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Does gear matter?

arun.is

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Re: Does gear matter?

#51

Post by blharr »

allsunny wrote: post #13

It matters at a certain level that most don’t reach. I used to play pool a long time ago and there was one player that was far and away the best in the billiard hall. He would always say, “It’s the Indian not the Arrow” when people would come in with their fancy personal pool cues. To make his point he would grab the most warped pool cue off the wall and generally beat anyone he went up against. The saying isn’t PC t…

Isn't it the opposite? It matters none to the outliers because they're so far above the competition, but it matters at least significantly to the average person.

The Indians also spent expertise fletching decent arrows, for that reason.

Re: Does gear matter?

#52

Post by PetitPrince »

bluesquared wrote: post #45
jebarker wrote: post #9

I'm at the early stages of learning photography. I've always taken lots of photos, but without much skill or care. I have an entry level DSLR and understand that the quality of my photos is almost entirely determined by my skill as a photographer. However, I don't really enjoy using the DSLR due to the size and weight. Any recommendations on what might be a better setup for me? I like travel and nature photography, b…

The Fuji X100V is practically a meme in some circles now https://fujifilm-x.com/en-us/products/cameras/x100v/ Compact, lightweight, the built-in 23mm lens is good for most travel and nature shots you'd be taking as an amateur (from a fellow amateur, no insult intended) If you're looking for something "aesthetic" and "ergonomic" Fuji is #1

Seconded for anything Fujifilm in the mid-to-high end.

The way they put dedicated dial with marking for all the principal part of the exposure trifecta (shutter speed, aperture, ISO) just clicks right with how my brain works.

My holiday kit is a X-T3 paired with a 23mm, 14mm and 50-230. Everything fits in a sling bag (the Peak design one); I can carry it in fanny pack mode if I need to have a backpack.

I

Re: Does gear matter?

#53

Post by onemoresoop »

vladvasiliu wrote: post #35
pflenker wrote: post #10

What this article doesn't mention is that over time, cameras have made _huge_ leaps and bounds, while the author was transitioning through the phases he describes. It's likely that had he been already at the final stage of competence at the beginning, gear would have mattered a lot more. Cameras back then were just not able to provide good pictures in settings with non-ideal light conditions, for example. Sometime in…

> I guess if we repeated that experiment nowadays it would be the other way round. I doubt that. I'm not a pro photographer by any means, but my 2016 olympus pen-f (m4/3 format, so the sensor area is a quarter of "full frame") wipes the floor with my iphone 14 pro it's not even funny. Had a friend the other day comment on some random pics I took in a bar with the pen-f, as seen on the phone's display: "how come your…

That and the fact that modern cameras add all kind of enhancements which may look good to amateurs but bother me a lot.

I do enjoy being able to take phone snapshots anytime I don't have my large camera with me but when I lug the camera I think in different ways.

Re: Does gear matter?

#54

Post by giva »

formerly_proven wrote: post #41
giva wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I believe that, in terms of compactness and image quality, it is hard to beat Sony's mirrorless, but personally I can't stand their ergonomics.

Well then you can just use a Nikon

I got a micro 4/3 (panasonic gx85) that I quite like some years ago, but I'm not sure I would recommend it today.

Re: Does gear matter?

#55

Post by jebarker »

nox101 wrote: post #40
jebarker wrote: post #9

I'm at the early stages of learning photography. I've always taken lots of photos, but without much skill or care. I have an entry level DSLR and understand that the quality of my photos is almost entirely determined by my skill as a photographer. However, I don't really enjoy using the DSLR due to the size and weight. Any recommendations on what might be a better setup for me? I like travel and nature photography, b…

Get/Make a camera case for your smartphone ... I'm only half joking.

That's actually not a terrible idea! 3D print something to improve the ergonomics and provide real controls

Re: Does gear matter?

#56

Post by jebarker »

bluesquared wrote: post #45
jebarker wrote: post #9

I'm at the early stages of learning photography. I've always taken lots of photos, but without much skill or care. I have an entry level DSLR and understand that the quality of my photos is almost entirely determined by my skill as a photographer. However, I don't really enjoy using the DSLR due to the size and weight. Any recommendations on what might be a better setup for me? I like travel and nature photography, b…

The Fuji X100V is practically a meme in some circles now https://fujifilm-x.com/en-us/products/cameras/x100v/ Compact, lightweight, the built-in 23mm lens is good for most travel and nature shots you'd be taking as an amateur (from a fellow amateur, no insult intended) If you're looking for something "aesthetic" and "ergonomic" Fuji is #1

I watched some video reviews and am definitely tempted. Cost is high though given my amateur status. I can afford it, I just don't feel worthy!

Re: Does gear matter?

#57

Post by antisthenes »

If you have a pair of eyes, obviously gear will actually matter.

I don't know what the state of DSLR market is today, but in 2007, I took an amateur photography class in community college and had to rent a cheap camera to take photos for the assignment. It was pretty clear that despite using best available settings to take pictures, my photos looked nowhere near as noise-free/crispy as other adult hobbyists with $10,000 camera setups.

If you ever used a point-and-shoot camera and a high-end DSLR, you'll know that at the same level of skill nothing can compensate for good optics. It's simple physics.

Gear matters more in low-light conditions, or with fast-moving objects. It matters less for landscape photography with good lighting conditions.

But it always matters.

Re: Does gear matter?

#58

Post by pompino »

munchler wrote: post #33
pompino wrote: post #21

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Its not the same, the act of taking a picture is seen as simply pressing a button - which is true. The process of designing an image isn't. So if you were an art director in a studio in charge of the look of the model, hair, makeup, etc, nobody will question your credentials, but if you were the photographer hired to simply take the photo, then you're merely an operator of an instrument, not someone with a creative v…

Most writing these days is also done by pressing buttons.

Yeah, but the series of combinations of the 26 buttons allows for creative expression in a way that photography doesn't.

Re: Does gear matter?

#59

Post by gadders »

pompino wrote: post #21
gadders wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife's a pretty good family photographer (i.e. doesn't do it professionally) and she used to get the same. I bet nobody goes up to authors and says "Great book - what pen did you use?"

Its not the same, the act of taking a picture is seen as simply pressing a button - which is true. The process of designing an image isn't. So if you were an art director in a studio in charge of the look of the model, hair, makeup, etc, nobody will question your credentials, but if you were the photographer hired to simply take the photo, then you're merely an operator of an instrument, not someone with a creative v…

I'm not sure if I'm agreeing or disagreeing with you, but if you gave me and my wife identical cameras (with identical settings) and let us both loose at a park or kids birthday party, she would get better pictures than me. They'd be framed better, she'd capture better moments, they'd be from better angles etc.

Re: Does gear matter?

#60

Post by gadders »

munchler wrote: post #32
gadders wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

My wife's a pretty good family photographer (i.e. doesn't do it professionally) and she used to get the same. I bet nobody goes up to authors and says "Great book - what pen did you use?"

A lot of people are interested in the process behind good writing, up to and including what word processor or analog technology the author used.

That won't help them to write the Great Gatsby though.
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