IQ & Gear Obsession - Do you actually use the camera?

[rhoydotp]

Wow! It has come down to spelling and grammar!


Just agree to disagree, please?

 

[flash]

I wasn't saying that 'pros' dont nitpick and compare, wish and dream of bigger and better... they are just human beings after all...

however if you are a professional in any field you are paid for your skills... not your tools... and as the old saying goes 'a craftsman doesn't blame his tools'

the world of professional photography is a broad church... and actually hasn't really changed over the last 50 years...sports, wedding, journalism, product, studio etc

each has their own set of criteria... but in the end the whole point of being a professional photographer is being able to deliver a image to a client to their satisfaction in terms of quality and/or speed in return for financial reward

personally i don't think the advances in technology have fundamentally changed that relationship

K

PS... weather is what hit New York last night... whether is the word you are looking for

Kevin,

I do think there is an assumption that a working photographer will have tools more than sufficient to do the job to the clients satisfaction as well as the skills. Last years one of the worlds top wedding photographers won the AIPP (Australian Pro Awards) wedding album of the year with every shot in the album taken on an iPhone. That doesn't mean his clients would be happy if he left the DSLR at home and turned up with a couple of iPhone 5s and a great attitude. Unfortunately, when clients don't know how to properly asses photographers, they do revert to judging them by the size of their camera.

Even though I use mostly "compact" pro cameras I'm still very aware of client perception.

Hopefully with the increasing speed of mirror less in the pro marketplace we'll soon see an end to this nonsense. Seventy years ago 35mm would never be used by a "pro". Ten years ago film would always be the medium of choice. Now we all need to be using 1 series bodies.....

Gordon

p.s. I love gear. New gear is fun. But I also shoot 100K images every year so I just tell myself I've worn the old camera out.

 

[Chrisnmn]

im going to skip the other 4 pages of "already read stuff before" and say. AMEN Bhupinder. agree with your rant!.

And yes i use and enjoy my OMD. the only one i have. Ive shot more with this little beast than what i did with my FF gear. just love it.

 

[dnightingale]

I'll preface by mentioning I love camera gear almost as much as taking photos. I love picking cameras up, I like different types of cameras, and I like to use all the cameras I have or have had.

I think there's room for people who like the gear more than developing their skills, and room for those who really do well at developing their skills, though may not have the greatest gear. And I'm sure there are plenty of people who do and have both, pro's and enthusiasts alike.

I don't think there is a right or wrong way to be. For me it's no about who has the biggest camera, or smallest camera with the best IQ. I think those who get enjoyment as much out of the equipment as much as the actual photography are perfectly reasonable and just as valid to have photography as a hobby.

For myself... I love the equipment, and I strive to make more time to take photo's. I know I love getting a great image, though I do have that lust for good equipment as well. I get enjoyment from it all.

Perhaps some might think I need therapy.

 

[goldenlight]

So I work with a man who has a Nikon D800. He just picked it up about a month ago. I was asking him how he liked the camera and how the files looked to him. He told me he didn't really take many pictures, less than 100 per year. He said that his hobby is the equipment, like people who buy classic cars, just to have, to ponder, to accessorize, to show. So perhaps there are two hobbies, photography and photographic gear.

Hmmm, that's a bit like picking a girl up, taking her home, then just sitting and looking at her!

 

[meyerweb]

Uncle Sam is real gear head. He had two Hubble-class telescopes in storage (recently offered to NASA).

Can I get a Hubble to m43 adapter on ebay? If so, I want one.

 

[meyerweb]

the world of professional photography is a broad church... and actually hasn't really changed over the last 50 years...sports, wedding, journalism, product, studio etc

each has their own set of criteria... but in the end the whole point of being a professional photographer is being able to deliver a image to a client to their satisfaction in terms of quality and/or speed in return for financial reward

personally i don't think the advances in technology have fundamentally changed that relationship

Hmm. When I shot weddings in the bad old days of film (with manual focus cameras, no less), I might shoot 100 pictures of a wedding. For a really big wedding, I might shoot 150, on 2 1/4 and 35mm combined. Typically, the bride might order an album of 25-35 prints; other family members and guests fewer.

Today, I think 2,000 + shots are more typical. I don't shoot weddings any more, except on very rare occasions for a friend, so I'm not sure what typical purchase patterns are. But my niece got married last year, and I suspect she only bought about a dozen prints, but she got hundreds of shots digitally.

So while the goal of delivering a quality image may not have changed, I think technology has certainly changed some things about being a professional photographer.

 

[Ned]

Unfortunately, when clients don't know how to properly asses photographers, they do revert to judging them by the size of their camera.

Even though I use mostly "compact" pro cameras I'm still very aware of client perception.

I shoot Minis because I have nothing else I need to compensate for.

 

[Vivalo]

Thanks Bhu, a good topic to discuss about. I have to admit that many times I have had a feeling that I must get the latest camera before it's even released. And after countless of hours of GAS filled internet camera gear lust I have come to the same conclusion: My camera and I can, and do ,take good pictures so why bother to update.

On the other hand I have missed or had poor quality shots due to the limits of my camera. Usually I can get around of the limitations and at those times it's rewarding. But when a crappy rear dial has been accidentally scrolled to -1 or +1 exp comp, or when it starts to rain right at the moment I was supposed to take the picture I hate myself for not upgrading the camera.

