Does the Camera Model really matter?

Olivia Green

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Not getting into professional photography but still feel something for it. Got a Nikon D3200 with basic 18-55 kit lens. Just wanted to know if its perfect for Landscape shots or if I need to upgrade the lenses. As I said, not into professional photography but just one of the hobbies. Being a traveler a great portfolio of photos is a plus.
 
Yes get yourself decent photo software but first get to know your camera.
 
It's possible to make good landscape with that camera/lens. Invest some time in learning to use raw development software that has comprehensive adjustment tools like distortion correction, perspective correction, rotation etc; fringing/CA removal. RawTherapee Blog

Not getting into professional photography but still feel something for it. Got a Nikon D3200 with basic 18-55 kit lens. Just wanted to know if its perfect for Landscape shots or if I need to upgrade the lenses. As I said, not into professional photography but just one of the hobbies. Being a traveler a great portfolio of photos is a plus.
Editing and Processing is something which will be done after the shot has been taken. Just wanted to know if the the Camera and kit lens are strong enough for decent landscape images, which by your answer seems they are.
 
Yes get yourself decent photo software but first get to know your camera.
Have spent a lot of days learning the ins and out and practicing already with the rule of thirds. Will focus more on learning the settings.
 
I personally have found photography to be much more enjoyable with better gear. I have found the lenses and 100% coverage viewfinder to be very beneficial to me. I have found the Fujifilm lenses to be much better than the Nikon ones and less time in front of a computer, editing. I am not saying Fuji is better but my setup is way, way better than what I was using when I was shooting an entry level D3300. If you don't want to spend a lot of time in front of a PC, then spending the money on a Fujifilm XT2 or Nikon D800 series with FX glass will serve you well and cut down on the frustration. Of course, getting the basics down on framing, composition, and the exposure triangle will elevate your photography no matter what hardware your using. So get to know your D3200 / kit and maximize it's potential. If you decide it's something you want to continue doing, then upgrade your hardware.
It's not all about the hardware but more so, the 10" behind the viewfinder. Get good with what you got, so when you get better hardware, you will find it much more enjoyable. That has been my experience. For me, if I have to spend more than 5 minutes editing an image in software, than I rushed to take the image or I wasn't skilled enough to compensate for that moment's notice. I have put many hours in over the last year and a half, getting the image right in camera. It's been a strict goal of mine to do so, so much so, that I even bought a film camera (s) to drive the process into my brain so it becomes second nature. I'm going on vacation at the end of the week and my mentor agrees, bring two lenses, a wide (23mm), and a telephoto (80mm). All I am going to work on is framing and just have fun doing it. I will also bring a film camera with a 35mm and a 16mm fish eye. I am also going to do some work on a tripod. Slow, methodical, careful shooting, both hand held and stabilized.
 
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Echoing the comments above as to the importance of the photographer behind the camera. A skilled artist can turn out beautiful work regardless of the equipment. Look up some of the great artists using nothing but a pin hole camera. The other thing is that knowing more about the basics - exposure, composition, and lighting, will also allow you to make a more informed decision on your equipment choice.
 
I am also going to do some work on a tripod. Slow, methodical, careful shooting

This is key for landscape images. Better cameras don’t really take better photos; they just let you change settings more easily and have features that make them easier to use.

What makes a good landscape image is taking your time, using a tripod, and being very deliberate with every decision you make about taking the photo. As you gain experience this process will become second nature.

My rule is that I refuse to shoot landscapes without a tripod. If a landscape photo isn’t worth setting up a tripod for then it isn’t worth taking at all.
 
Just wanted to know if the the Camera and kit lens are strong enough for decent landscape images,
Decent, yes. I will recommend that you don't try to push the envelope. Make your important shots using a tripod, and a moderate aperture (remember to turn off the VR). I should think somewhere between f/8 and f/16 should get very good photographs. Develop your hand-holding technique so you can get good photographs even when you don't have your tripod along. Invest in a lightweight travel-type tripod and try to always have it handy. A good tripod and a cable release should be your natural mode.

