I can agree wholeheartedly and from personal experience. I started out in photography shooting a Nikon D50. Definitely a consumer camera. I made some good images and learned a lot. I also had some recurring problems that I thought a better camera would resolve. After many months I finally got a brand-new Nikon D300. What a camera! But a funny thing happened. I found out that it is actually more difficult to shoot the D300 well than it was to shoot the D50 well. "Pro" or "pro-sumer" cameras are definitely full of great features and they are far more flexible, but that comes at a price. There's a lot more to learn and think about when shooting. The real wake up call came when the most wonderful woman in the world (my wife) said that she thought I had taken better pictures with the D50 than I was with the D300!! I often shoot the D50 now, and I still get great results. When I shoot the D300, I am still in learning mode and, though I have made some excellent images with that camera, it hasn't been the gear that made that happen. Instead it has been knowledge, experience, and generous application of the gray matter in my skull. Like David Hobby over at Strobist says, "More brains, less gear..."

Thank you for your insightful comment Larry. I would guess that the D300 "behaves" differently. For instance my old 300D (Canon) required quite a bit of exposure compensation or the pictures would turn out too dark. This didn't happen with my next Camera (Canon 20D).

I think each camera behaves different and even the processing steps need to be adjusted. On my Rebel XSi I get a bit more noise in the Shadows, but at the same time the 14-bit sensor (20D had a 12-bit) allows me to be more aggressive boosting local contrast.

Due to the higher resolution but the same sensor size, I also know that I should start seeing some softness beyond f/9 due to diffraction.

Your example proofs, that a good camera does not automatically guarantee good photographs and that good photographs can be accomplished with most cameras. Thanks for writing --Andre

I've been photographing for quite some time.
One of the first people to buy a digital camera:
Kodak Easyshare with 2.0 Megapixel, no optical zoom and just 2 x digizoom.
The quality was pretty poor and never 'loved' to use it.
Then I got this extreme offer for a Samsung i70 Slidecamera a short while back.
7.2 Megapixels 3 optic zoom, EISA award for design with little diamond-like stones around the lens and the capability to read txt and play mp3's.
That was all great, certainly for the price. But the photo's kept being of the same dull level.
I was sick of it! I wanted a Digital Mirror Reflex Camera.
But holy crap! These things are H U G E ! And expensive! :O
So what are the alternatives? Another compact with maybe 5 x zoom, or a exspensive dSLR.
If only I could toss a bridge between them... wait! Bridge-camera's: Superzooms!
I am now the proud owner of a Fuji Finepix S8000FD.
I know I get laughed at for it by owners of a Canon EOS and Nikon Dxxx but what a joy!
18... (!) Eighteen! Optical zoom, comming right out of the little camera so I dont need to carry bulky lenses around! And with 8 megapixels, digital viewfinder, histogram, adjustable shutterspeed and aperature, autofocus, facedetection and optic stabilser to top it off. I don't have to worry about the build in battery cause I can just use any AA (mignon) batteryset and also the slot for SD-cards is a big money saver! I made some fabulous closeups of a leave with the morningsun lighting up the leaves dewdrops, zoo animals captured from a good few meters as if they were in front of me. I must say, this has becoming a little hobby and joy to me. It's a big step in quality from compact to such (cheap though, about 2/3 of approx same specs: Panasonic FZ-15) a camera. At first I used the auto mode, because I had no clue, but the last few times getting pictures with adjusted sensitivity and options turned out much greater. I am not really a guy who gets the gadget and the reads the booklet. I approach these things with a trial and error mindset. And that turns out great. Last time I even won a photocontest.
Conclusion: if you want to get yourself a good camera and not compromise size that much, check out some Superzoom- or Bridge-camera's such as the ones from Olympus, Panasonic and Fujifilm. Next on my list is perhaps a small dSLR such as the D40 with the 18-55 mm. I don't think I am a EOS Mark III person. As said before... if you have a good 'relationship' with your camera and work seamlessly together you can take pictures without the high-end gear. It's like cars. The Mark III is a Lamborghini Reventon and my Fuji a cheaper Lotus Elise. But I'm pretty sure either one will give you a blast. :D Have fun taken pictures all!