So for me it's not so much about high ISO performance and thin DOF. It's more about practical things like handling and ruggedness of the camera, so that "the camera doesn't get into my way". I could still have a lot of use for small AF box, faster AF and wireless TTL flash. Yes, I'm still shooting with the ancient E-P1.

Here are my priorities for this hobby: To take pictures>to process pictures>to talk with you guys here at M4/3 forum>lenses>camera body

 

[hkpzee]

Thanks Bhu, a good topic to discuss about. I have to admit that many times I have had a feeling that I must get the latest camera before it's even released. And after countless of hours of GAS filled internet camera gear lust I have come to the same conclusion: My camera and I can, and do ,take good pictures so why bother to update.

On the other hand I have missed or had poor quality shots due to the limits of my camera. Usually I can get around of the limitations and at those times it's rewarding. But when a crappy rear dial has been accidentally scrolled to -1 or +1 exp comp, or when it starts to rain right at the moment I was supposed to take the picture I hate myself for not upgrading the camera.

So for me it's not so much about high ISO performance and thin DOF. It's more about practical things like handling and ruggedness of the camera, so that "the camera doesn't get into my way". I could still have a lot of use for small AF box, faster AF and wireless TTL flash. Yes, I'm still shooting with the ancient E-P1.

Here are my priorities for this hobby: To take pictures>to process pictures>to talk with you guys here at M4/3 forum>lenses>camera body

Good summary! While I don't agree with Bhu that spending time on this forum means we are not spending enough time taking pictures, I am as guilty of gear lust as anyone else on this forum. However, with the arrival of the E-M5, I finally felt that m4/3 technologies have advanced enough such that I can't blame the gears on poor photos anymore... so, my gear lust has pretty much subsided (for now at least), allowing me to focus on developing my photographic skills instead...

BTW, glad to know that you take priorities talking to us at this forum over lenses and camera body!

 

[Vivalo]

BTW, glad to know that you take priorities talking to us at this forum over lenses and camera body!

Well, in my case it's more like reading only, but it's still nice to hang out here at the forum. :43:

 

[Bokeh Diem]

I run an EPL-2 with a 20/1.7 and that's it. I've had 2 GH2's, 2G2's, a G1 and at least twenty-thirty lenses including the full range of early Panny lenses and some of the 4/3rds offerings, adapted. I realized I had an obsession and sold it all. I miss the ability to switch lenses to get the shots I want all of the time, but by limiting myself to shooting through one prime as opposed to having lenses that I force to shoot through me I am seeing better.

I began life in my teens' with one Canon rangefinder with a fast Schneider 50 shooting full manual, with a hand held meter and rules of thumb. Colour shots were expensive so you took great pains not to mess up on exposure.

I am sixty now. Full circle never hurts.

 

[LeoS]

Ah.. you can't make generalized statements about people who buy gears and people who take pictures...

... but at least those buyers are contributing to camera sales figures.

 

[melonbread]

I normally save for a very long time to feed any of my hobbies, so when it does come to picking up a lens or a camera, I do hours of research. I try my very bestest to read every single review thread ever written on the internet.
Then, when I do have my new camera I can spend countless of hours post justifying to my partner why I got it until his eyes glaze over.
Afterwards though, I go and take a LOT of photos. I'm up to the point where my friends don't even blink at me when I pull my camera out anymore. That's the fun bit for me really, and before I signed up to this forum I spent hours and hours lurking on the image threads.

It's nice to be with a group of like-minded people who's eyes only glaze over minimally when you talk about photography stuff though.

Actually, I can't remember what I was writing when I started this post, so I'm going to stop now. I'm sure I had a point... somewhere.

 

[Bhupinder2002]

https://www.mu-43.com/f35/so-glass-not-cleaner-other-side-fence-35201/

Hhaahahh ..read it again..I never said that NEX does take bad pics .Its all about the lenses.
Cheers
Bhupinder

 

[Bhupinder2002]

Good summary! While I don't agree with Bhu that spending time on this forum means we are not spending enough time taking pictures, I am as guilty of gear lust as anyone else on this forum. However, with the arrival of the E-M5, I finally felt that m4/3 technologies have advanced enough such that I can't blame the gears on poor photos anymore... so, my gear lust has pretty much subsided (for now at least), allowing me to focus on developing my photographic skills instead...

BTW, glad to know that you take priorities talking to us at this forum over lenses and camera body!

HAhaahhh I know ...you are in Singapore and never miss and opportunity to take pics . My OMDs shutter count is already around 7000 and EPL2 sits at healthy 40000:smile: Bear in mind that I had Sony a580 , Canon 550D, 60D and EPL3 for a while . Oh I shot for month with GX1 as well.Now , I agree that OMD has stopped me from glaring at other cameras. I dont care anymore whats in the market . I have a camera which is more capable than me :smile: Moreover I think IQ is quality of the camera and a quality image is quality of the photographer . You can shoot thousands of sharp pics with so called exellent IQ and that reflects your camera's capabilty and still there may not be a single Quality Image to reflects your talent which involves much more than just owing latest and greatest cameras in the market .:smile:
Cheers

Cheers

 

[Bhupinder2002]

Hmmm, that's a bit like picking a girl up, taking her home, then just sitting and looking at her!

Hahahahahaah.... thats divine love .. I just love your soul kind hahahhahhaah
Cheers
Bhupinder

 

[MizOre]

I like it that other people chase the newest and best. My cameras have been the lightly used cameras they sold to buy the brand newest thing: D300 with less than 500 shots, GF1 about the same, and my first good camera ever when I was a teenager: an Asahi Pentax.