Gear
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Learn what camera equipment you need for better photographs. What’s on everyone’s mind
Are 6 megapixels enough or do you need 12 or even 22 megapixels to take good photographs? Will you be comfortable with 3 manual modes or do you require endless menus and settings to be prepared for every possible scenario that may occur? Can a point and shoot camera take good photographs too, or can this only be done with an SLR camera? Many of us think along these lines: “If only I had this pro level camera, my pictures would also look as good as those of the pros”. Is this really true? Stop worryingThe type of camera system is not as important as you might think. An excellent camera may increase the chances of you getting good images. It will increase the number of flawless images due to superior autofocus, faster shutters, and many other nice to have features. But all these features do not automatically guarantee that you can take good photographs. They merely improve your odds. Unless you can turn out good photographs with a cheap camera, you probably will not succeed with a sophisticated camera either. ResolutionTo learn everything there is about photography, I would prefer an older SLR style camera over a flashy, very high resolution point and shoot model. Unless you have very special requirements and need to print mural sized pictures, you do not need all that resolution. I am a gearhead myself. I would love the latest 5D M2, but I can still create art with a Rebel XSi. We need to get over our inferiority complex. People will always wave large professional bodies and lenses in our faces. Much of my city photography is done during photo walks, when a large camera body would be too heavy to carry around anyway. Here is another article I think is worth reading: Arguments against the Megapixel Race. Refocus your energySpend your energy and time to get out and experiment rather than obsessing about cameras. Do not let “professionals” with expensive equipment intimidate you. You have options they never have. You can leave your tripod at home and go exploring in places they cannot go, simply because they have deadlines and expectations to fulfill. It’s never as much fun doing something for a job as it is to experiment as an enthusiast. SeriesThis short essay is part of a series aimed to help you become a better photographer. Subscribe to my feed to get the next articles the moment they are published. Bookmark/Search this post with: |
My readers often ask me if a certain camera model is good enough to take good photos or if I can recommend camera features that will make sure that the photographs look good.
Gear
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..."
Thanks
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
Camera does the trick?
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!
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