Which camera do you use? Canon, Nikon, Sony, etc. Does it really even matter? When I see an excellent photo somewhere, the last thing that comes to my mind, is what camera was used to make the photo. I’m a photographer, and I don’t even care; I’m sure the average viewer could care less what camera was used to make the image.
Pelican Brewing, OR – Iphone
Which camera do you use?
I know there are a lot of bigtimers out there that like to show off their giant expensive cameras and lenses, but in reality, it’s just equipment and has little to do with the impact your images have on viewers. Some of these folks even go through the trouble to list every piece of equipment they used to make a photo. Do you think that their $1500 “Really Right Stuff” tripod setup helped to make the image that much better? Highly unlikely. They could have just purchased a ticket, and returned home with some unique images and lifetime memories, like David duChemin mentioned in a recent blog post.
The images below were made in 2006 with a small Canon SD550 point and shoot. I barely knew what I was doing technically at the time, but I had read a bunch of stuff on the internet about composition before leaving on my trip to Tanzania, Africa. I just came across the photo this evening while looking back at some of my first photos, and decided to edit it.
Tanzania Africa
Don’t get me wrong, I like gear just as much as the average photographer, and I would like to have one of those “Really Right Stuff” tripod setups, but the setup I have now works just fine for me. I would prefer to travel instead, but that’s just me. It’s better to spend your energy on your photography, than lusting over the latest piece of equipment. Equipment is just a small piece of the picture, and it’s not a guarantee that you will automatically make stunning images.
Tanzania, Africa – Canon point and shoot
I often receive several variations of comments like this on my photos: “This is a stunning image, I wish I had that camera so I could make images like this!” These types of comments really irritate me, and these folks are very confused.
I got my start in photography when I inherited a Nikon 5700 from my father. It wasn’t the most expensive or technically advanced camera, but it had manual controls that allowed me to learn how aperture, and shutter speed affected images. I could see the results right away and make changes. That’s all I needed in order to learn the basics, and I used it for about a year before I bought my first DSLR. These days, I have a little Canon point and shoot S90 that is fully capable of making some cool images with the right person behind it.
Anyhow, thanks for listening. This is part of a new series of rants I will be posting from time to time…
you’re still the dude, jesse. well spoken. still love my “Mighty Mouse” (Canon S90). as the old saying goes, the “best” camera is the one you have with you when the perfect photo opportunity arises, assuming you know how to use it.
Well said. I agree with you about the equipment. Like you said, the equipment doesn’t matter when it comes to taking great pictures. All the basics of photography still apply. If you know the basics of photography, and know how to apply the them, equipment is irrelevant. I think the example that you provided of the shot from Tanzania is perfect. When I saw that image on flickr a while back I was instantly moved. I felt like I was right there in the room with those people. The light and mood was perfectly captured. Who would have thought it was with a point and shoot camera?
Great write up, keep up the great work Jesse.
David
While I agree with you that any camera can take a good photo – many of my best photos are taken with my G9 – it’s worth noting that proper processing tools and technique make a tremendous difference in what you can get out of a lower end camera, making it more comparable to higher end gear. Certainly the color and tone-mapping techniques on your SD550 photos above speak to this, and many of these techniques are difficult without retail tools. IPhone and android based tools are improving, which to many people almost makes the iPhone a *better* choice for a low end camera if they don’t want to spend a lot of the time at the computer, but the effects are also often overdone and limited in scope.
I think a lot of the “ooo I wish I had your camera” stuff comes from a lack of understanding of what goes into the process, both before and after taking the shot (you happen to have a knack for both). The problem is most photographers don’t bother to sympathize or help others with understanding technique before gear when someone comes along and asks, perpetrating the misunderstanding. That, or they’re so blunt or tactless about it, whether intentional or not, that they scare people off before the point gets across.
We in IT are rather familiar with similar problems of communication I think.
I’d much prefer to travel too, but I don’t do well trying to arrange travel on my own, and personal matters have been holding me back for a while. I’ve spent more time playing with different gear simply because right now that’s more convenient for me, and because I do get real pleasure out of learning about different equipment – it’s the engineer in me. There are new opportunities on the horizon hopefully.
Now, if you don’t stop skipping out on beer opportunities, I may just have to pull this old Nikon F and its massive lens out of the closet and come club you with it. It’s so much nicer for that than my Canon. 😛
Its the “thing” 2 inches behind the camera that makes the picture…….
The camera just records it !
Devin – All good points here. I will plan to start posting some of my processing info here at some point also. That should help explain things a bit more. Sorry about skipping out on the beer man
Maybe we can do that this week…
I agree 100%. Though i have my Nikon SLR and some fairly ok lenses, i do miss my favorite point and shoot a Canon S70, left it on the damn train in Edinburgh, Scotland when i was there a few years ago. Hope the person who found it is having fun. It was a great little camera, small, compact and took some great pictures. Still looking for a replacement for it, cant make my mind up.
Hi Jesse,
I have to admit that I have a ‘If I had that camera..’ thought in me. But that’s not because I’m a gadget freak. It’s because of my limitations I face with my P&S camera. I long for a camera with larger sensor, good low light performance, ‘bulb’ mode, higher resolution, etc. It’s not that I cannot take good pictures with my P&S but I feel that I can create better images with a better camera. So I tend to look at the camera used when I see a photo.
Thanks,
Sangeeth
http://www.flickr.com/photos/sangeethvs/
http://500px.com/sangeethvs
Hi Sangeeth – I understand that we all outgrow certain equipment and hit limits from time to time. I hope you didn’t miss the point of my rant
Hi Jesse, I do understand the point of your rant
Just wanted to convey my thoughts on why I look at a camera used.
Hah, if I had a dollar for every time someone said to me, “Wow, what a fantastic shot! You must have a REALLY GOOD CAMERA…”
Hey, I’m just someone who enjoys taking photos. I think I understand a *little* bit about composition, and like you, most of the techy stuff I know I’ve learned from googling…(and there’s always so much more to learn).
So there is SOME degree of thought that goes into my pics…and it irritates me that it’s usually my “camera” that gets all the glory…as I once read somewhere else on the web (and I’m paraphrasing), people don’t say to writers, “Wow, you must have an amazing pen/word processor!”, or to an artist, “What an amazing set of brushes you must have!!”
Anyway, I guess that’s MY rant…really enjoying reading yours.
You took awsome pictures. I wonder what cameras do you use?