cshimokita
[Photo Forum Moderator]
10714
When it comes to photography, equipment does make a difference...
It's ofttimes said that "it's not the equipment" or "it's what's behind the camera that makes the difference". Have you ever acquired a new piece of gear and suddenly the level of your results are through the roof... what's with that...
01) Smart phone photos: let's be honest, the photos your friends take with their current smart phone are much better than the photos they use to take.
02) Face recognition: this is my personal favorite... My photos have not improved, but I can now hand my camera to a complete stranger and the results they get are way beyond great.
03) Social media effect: on one particular site... as of April 2017 there are 300 million photo uploads per day. That's 300,000,000 opportunities per day for comparison with the photos you take, and everyone knows it's really not a competition.
(c) Google Search for '"tongue in cheek"
Okay that last point was about composition, content, etc.; but it's also about gear... That many images taken with film would require 8.33 million rolls of film per day assuming 36 keepers per roll... an annual 50-75 billion USD for film, processing, and scanning. Digital rules and there are only a few of us still posting film images on social media...
and equipment continues to "improve": There are on-going discussions about in-camera manipulation of images, and recently I have been following a series of posts talking about the difference in results between (a) in-camera metering vs. (b) using external meter settings. In some cases the in-camera metering being 1-2 stops different from the hand held meter... possibly to 'improve' the in-camera rendering i.e. improved the color handling based on the mfg interpretation or based on film simulation. P-mode on steroids ; )
Have there been any game changing equipment in your experience?
When it comes to photography, equipment does make a difference...
It's ofttimes said that "it's not the equipment" or "it's what's behind the camera that makes the difference". Have you ever acquired a new piece of gear and suddenly the level of your results are through the roof... what's with that... 01) Smart phone ph...
One measurable advance was ...
The mirrorless cameras and how those camera sensors manages noise in low light conditions. I own a traditional full frame camera (Canon 5D MK III) with traditional macro lens (Canon 100mm 2.8L macro) but I'm using, more and more, a Canon (notice that I'm ...
Yes to low light noise improvements...
The so called 'ISO-less sensors' and gamma management in general is an improvement that is very useful. +1 for the 5D and 100 mm macro, a good combination particularly with live view. LOL re: sticking with Canon. I think each mfg has a philosophy regardin...
What locks on a brand ...
Canon, in my case, is the lens investment. I have more money put on lenses than on camera. I jumped into the EOS Mx mirrorless because the ability to reuse any other Canon lenses that I own. Smart move, from Canon. Cheers, Nilo
I think it comes down to the lens...
I started with a Canon A1 with film as a kid (late 70s), then got busy with school and career and waited until digital got to a point where I was comfortable getting back in, say 2009 with the Canon 5d mk2. From there I went from Canon glass to Zeiss glas...
At the end of the day it's matter of light management
and optics is a huge part of that... depending on what type of photography and image style you prefer. The original 5D was a game changer for many photographers... I was always a little disappointed in Canon's wide primes but I like the 100 macro and 85 1...
the longest lens I have is 135mm....
I have been eye-balling a 400mm f2.8 on eBay, that would be a nice addition.
here is the best i can do with a 135mm for a moon shot...
if I had a longer lens, like an 800mm, then I could get better moon shots. ...
Nice moon shot...
my longest lens is the Canon 70-200 f/4L that I use with a 1.4 extender ~ 280mm... 99% of the time on a tripod ; )
with the Zeiss lens options for Canon mount...
I tried the 55mm Otus, along with most of the prime manual focus lenses. Each lens has it's own beauty it adds as a 'finger print' into the rendering of the image. I found the Zeiss lenses for me gave me far more clarity and sharpness than the Canon lense...
Hi Casey...
Very subjective for sure. The difference might not even be about photographs being better but just, well, different. I've been shooting with rangefinders solely since 2011. Before that, DSLRs. More thought out with RFs just because there's no AF. Probably...
+1 the differentiator between bands can be significant
As you mentioned, a good tool is a good tool... and I think that we can be challenged by 'good' equipment... In part I guess you are saying that the better you know and understand what you want the more you demand from the equipment as well as from the sh...
In-Camera Image Stabilization
You can now break the rules for shutter speed vs. focal length, etc. Basically attempt longer exposures (hand-held) without introducing blur.
In this context I would be remiss if I didn't mention the tripod...
I agree that Image stabilization can be useful in low light / natural light settings. In very general terms a heavy camera can be less prone to shake, and rangefinders are will known for their ability to use slow shutter speeds hand held in low light (of ...
I enjoyed reading Echi's comments about intangibles...
Some interesting comments... here I wanted to add to the talk about gear that made / makes a difference... from a bit of personal experience. 01) color film... I am not that old, but growing up we mostly shot B&W and saved color for holidays or specia...
Hi Casey!!!
As you know, i'm not really a photo geek, but i give you my example. In tokyo i shot 976 photos, 4.6 GB in size. The one and only limit with a phone, but even a camera, is your storage space. For the first time in my life, i had a photo with a good qualit...
It was great to see you in Tokyo...
almost 1,000 photos from your short visit... This thread we are talking about gear, but it's about taking photos and enjoying the experience. I am always impressed with the quality of the new small devices and the Huawei is one of the good ones... All the...
I am most impressed with the ASA/ISO sensitivity in....
the current equipment. It has come long way from my 200 ASA film used in childhood. For someone who likes to experiment with low light/night photography it is a enormous improvement. Great thread Casey thank you. PS I did not know that many photos are sha...
+1 for the low light ability of modern systems
Although it was amazing what was possible... ' walking the dog ' just before dawn with ASA 64 Kodachrome circa 1974, near Lethbridge, Alberta ...
From one morning person to another.....
isn't it amazing to test your photographic ability and the equipment while enjoying a fresh walk with your pooch ? Thank you for sharing Casey. Best Regards Edward
Riley was born in Calgary...
but we spent most of the time on the road... She was actually named after the village of Raley (different spelling) between Magrath and Cardston. Not really a village, with a population of 5 in 1966, it was home to the oldest grain elevator (1905) in Albe...
I guess I should also do a 180 thread...
When it comes to photography, the gear is irrelevant... LOL
