Choosing the Right Camera

[benjikan]

Which Camera?

I have had the opportunity to be on several photographers forums and one of themes that captures the imagination, visceral reactions and high end emotion is "Which Brand is the Best!"

Back when film was king and in most cases, any 35mm SLR could provide a professional photographer the tools required for doing the job. Motor drive speed was the one of the most important factors in making a decision and most of the brands offered relatively fast speeds for most applications.

Today the requirements are similar with quite a few other considerations thrown in to the works. How many pixels, sensor quality, speed, in camera editing, synch speed, video provision, noise levels, color rendition etc. etc. etc.

Now if we were having this discussion five or six years ago, the playing field would be quite small and the choices would be quite limited. Today, every major brand from Sony to Canon, Pentax, Nikon, Panasonic, Olympus, etc. have some very good tools for those of us looking for a reasonably prices "Disposable Camera!"
Yes I said "Disposable Camera". These high technology tools give us quality that we could only have dreamed of a few years ago, out classing most 6x4.5 and 6x6 Medium Format film cameras and easily out classing high iso film.

When we consider that most digital bodies are recycled every 18 months or so, we have to ask ourself, "when should we upgrade or why should we upgrade?" In the past a 35 mm film body could be used for a minimum of 5 years and the only concern would be would the camera last over 200,000 activations and which lens do I want to add to my arsenal.

Today it is very much the opposite and the element of the the greatest importance in my opinion is the quality of lenses you have in your arsenal. These lenses will be used on every future upgrade of body, unless the camera manufacturer changes the mount system. In that case you are **** hot out of luck.

What am I trying to say here is that I would not go out and spend a fortune on the top of the line camera, unless it is very reasonably priced. Every single mid market camera today can produce excellent professional results. Determine the maximum output required for what ever medium you are working in and based on those requirements, you can make your purchase.

Spend the money you saved on your kids, your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or mistress.

If the technology that is out there today is insufficient in your estimate to produce a fine image, I strongly suggest that you find another hobby or become a professional pixel peeper

Benjamin Kanarek Blog » “Which Camera?”

 

[bigtwinky]

So to sum things up.... spend less on a body, more on lenses, get yourself a mistress.

 

[inTempus]

Or spend lots of money on a body, lots on quality lenses and carry everything in a professional bag with lots of insurance. That's how I get dates.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

Spend the money you saved on your kids, your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or mistress.

If the technology that is out there today is insufficient in your estimate to produce a fine image, I strongly suggest that you find another hobby

:lmao: That first sentence definitely belongs in France where you seem to live and I understand it because I lived there for many years.

The second sentence is of more importance to me because it reflects what too many people here seem to think. "I have had this super duper camera for the last two months but, even though I still can't focus or compose an image, I have outgrown it and need to spend another few thousand dollars to make me a better photographer." ?????

As more than one woman has said to more than one man: "it is not the equipment baby, it is how you use it."

 

[inTempus]

As more than one woman has said to more than one man: "it is not the equipment baby, it is how you use it."

It depends on the caliber of the women you're talking about. Low caliber women think that way, the high end ones like big and expensive tools.

That's a fact.

If you want to run with the big dogs, you need expensive gear. The talent to use that gear is unimportant. A good camera makes the photographer, or at the very least makes him look really good.

 

[dxqcanada]

Men and Women always want bigger ... sensors

Film camera's did not have the capture medium locked into the body. If you needed a better "sensor" you bought better film.

That makes the camera body more limiting on DSLR's, as there are two thing that greatly affect image quality ... Optics (lens) and Film (sensor) ... if DSLR's had user upgradable sensors or greater modularity (ie motor drives/winders, grips, viewfinders) ... there wouldn't be as much rapid changover in models.

My film camera was made in 1987 ... I used it until 2007.

 

[Battou]

What am I trying to say here is that I would not go out and spend a fortune on the top of the line camera, unless it is very reasonably priced. Every single mid market camera today can produce excellent professional results. Determine the maximum output required for what ever medium you are working in and based on those requirements, you can make your purchase.