The remainder is your artistic vision. Use the light to your advantage. Think "near and far", although they don't have to be in the same frame. Use natural frames within the frame. Try to capture scenes that nobody has expected.
 
It's not about having better kit, it's about knowing why you have better kit.
You come to know this by having worse kit, rather than coming to be being told this by having worse kit.
 
It's not about having better kit, it's about knowing why you have better kit.
You come to know this by having worse kit, rather than coming to be being told this by having worse kit.

^this. You don’t need to upgrade until you find the limits of your current kit.
 
Your camera and lens will do a fantastic job, especially at f/8+ - heck, I take nice landscapes during the day with my mobile phone! :) I am no landscape photographer, but I know that the secrets to fantastic, out-of-this-world landscapes are: (1) location; (2) time of the day for best light; (3) time of the year for best light; (4) composition; (5) willingness to get up early, get cold or wet, hike miles or whatever to get to the perfect spot. Compared to those factors, the camera is not much of a factor... you got a good one. For serious landscape work a tripod is essential. Also understanding how light builds up with long exposures, capturing motion of water, some post-processing... you can learn a lot of this on youtube or the internet.
 
A car mechanic would not be a 'good one' unless he first learned how to use the tools he has to work with. Nor does a mechanic need every tool that's available to do every job. Knowing -what- to use, -when- to use it, and -how- to effectively use each tool are all critical factors in becoming a good mechanic.

One look at the 'giant' tool box many pros have reveals there's 'a million' tools in there! Be assured that he or she did not instantly know what, when and how to use each tool over night! What seems like eons ago when I and my friends started working on our cars while in high school, we only needed sets of open, closed, and socket wrenches, a variety of screw drivers, pliers, and a hammer or two, and we could fix just about anything we drove. If we didn't have a timing light or brake wrench, one of us usually knew someone who did and was willing to teach us how to use it.

Just as the number of tools needed to be acquired and learned by mechanics has grown greatly over the past 60 years, photography has had an even bigger 'quantum leap' in that time frame. Learning to be a mechanic, photographer, or any other skilled professional all require one to 'start at the bottom' with basic tools. Once they are sufficiently understood enough to become 'automatic', then it's on to the next step. And the next. And another next. And it keeps on going.

No other aspect of photography is more important, or more fundamental than getting proper exposure of an image. From the very beginning, aperture, shutter speed, and ISO speed, AKA, the 'exposure triangle'. Knowing the effects of each of these settings and increasing/decreasing of each is far and away the biggest key to getting the image you want. Knowing when and why to use a large aperture is more important than getting it framed 'just right', for example. While use of any of the 'auto' features of a camera can be used as a learning tool, there are times the computer in the camera is incapable of getting the exposure correct, if at all. That's when knowing what to do becomes important...or miss the shot.

As the OP wants to do mostly landscape photography, I am led to ask, what 'kind' of landscape photography? Taking pictures of a beautiful backyard garden is quite different than taking pictures of the Rocky Mountains that typically requires a lens with longer focal length than your 18-55 lens. Can you get footprints in the snow on the mountain from 5 miles away with your lens? No way. But racing out and buying an 800mm lens would be extremely foolish and incredibly expensive to boot!

As stated by other respondents, the key to becoming a landscape photographer is to first learn and become 'an expert' at using what you have. Learn what it can and cannot do. At the same time, you'll learn what you'll learn what you need, rather than what you want, or what others tell you 'you gotta have...' Of course, buying more camera gear takes some money, sufficient budget, and perhaps skill at hiding the costs from your spouse...
 
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Texxter nailed it. If you want to make huge improvements in your photography, changing the camera isn't the answer. The answer is learning to photograph. Learn light, learn what your lenses and camera controls do to an image so you can use them to maximize your image. Learn composition. Learn editing. You don't get those with a credit card, you get them with work. And it is free. So much on line for free, Kelby and Lynda for a fee. I guarantee that if you took $200 and subscribed to Kelby and studied the above subjects, the improvement in your shots would be astounding. Spend $200 on some piece of gear, marginal change. My most awarded image was taken with a 10 mp d200 and a lens Rockwell rates as one of nikon's 10 worst. The shot has gotten perfect scores and a speakers award.
 

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