i think people bag on new dslr owners (and their recent surge), because they feel threatened by it, and feel they need to secure their own place in this photography world...and what does human nature have us do to secure that spot? put down others...
fact of the matter is there is room for all of us in this hobby world. Most people I see with the dslr in auto are people that either just wanted the best pics they can get and blindly thought more megapixels and higher dollar amount is a good way of insuring you get that, or people have been sold it by salesmen at the store. There are also people who just need the latest IN thing in electronics, or people who just love having things to show it off.
These people dont threaten me because I don't think that way, BUT if I did think that way, they still wouldnt threaten me because fact of the matter is 90% (picking numbers out of my butt to make a point, not an official number) of the people who will buy a dslr won't EVER make it past auto, or the other auto modes, and wont EVER progress past the "noob" level. It takes a LOT of work, research, and learning to get better in photography, and most people just dont think its important enough to dedicate themselves to.
They may think the dslr automatically makes them a amateur photographer, but they soon realize, that its not the camera when they try to take portraits of their kids (without any knowledge of lighting and posing, and composition) and their photos look nothing like the walmart portraits they were hoping to copy. They learn quick that its not the camera when their landscape shots are getting blown out, lack definition, or tack sharpness, or dramatic lighting. Most of them wont get up at 6-7am just to catch a sunrise, or to shoot in the "golden hour". Most of them won't progress past the kit lens, and won't ever understand paying crazy amounts of money for better glass.
THESE are the things that separate a "dslr owner" from a "photographer", not whether or not they have the camera....the camera is just a TOOL. If you dont know how to fully utilize it, and know its limitations, you're not threatening anyones place in photography.
I remember when my wifes best friend saw some of my pictures, and she was so impressed with the pics, and she said..
"WOW, those are awesome pictures, that is a great camera..i wish i could afford one of those cameras so i can take pictures just like that.it must be easy with one of those cameras huh?"
and i got the pleasure of saying
"All the camera did was take the picture, I did everything else"
I got
"huh?" as a response
There's no shame in auto-modes as long as the photos are good.
