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#61 | |
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tjsnaps wrote:
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#62 | |
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Join Date: Nov 2004
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Without a camera you can't make a picture. (A pinhole camera made of cardboard is still a camera). Of course I do sympathise with the general point you are making. On the last photography course I was on there were two participants from opposite ends of the spectrum. One artistic young woman, no money, tons of talent, taking some brilliant photos with an old 2nd hand Olympus 35mm camera that cost her around £50. The other a rich businessman with a bag full of Canon pro equipment worth about £4000; and he was taking perfectly sharp, well exposed, landscape shots which were so incredibly boring that you wanted to kill yourself before you got halfway through looking at his portfolio. And everyone wished she had access to his equipment, her photos would have been better for it and we all knew it. But to be fair he was enjoying his hobby and really was trying to get better. And you don't have to pass a test to buy an expensive camera, you just have to have the money. If you had to choose between: 1. Lots of talent and crap equipment 2. No talent and great equipment Obviously everyone agrees #1 would be better. But the best combination of all is lots of talent AND good equipment. |
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#63 |
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Join Date: Apr 2007
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No ... My piont was if the subject is too close or too far away for the lens. Then the photographer should move his ass or better plan his shots. Not wish he had another lens. Easier said than done sometimes yes. But that's how you get the shot. We all want more and better equipment. Hell I'm really ticed off the my digital turns the ulta wide lens I saved for a year to get into a friggin kindawide. But I'm not going to pack it up and go home. I'm going to get some images. And good ones.
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#64 | |
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tjsnaps wrote:
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UMMM - that's a real nice theory except we're talking sports. You can't march out onto the football field to get closer :blah: But you're welcome to try it (and from 25 to 25 is sectioned off for the team so you don't shoot from in that area). And you aren't going to move to the other side of the fence and wait for the action to get close. Or in a basketball gym - you've got walls - you want to shoot from the floor not the stands and there are walls preventing you from backing up so you better have the right focal lengths - and if you're shooting HS you better have fast primes or use flash/strobe (but some places won't allow flash or strobes so you better have that fast prime or you get crappy shots). Or how 'bout wildlife? "Hold still mister Grizzly bear I need to get within 20 feet since I only have my 50mm lens with me" :G Your theory works great when you can plan a shot and you know where that shot is going to be. It's completely unworkable in real life sports shooting and often impractical in wildlife. In fact there are times where you're restricted to a certain area. So you better have the equipment necessary to cover as much of the action from that location. |
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#65 |
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but let's leave the theoretical out of it and talk reality. In reality you want SPECIFIC photos not just whatever photo you can plan.
A shot of my niece's first communion. No flash allowed, no one allowed to stand at the front of the church. So this was taken from a balcony through glass - ISO 1600, f2.8 186mm at 1/60. Try capturing that moment with your 3x p&s that is only good to ISO 200. 1/8 shutter speed plus heavy crop - I'm sure the resulting picture would be a treasure ![]() So let's see - we need a LENS WITH ENOUGH REACH (a piece of equipment), HIGH ISO PERFORMANCE (again another piece of equipment), some mechanism for keeping a 200mm 2.8 lens steady at 2.8 from a standing position with no railing to brace on (either anti-shake or tripod or monopod or some other EQUIPMENT to keep gear steady). Or gee, how bout this one. ISO 1600 f2.0 85mm 1/400. Much slower and blur is too horrible. Oh, and no flash is allowed. Oh, and my back is against the wall and off to my right there is more aparatus - to the left is the stands. So gee if I don't have the right equipment (high ISO, fast prime, right focal length) I can't get the shot. But according to your logic I should just break down the wall or tell them to move the aperatus so it's the right distance because I just have a 200mm lens. And oh yes, can you please install better lighting because I only have a 5.6 aperture lens. ![]() Again - feel free to select you disposable film camera of choice and take this shot. Please share your results with the class. Here's another. Shallow depth of field - because that's what I WANTED and indoors so I can't move back 50 feet because I'm trying to get shallow DOF with a tiny sensor and tiny lens and need to be at 480mm to get that DOF. OH, and I need flash too (another piece of equipment): ![]() Could I take DIFFERENT shots if I had lesser equipment? Sure - but I couldn't have taken any of THESE three. I'm not saying you need pro level equipment but in all 3 shots having the RIGHT equipment was essential to achieving my photographic vision. And in the first two you simply wouldn't have the shot PERIOD without it. Want more examples? I've got hundreds that show how equipment makes a huge difference. But that's in the real world - not in the theoretical world of classroom photography. |
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#66 |
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ISO 1600, f2.8 at 1/60? Did you take a flashlight? I.ve never used ISO 1600 in my life. 800 is af fast as I have gone and that was for night club shooting. And if you are an experianced shooter (wich you obviousey you are) why do you need camera saport for 1/60th wiht a 200mm? If you were a newbie or went any longer I could see it. Those are good exsamples for the piont you are trying to make but I don't believe you could not have taken home some good shots with lesser quipment. Again I'm not saying don't use whay you have. I'm saying use what you have.
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#67 | |
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tjsnaps wrote:
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And it goes the other way too - my brother-in-law got some great video of my niece yesterday at trick-or-treat. My dslr doesn't have video so I lost out on that little memory. I got some nice photos but sometimes video is just better. So the 'right' equipment isn't always the more expensive equipment. |
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#68 | |||
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If you have the equipment, use it. All I've been saying from the start is don't NOT shoot because some guy in a forum told you, you need some piece of equipment you don't have/cant afford. And with skill you get good images. You ever hear of Dr. Snaps?? Dr. Snaps was a young physician in the 70's who wanted to be a photographer. He forged a press pass and went to some war torn country. With nothing but two used Nikon bodies a 50mm and a 135mm 2.8, he became one of the most sought after photojournalist. Quote:
I do agree I want to have the choises to improve my chances or make the job easier. I just hate to see people be told to give it up. None of us would likely be as good as we are. (or even stuck with it) if we didn't leand to make the best of what we had when we started with nothing. |
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#69 |
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I've edited my response - this is going no where. So I'll close by saying I stand by my argument - the right tools for the job are important. Sometimes just plane necessary for certain types of photography.
And I agree with the one post - most of the people that pontificate gear isn't important are hypocrites. If gear doesn't play a part, please put your digital cameras away for the next year and shoot only with disposable film cameras. Put your "money" where your "mouth" is. :| |
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