSIONAL camera lets you do is get to the different settings quickly,” and that is not the case. The D5 is not only faster in terms of FPS, but it has substantially better DR and high ISO low noise performance as I pointed out. What is also true is that the owner of the D5 is VERY unlikely to put a $150 kit lens on it, while the D3400 is fairly likely (not always, but more likely) to be shot with lower quality optics. Not every shot is taken in bright sunlight under perfect conditions, and for all those other circumstances, including the ones I mentioned, DR, low light high ISO performance and excellent optics DO matter, and I can certainly tell the difference between shots taken by the two. If you can’t and want to convince yourself that the tools you use don’t matter, then carry on and enjoy, but for me, I believe in the best tools you can afford. Whether it’s woodworking or photography (or pick your craft), I believe good tools can absolutely improve the quality of your end product, especially under challenging conditions.

Ansel Adams has been used as an example of the opposite in this thread, but the truth is Adams went to great lengths to develop and use the best tools available to him. If you read his books, they’re not just about composition and creativity. In fact, a good percentage of his writings concern his equipment - everything from the contact printing light source he designed with multiple switchable banks of lights to alter the exposure of various sections of his prints to many chapters on the exact way to mount and exhibit prints. He was not just a great artist, he was a master of the technical side of photography. And he wasn’t shooting a brownie with a cheap lens, he was shooting large format a good percentage of the time, often from the top of a truck with a specially designed roof rack to shoot from. His wonderful prints aren’t just great compositions, they’re masterpieces of technical accomplishment and perfection.

tdekany Loc: Oregon

How many of the members would you hire with top of the line cameras?

rmalarz Loc: Tempe, Arizona

Adams was also using the best lenses of the time. Once that commitment is made to do your best photography, you need the best you can get in equipment.
--Bob

tdekany Loc: Oregon

But 99% of us have nothing to do with AA. He was a master. He is a perfect example who could have used a toy camera and produce more pleasing results than most of us with the best gear $$$ can buy.

It would be more beneficial to focus on improving: composition, creativity and finding better subject matter. However, I don’t see why Photography is any different from most other things in life. Just because one practices, there is no guarantee that any one can produce pro quality results.

tinwhistle

We go through this every once in awhile to the same end. If a guy can afford the top end camera go for it. If he is a poor photographer before, he'll be a poor photographer after, but it's his money and if no one is hurt, what harm.

Bill_de Loc: US

We really need a term other than professional to describe exceptional photographers. There are many amateurs that produce great work, and many professionals who make a good living because they are great at marketing and only so, so at photography.

I agree that all the references to Ansel are a bit over done. The truth is, we have no idea what he would do today. Maybe he would specialize in shooting 3d video from a drone. We have a member here who posts landscapes from Alaska that, I believe, favorably compare with what Ansel did. In some aspects he does better. Shooting today we should probably be looking more at his process.

Good night now.

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mcveed Loc: Kelowna, British Columbia (between trips)

I agree that better equipment will not 'make' you a better photographer. But it may very will allow you to take better pictures than you can right now.