What gear is expensive depends on what is being mass produced, which in turn
depends on what Joe Consumer chooses to buy. That changes over time -- and
consumers can be rather fickle.

For decades, the world's most popular cameras --- the Kodak Brownie models -- were mostly
medium format: 120/220, 616, 620. Now medium format cameras are extremely expensive
(except for the Holga film camera) -- thanks to digital technology. And large format digital
does not exist.

Since 2011, Joe Consumer has decided he perfers smart phone to digital cameras. Digital
camera units sold worldwide have declined by 70%. So cameras are getting more expensive,
and smart phones are getting cheaper.

So if you use whatever is inexpensive, you are letting Joe Consumer choose what you use.
If you were an artist, your medium would be Crayola crayons.

Photography is inherently optical, but it's only electrical, electronic, digital or computerized
if you want it to be. We invited home computer companies, software companies, computer printer
companies, and consumer electronics companies (such as Sony, Canon, Nikon, Olympus, etc.)
into our photrography, and now our photography is dominated by the whims of the consumer.

Hassalblad doesn't make anything called "CoolPix".
Leica doesn't make anything called "PowerShot".

I didn't used to think it mattered, but now I'm sure it does.

A four-start restaurant that starts buying food from Coca-Cola, Pepsico, Frito-Lay, Andhauser Busch,
Mars, Inc., etc. won't have four stars for long. Those are good companies with solid products--but
they are consumer products. And Joe Consumer isn't too particular about what he eats--as long
as it's sweet or greasy.

So now we have the age of sweet and greasy photography--just the way the consumer likes it:
dinky images in saturated colors, low res, low dynamic range....and displayed on a crappy,
uncalibrated LCD computer monitor. Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

My theme here is that the expensive gear is there to allow people who MUST get the shot under as extreme circumstances as possible to get the best possible shot and get paid good money for it. At the sweet spot aperture and shutter speed, even in Servo/Continuous focus, on a normal open shade or cloudy bright day 30 minutes +/- Sunrise/Set, a well composed photo taken on an "Enthusiast" camera. in the hands of a competent photographer will be very difficult to distinguish from the exact same scene photographed by the same person using top of the line Pro Gear.

However, change the time/place and subject of the photo, and under extreme (very low) light, extremely fast action, sun in the frame composition and the enthusiast camera will yield an inferior, but likely not bad, image compared to the optimal sharpness and exposure and resolution and dynamic range yielded by the top of the line. Add freezing rain/snow conditions and all the other screwballs that fly the Pro Photographer's way in a paid shoot, and that's why they spend 5-10 times what an enthusiast needs to spend.

The possible exception to this thought on "Pro Gear" is when an enthusiast "of means" travels on a once in a lifetime trip to, you pick, Petra, Taj Mahal, Moscow, Peking, Yellowstone wildlife workshop (Carter's of course), where the trip expenditure and photographic expectations exceeds the relative camera/lens cost that the "Enthusiast" might absorb. Part of that reasoning is the great unlikelihood of re-shooting the image of your dreams if you miss the shot.

Like many pursuits, photography has those who are chosen to be great, those who wish they were and know they're not chosen, and the saddest, is those who think they're chosen. Just like you can't out drive Tiger Woods (still!!), and you can't out shoot Steph Curry (ever!!); let's not think you can buy the skill, talent, patience, access and top gear of Nat Geo's Steve McCurry who has delivered many iconic photographs, either.

Echoed here, CONSTANTLY when you outgrow your gear, you will KNOW it because you can't execute the shot you want with what you have, and know how to use the gear than can deliver it. AND you're encountering that situation frequently. Otherwise exhaust the capabilities of what you have and rent that "L" Lens and see if your images tell you if you're "maybe" chosen.

The last thing you want to face about yourself is you got intimidated on a forum by a troll weeeenie who made you feel so inadequate about your $600 lens that you went out and bought an $6,000 Body and a 6,000 lens to compensate.

That's as polite of a rant as I can muster on the wonderful Christmas Day!
And, BTW, if Santa(ess) had left me a Big White under the tree, I'd be out practising with it right NOW! Of course, I'd wonder where she got the money, but not as hard as I'd wonder if I could get the ducks and geese in flight down at the Sparks Marina. Or, if I could get a Skier or Boarder doing a flip up at Squaw Valley--right NOW. But cocktail time nears and I'm about to tune in the Warriors/Lakers.

Merry Merry and Happy Happy,
C

NOSTALGIA!

I remember little booklets with yellow textured cardstock covers- the words "YOUR SNAPSHOTS" were printed in red- in the corner was the Kodak logo. In it were 8, 12, 24 or 36 black and white photographs. The were printed on high gloss paper with white borders and deckled edges. On the back of each print there was a watermark "Kodak Velox Paper" and a stamped batch number. The perforated edge on the left side enabled easily removal of the prints so that I could place them in my album with black pages and black photo corners. The prints could be ordered in regular or JUMBO size. I shot 2 1/4 (Brownie Hawkeye) ordered 5x5s

You would bring you rolls of film (usually Verichrome) 120, 620, 127. 116 616 or Plus-X 828 or 35mm to the drug store or camera shop from where they were usually sent to a mass production semi-automated photo finishing lab. It usually took about a week and my booklet was returned in an envelope- the negatives were in some kind of protector- cellophane or white paper.

I could return you favorite negative to the store for a BIG 5x7 or 8x10 enlargement and for an additional small fee, have it tinted in transparent oils.

The pharmacist in the drug store saw my snapshots and thought I had talent and should be a photographer when I grow up- I agreed. My mother wanted me to become a doctor- I was leaning toward being a fireman at the time. My grandmother suggest plumbing as a career- she had just paid the plumber and figured that they made lots of money. My English teacher said I should be a doctor because I spoke like doctors write! Ended up as a photographer!

Those were indeed SNAPSHOTS! Merry Christmas Folks!

My current gear is upper entry level and I love it. I've never considered upgrading from what I have now and I probably never will. I'm really happy with what I have and I've suggested similar or like gear to those who equal my budgetary constraints. I don't need a full frame for my hobby (and that's all it is) so I'll never buy one and nobody here has ever suggested that I should.

I DO tend to steer people away from entry level because they are so easy to outgrow once the light comes on and you surpass the learning curve. I've owned entry level (Nikon D3400, Canon T6i) and quickly resold the equipment to get where I am. I have just the right amount of bells and whistles to suit me.

I don't know enough about modern point and shoot camera capabilities and features to suggest one to anyone starting out so I don't.

Once a member provides a budgetary figure I add my two cents, and they are based on my personal experience where growth is concerned. Nothing more.