This question has been nagging me for eons. Why do the pros

[railman44]

and some semi or quasi pros treat their equipment so badly? I see cameras/lenses on eBay dented and otherwise obviously abused. I understand an accident happening but I've seen some of these people literally bang their stuff around. Is it some "rite of passage" to have a dented, dinged and brassed camera and/or lenses? Inquiring mind needs to know... :roll:

 

[Patrick]

Very Very Good Question.

 

[AIRIC]

I think when you use your camera day in and day out it would show signs of abuse compared to the weekend photographer.

Eric

 

[ferny]

It's a tool and their livelihood so they should treat it with respect. But it's their tool that they use daily, so after a while they're going to stop protecting it as much as they did from day one. They might also have it insured in case it breaks so aren't too concerned. They might be planning on upgrading it when a new model comes out (I'm think pro digital users here) and are only interested in it lasting until then. It might not even be their camera, it might belong to their employer.
And of course, some people are just idiots.

 

[Artemis]

It's a tool and their livelihood so they should treat it with respect. But it's their tool that they use daily, so after a while they're going to stop protecting it as much as they did from day one. They might also have it insured in case it breaks so aren't too concerned. They might be planning on upgrading it when a new model comes out (I'm think pro digital users here) and are only interested in it lasting until then. It might not even be their camera, it might belong to their employer.
And of course, some people are just idiots.

Some?

 

[photobug]

A good number of pros shooters use company gear. Do you take care of your employer's gear as well as you do yours?

 

[ksmattfish]

I think when you use your camera day in and day out it would show signs of abuse compared to the weekend photographer.

Yeah, I don't think many photogs intentionally bang up their gear, but sh*t happens...

 

[mygrain]

Ferny, Photobug, and matt are all right....It's just a tool- an expensive one granted- but it's still just a tool. Most folks will be very careful with thier toys and others will use em like toilet paper... I use to be scared as hell to take my camera on a canoe ride or near water of any sorts...now i don't care because it's just a tool like the hundreds of paintbrushes and dozens of canvases I toss a side a year- I can't bother with it when I'm enthrolled with the muse. I can always get another (after years and years of saving mind you).

And Arty is right to question "some"? most folks are idiots.

 

[ksmattfish]

it's still just a tool.

I use to be scared as hell to take my camera on a canoe ride or near water of any sorts...now i don't care because it's just a tool like the hundreds of paintbrushes and dozens of canvases I toss a side a year- I can;t bother with it when I'm entrolled with the muse. I can always get another

I love my Speed Graphics. Built to handle the rigors of professional press and military use, and cheap. I can take it anywhere, because even if I could break it, I could easily replace it.

Any camera that the user fears will break if used in adverse conditions is just keeping that person from photographing.

 

[mygrain]

it's still just a tool.

I use to be scared as hell to take my camera on a canoe ride or near water of any sorts...now i don't care because it's just a tool like the hundreds of paintbrushes and dozens of canvases I toss a side a year- I can;t bother with it when I'm entrolled with the muse. I can always get another

I love my Speed Graphics. Built to handle the rigors of professional press and military use, and cheap. I can take it anywhere, because even if I could break it, I could easily replace it.

Any camera that the user fears will break if used in adverse conditions is just keeping that person from photographing.

AMEN!!! GOOD POINT as well...if your afraid of breaking yer stuff look into the better built equipment (most german made stuff is usually solid metal). It will probably be older stuff but it has tested the times and has been smacked around and will still prob last forever.

 

[DocFrankenstein]

Sometimes people bring 30 year old cameras and they look like new. Literally. Not a minor scratch... no signs of wear.

Makes me sad sometimes. A wonderful camera was made and (almost) never got out of it's bag. Wasn't used. Didn't make any of the images it could've.

When I see an old beat up camera, with scratches and dents and ready to fall apart, I smile. Cause I know that it wasn't a waste of resources to produce it.

 

[Jamie R]

Doc Frankenstein - I wholeheartedly agree with you, although as a working photographer, there is also a lot of pleasure in swiping a 30 year old mint camera from the display cabinet and using it in the way that railman laments

A lot of accidents also happen......especially on Ebay.

 

[railman44]

All of you bring up excellent points. And, I can understand a photo journalist on assignment not wanting to be encumbered by a camera case if the "one" shot comes along that would be gone in a split second. Having said that, I still think it's possible to have a 30 year old camera that has taken lots of pictures and still looks very presentable. Barring an accident, beating up a lens is incomprehensible to me…

 

[Sharkbait]

I think there's a definite line between using a piece of equipment and abusing it. I picked up a used Sigma zoom this past summer that had quite obviously been put through its paces--plenty of scuffs and worn spots on the barrell. But the AF motor is as fast as new and the glass is absolutely pristine.

 

[Hertz van Rental]

Using your camera professionally means you can easily put several hundred rolls through it each week. That's some punishment. And then working on location as someone said '**** happens'. When you are thinking about getting the shot you don't always have your mind on the kit. But you do look after it when you are not using it 'cause it's gotta work to make you money.