Dust collecting cameras?

eyeye

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I am wondering, of the people who buy a DSLR for the first time, about what percent do you think apply themselves to learning and growing as a photographer and about how many keep it on auto until it ends up collecting dust somewhere?

I ask because I took the kids to the zoo yesterday. It was a beautiful day but not many people were there. However I saw about 10 moms with dslrs. I don't bring mine to the zoo. Been there, done that. But it made me think "wow! they are going to put the portrait business OUT of business" until I realized everyone I know with a dsrl (which is quite a few people now), with the exception of one, hardly touch it.

So what do you think? 90%? More? Less? And why?
 
In my observation, camera manufacturers are very good at marketing the DSLR as the one and only tool "required" to create a good photo. Everyone and their mother goes into a store with this on their mind... that a DSLR is what they need if they want the best photo possible.

The issue is that no one ever asks themselves if they "need" a DSLR nor want to deal with the size/weight of carrying one. They don't understand that the camera must fit you. The camera itself is only useful if it is with you when a photo op arises. Lets not forget that retail shops love to sell DSLRs... the profit margin is nicer and you hope that a percentage will return, wallets in hand, to purchases lenses and accessories.

The typical consumer also does not want to put the leg work into research. Bigger (more mega pixel... bigger lenses) is an easy indicator to look for. No one (even here) believes that a P&S is worth anything if you really care about photography.

So my guess is about 75% of the people that buy a DSLR probably would have been happier if they would have just purchased a good P&S. Of that 75%, a huge portion will be frustrated because they were lead to believe that a simple camera choice will result in magazine quality photographs. The same people that look at my photos and say nice camera. :er:
 
yeah i know some people who bought dslrs and kept the thing in auto...i told them the good thing with buying a dslr is that you could adjust everything and they're like meh...

then they take pics in auto and it comes out the same as P & S. that time i didn' have a dslr yet and i think to myself...what a waste of equipment.
 
In my observation, camera manufacturers are very good at marketing the DSLR as the one and only tool "required" to create a good photo. Everyone and their mother goes into a store with this on their mind... that a DSLR is what they need if they want the best photo possible.

The issue is that no one ever asks themselves if they "need" a DSLR nor want to deal with the size/weight of carrying one. They don't understand that the camera must fit you. The camera itself is only useful if it is with you when a photo op arises. Lets not forget that retail shops love to sell DSLRs... the profit margin is nicer and you hope that a percentage will return, wallets in hand, to purchases lenses and accessories.

The typical consumer also does not want to put the leg work into research. Bigger (more mega pixel... bigger lenses) is an easy indicator to look for. No one (even here) believes that a P&S is worth anything if you really care about photography.

So my guess is about 75% of the people that buy a DSLR probably would have been happier if they would have just purchased a good P&S. Of that 75%, a huge portion will be frustrated because they were lead to believe that a simple camera choice will result in magazine quality photographs. The same people that look at my photos and say nice camera. :er:

Signature FTW.
 
yeah i know some people who bought dslrs and kept the thing in auto...i told them the good thing with buying a dslr is that you could adjust everything and they're like meh...

then they take pics in auto and it comes out the same as P & S. that time i didn' have a dslr yet and i think to myself...what a waste of equipment.
Yeah I see alot of that and say that alot. And I totally agree with usayit. But another thing is the vicious cycle of keeping up with the next guy or the Jones.
And I thought this was going to be a thread about our old film cameras.
 
I never even set mine down to let it collect any air. It's always around my neck, and almost always up to my eye. Heck, I was even turning dinner into a photo shoot; until my mom started yelling at me to put it down that was.
 
DSLRs will become less popular as soon as compact digital cameras stop having shutter button lag, and high ISO quality goes up. Right now if a mom wants the photo to be taken when she pushes the button, or to get decent image quality for large prints at ISO 400+ a DSLR is their only choice.
 
I have had mine for 4 or 5 months now. For the most part mine is in auto. but my problem is i dont have an outlet to learn.
 
Akoz, you have the internet and a library. I never shoot in auto and never have. Internet+book store.
 
eyeye i hope your happy. I used the Internet to buy books. They should be in next week.
 