Hello Andre,

I wish to revive my free-lance photo business after being laid off and have been pondering the decision of whether or not to purchase a whole new camera outfit for studio work. Is it possible for me to make an inexpensive purchase by adding accessories to what I currently own or should I consider buying a new lighting kit and camera.

I currently own the following:

- 2 Canon EOS 35mm (film)SLR's.
- 1 Novatron 1000 lighting kit.
(PURCHASED IN 1990)

I would like to purchase my first digital Canon SLR 35mm because my current lenses are compatable with the Canon series.

My question is; Can I still use my Novatron1000 lighting system with the new digital SLR's?

Please help.
Thank you,

Stephanie

Hello Stephanie,

let me congratulate you to your bold move. Carving out a living for yourself with photography is quite a challenge but a good one. I am confident that you can make it and that you can be successful.
Although I have no clue about the Novatron 1000 and I also cannot find the information on the internet, I suggest the following:
Take your Kit to the Camera store and buy local. Once you make up your mind which way to go, it is well worth the effort and time to buy at your local Camera store. This is one of the advantages of those stores over online retailers. Just be honest and buy from them if they go through the trouble proofing the equipment to you.
Many Camera Retail stores also let you rent equipment. I understand that it is important to preserve as much cash as possible in these hard times. So an even cheaper alternative would be to rent some equipment and try it out. Familiarize yourself with the camera and the software.
When a client books you, you simply rent the equipment again for the shoot and return it to the store. If you find out that you can attract enough business to warrant buying a camera for yourself you already know what works. This way you won't have to spend as much money up front.
I hope my answer helps somewhat.

Hi,

I have picked a sony aplha 200 DSLR recently and started to shoot something here and there. some of the pics has come good while others are not. I follow your page frequently and has helped me to improve a lot. Thanks for for your wonderful guidelines..:)

Hi,
I am just fond of taking photographs and want to be a professional cameraman but still i dont know what actually i am doing with. i have no knowledge about the cameras and its function which i mean to have. i usually use digital cameras (normal with 7 mega pixel). Reminder i am doing experiment of clicking photos from different angle in different mode of environment. Hope you will help me out and in future i will be doing querry with you.

Gautam Gurung

Keep reading other articles. I am always open to answer any specific questions or help you to understand an article better!

I have a sony DSC-F505 which is 2.1 mega pixels and has a Carl Zeiss Vario-Sonnar lens! It has Cyber-shot on the side! Is this camera any good it also says it has 10x Precision Digital Zoom and it has a sunfilter! Is this any good? Will it be any good for Landscape photos and portraits stuff like that! Plese tell me if itsa any good! I really want to be a photographer! It also has a built in flashwhich pops up out of the were the lens is! Its weird because it has a bit that has the lens in which swivels!
There is only two problems with the camera and thats the battery dosent work as it works for only about 4 minutes and also the LCD screen is really bad so i cant really see what I took photos of.

Hello George,
sounds to me that the camera is defective. Although I believe that your skill matters a lot more than the type of camera, you should have at least something that works.
Maybe you can get a working battery and review the pictures on a PDA if the LCD is broken, provided that you can still set every mode properly.
To be honest, one of the best learning advantages is the LCD screen, the histogram and the instant feedback on composition.
I propose you get another camera that is in good working condition.

Well I'm about to buy an Olympus E-PL1 (By the way, I'm only 12). The price does bother me a little. But the thing is my parents won't support me! like "IT WAS A USELESS HOBBY!".

The budget is set, I'm ready to purchase it anytime.
Should I ?

I started photography with my dad's compact.
And it was bad. So I decided to buy my own camera.
My choices were:
- Canon EOS 1D Mark IV
- Canon PowerShot SX20 IS

Which one you think is better?
If you have some suggestions let me know.
E-mail me at jn_conficker@rocketmail.com (I'm just 12)

Doesn't really look like a sincere comment. All three cameras are very different from each other.
A used Digital Rebel is always a good and very affordable choice to get started.