Spend the money you saved on your kids, your girlfriend, boyfriend, wife or mistress.

If the technology that is out there today is insufficient in your estimate to produce a fine image, I strongly suggest that you find another hobby or become a professional pixel peeper

Benjamin Kanarek Blog » “Which Camera?”

You and I are going to get along real well my friend, I my self take this concept in a slightly different direction but all in all it's the same "You can get professional results without spending two or three grand on a camera body" theroy. :thumbup:

http://www.thephotoforum.com/forum/...6-before-you-ask-what-camera.html#post1134208

 

[inTempus]

if DSLR's had user upgradable sensors or greater modularity (ie motor drives/winders, grips, viewfinders) ... there wouldn't be as much rapid changover in models.

I get your drift, but really it's more than just the sensors that get upgraded. The entire electronics package gets upgraded really. We need swappable innards and we just keep the frame.

 

[dxqcanada]

A removable camera Back ... just as if it was a film camera ... Sensor + Processor.

I always wanted one for my Canon NF-1 ... there once was one in the works back in the very early days of digital.

 

[benlonghair]

The second sentence is of more importance to me because it reflects what too many people here seem to think. "I have had this super duper camera for the last two months but, even though I still can't focus or compose an image, I have outgrown it and need to spend another few thousand dollars to make me a better photographer." ?????

When I was younger, I used to shoot competition small bore rifle. I was top 10 in the state 3 years running. Like photography, riflery is a precision endevor. There does come a time when you are limited by your gear. But that time is generally about the same time you start saying "Man, I screwed that up good. I should have done {insert back-to-basics idea here}."

I could spend buttloads of money on camera gear. (Well, no I couldn't, but I can dream.) But it won't take better photos than the guy behind the camera.

 

[benjikan]

So to sum things up.... spend less on a body, more on lenses, get yourself a mistress.

You are the MAN, exactly! Or for the women out there, a lover! :lmao:

 

[c.cloudwalker]

A good camera makes the photographer, or at the very least makes him look really good.

How true, unfortunately. When I started in weddings I had to get a medium format because in my area nobody "serious" shot those in 35 mm. I happened to get a Hasselblad because it was the best deal I could get that day. None of the brides or grooms could tell the difference between my camera and another medium format but that didn't matter. It was big (or should I say bigger than a 35mm) and that was enough. Ridiculous but that's the way it was. And when someone recognized I was working with a Hasselblad, I was a god

Let me tell you about my first wedding. True story. I was told the wedding was at a hotel, room so and so. I show up and it turns out to be a bedroom. I ended up shooting 99% of the wedding from on top of the bed because there were about 75 people in the room with no way to move around. I managed to get a few decent shots of the couple only by throwing everybody else out of the room for a few minutes


"When I was younger, I used to shoot competition small bore rifle. I was top 10 in the state 3 years running. Like photography, riflery is a precision endevor. There does come a time when you are limited by your gear. But that time is generally about the same time you start saying "Man, I screwed that up good. I should have done {insert back-to-basics idea here}."

benlonghair, you are right but only when you get to a certain level. If all you can shoot with a $2,000 camera is snapshots, it is not going to change because you spend $4,000 on a new one.

 

[c.cloudwalker]

benjikan, sorry.

I did not mean to highjack your thread with my sex talk.

 

[benlonghair]

benlonghair, you are right but only when you get to a certain level. If all you can shoot with a $2,000 camera is snapshots, it is not going to change because you spend $4,000 on a new one.

That was my point. There is a point when gear matters. But at the same time, a bad photographer is a bad photographer. A good photographer with bad gear still gets a decent shot.

 

[benjikan]

benlonghair, you are right but only when you get to a certain level. If all you can shoot with a $2,000 camera is snapshots, it is not going to change because you spend $4,000 on a new one.

That was my point. There is a point when gear matters. But at the same time, a bad photographer is a bad photographer. A good photographer with bad gear still gets a decent shot.

Hey Ben;

You really hit the proverbial nail on the head. Very astute and so true.

Thanks
Ben