Akoz, the only mode on your camera's dial that isn't an auto mode is M. M is the only mode that won't do its best to help you take a good picture. The modes Tv, Av, P (Or you might even have S or TaV) are all auto modes. Try them out.

Try going online and looking up what fast and slow shutter speeds do, then shoot in Shutter priority mode (Tv) for a while. Then go online again and learn what a wide or narrow aperture does, then shoot in Av mode to practice that.

It's really easy to learn these basics, you just need the initiative and a bit of bravery to get that camera out of green mode for the first time.

The issue is that no one ever asks themselves if they "need" a DSLR nor want to deal with the size/weight of carrying one. They don't understand that the camera must fit you.
Exactly! I downsell people all the time because I believe this very strongly. Some people are much better off with something more portable and cheap, especially if they have no idea how to unlock the power of an SLR nor want to learn. Nevermind the weight.
 
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You are very right about the shutter lag. In fact, when I first started looking at more advanced cameras it was for that very reason. I was so sick of shutter lag! But I wouldn't have gotten a dslr if I had not meant to seriously learn it. In all fairness I have a photographer in the family who guided me (instead of a salesman at wolf camera) so I knew what I was buying.
 
I'm a member of a couple "mommy" boards and many of them have very nice cameras, certainly more professional than my little Panasonic, but it is very frustrating to see the images that most of them produce with them - they could be so.much.better. And I have seen several comments that the larger cameras are just inconvenient so they leave them at home, so there is something to the "dust-collecting" theory too.

However, some take nice shots and really do benefit from their dslr as opposed to a basic P&S and it's a joy to see those images.

I would say that well over 90% of non-pro owners do not exploit all of the features of the DSLR. A much smaller percentage cease to use them at all in favor of a smaller/cuter/more portable camera.
 
DSLRs will become less popular as soon as compact digital cameras stop having shutter button lag, and high ISO quality goes up.
I dont know about that. I dont think they will eliminate the lag to the point where it is as good as Dslrs. They might speed it up some but it will be left in there. Killing off the diffrence would kill off their more lucrative market. Just the extras needed for a Dslr makes them lots of cash. Especially in glass.
 
In my observation, camera manufacturers are very good at marketing the DSLR as the one and only tool "required" to create a good photo. Everyone and their mother goes into a store with this on their mind... that a DSLR is what they need if they want the best photo possible.

The issue is that no one ever asks themselves if they "need" a DSLR nor want to deal with the size/weight of carrying one. They don't understand that the camera must fit you. The camera itself is only useful if it is with you when a photo op arises. Lets not forget that retail shops love to sell DSLRs... the profit margin is nicer and you hope that a percentage will return, wallets in hand, to purchases lenses and accessories.

The typical consumer also does not want to put the leg work into research. Bigger (more mega pixel... bigger lenses) is an easy indicator to look for. ...

So my guess is about 75% of the people that buy a DSLR probably would have been happier if they would have just purchased a good P&S. Of that 75%, a huge portion will be frustrated because they were lead to believe that a simple camera choice will result in magazine quality photographs. The same people that look at my photos and say nice camera. :er:
I agree with this part in full, but to add to that.

What burns me the most is manufacturer manipulation (for lack of a more appropriate phrase), the making of P&S cameras that perform poorly in comparison. I posted a thread not long ago about several P&S cameras failing in indoors low light conditions. When my twenty something year old P-shooter can AF with no assist lamp and be shot handheld with onboard flash for shots like these

013-1.jpg


004-2.jpg

(^^^scanned Prints BTW)
At the same time my modern P&S can't figure this out

100_2628.jpg


Something is not right. This is yet another thing I feel is leading people to believe that the Point and shoot is pointless in favor of the big hulking dSLR that can do everything.


No one (even here) believes that a P&S is worth anything if you really care about photography.
On the contrary, I do believe that a P&S has it's worth. It holds it's truest value in that very aria being discussed. I have made it abundantly clear over the past year my feelings about this. Point and shoot cameras are for saving memories and quick convienient as needed use. I can't tell you how many pictures came out of the two P&S cameras currently in my briefcase as well as the one I finally killed last year. They are innumerable, and nine times out of ten an SLR camera was either just plain inconvienient or an uncapable choice for the task at hand resulting failure.
 

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