Going through a crisis

Doddy1974

Doddy1974

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Cathy
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I am not good enough to turn pro or sell my photos. I enjoy my photography but am not able to get out as much as i want to. I like to tog my children and animals more than anything else.

Now, i have a canon 550d with kit lens, 55-250mm, and a nifty.
I really dont know if i can warrant keeping this lovely bit of kit when i am not doing photography as a living, purely as a hobby. I do find it cumbersome to lug a big bag and camera around and sometimes find myself wondering if i might get more out of photography with a compact camera which isnt as big to lug around.
If i sold my 550d, i could afford to buy a really nice compact, but would i find it restrictive and regret it?

I guess at the moment i am trying to convince myself that it would be wrong sell up and go the convenient compact route.

I dont feel i tog enough to warrant having such a nice camera.

Help!!

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It's all relative, I wouldn't consider the 550D particularly high end kit, more consumer but if it's the inconvenience factor why not have a look at a bridge camera which would cover all your focal lengths in one easy package. There are limitations of course, but only you can decide if you can live with those limitations
 
Keep the dslr and add a compact. All of these different kinds of cameras have special uses. I carry a 5d2, an xsi and a compact as well. I would miss any of the three if gone. I'm not a pro, just a motivated amateur.. I wouldn't get rid of your dslr just yet. is it possible to add a compact?
 
Ken makes some good points.
Did you buy the kit thinking you could make a living from photography?, if so how long have you been using it?
 
If you can live without the interchangeable lenses of your 550D, and you want something to carry around easily then look at something like an S95 or a G12.
I bought a G12 for that very reason and find it extremely good if I am just going for a walk or out with the grandkids ( it has the benefit of also doing video).
Its a bit restrictive but if you can live with that then its very good.

Cheers
 
I have had a bridge camera and felt very limited by it which is why i took the plunge and bought a 1000d. I then decided i wanted a better body so bought a 550d. I know its not particularly high end model, but i felt for the £££ it was, it was a good buy for me.

I guess if i went compact, i would find those same, if not worse limitations than the bridge i had.
I just feel that maybe, as i am not making money, i find it hard to justify sitting on a good dslr when maybe a cheaper option may suit me better. I know it prob wont, and if i did sell it i would end up regretting it. Do any of you sit and wonder why we spend what we do when its just a hobby?

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If you use the nifty fifty at all creatively then yes you will feel literally "caged" using a compact. You can get shallow DOF shots with one, I've done it, but you really have to have control over your conditions and it's not that easy. Then there's the issue of shutter lag... even with good compacts there is still an appreciable delay between pressing the button and the camera taking a photo, and for kids that probably isn't good enough.

Unless you are struggling to live and need the money then don't sell the DSLR.
 
I have no intention of making a living out of it. Its just a hobby.

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had the same prob. but I also had a money factor. so in the end . sold everything . and I have a canon 33 film slr coming in these days . as I don't do enough frames I don't feel like I need thousand pound worth of stuff just lying in the cupboard. funnily enough I'll be doing paid photoshoot. and yes - with the same film camera. still don't need too many frames.

If I was you I would just maybe buy myself a 1000d sell the kit lens and 55-250 and get myself a tamron 28-75mm or 17-50mm . and keep the nifty for lightweight walkarounds.
 
trencheel303 said:
If you use the nifty fifty at all creatively then yes you will feel literally "caged" using a compact. You can get shallow DOF shots with one, I've done it, but you really have to have control over your conditions and it's not that easy. Then there's the issue of shutter lag... even with good compacts there is still an appreciable delay between pressing the button and the camera taking a photo, and for kids that probably isn't good enough.

Unless you are struggling to live and need the money then don't sell the DSLR.
Click to expand...

Shutter lag does worry me on a compact. And I do like the shallow DOF I can get with my nifty.
I don't need to sell, I think I am going through one of my phases of questioning "do i really need it"!!! :bang::bang::bang:
 
Why don't you plan a couple of days out specifically to take photos? That way you can see of you still enjoy it. If you don't then sell up and get an S95 just for the kids etc.
 
the 550d is a superb camera, better in many ways that the previous generation of cameras even higher in the range.

You'll sell the 550D, and although you'll sell easily and be reasonably recompensed, you'll lose money.
Then, you'll buy a bridge camera, and quickly decide that you hate the shutterlag, especially for pets and kids.
Then, you'll look at micro 4/3rds and only you can decide whether you think the lens range is for you [or you can live with old primes]. The price is up there with your 550D's resale value, and you'll regret selling the 550D.
Then, you'll buy a decent compact and realise that it does for most anything that doesn't move. It'll walk with you whenever you're out and about, and as long as you can get the kids to stand still and smile you'll rattle off some corking shots. [I'd recommend the G12, S95, and IMHO personally dissuade you from the Sony which I found to have dreadfully soft image quality - YMMV though...]
After a while you'll still want something with a rapid autofocus and instant shutter reponse. You'll come round to realising that a 50mm prime on an SLR, even a base-model camera, is still the king for the fast shot and that SLR bokeh magic.
So you'll look around and realise the 1000D is good, but you liked the handling and speed of the 550D.
So, you hunt around and eventually pick up a 550D in good condition used. Trouble is, you spent a lot, lost some more and ended up with a camera you don't truly know the history of, and you didn't unpack the box from the cellophane.

I'll save you 6 months and £300 right now..... buy a nicer prime, sell your kit lens and the nifty fifty. Just one, you decide. Not too expensive, not lusty like a £000's 'L'. Try one of these...

50mm f/1.4
60mm EFS f/2.8 macro
85mm f/1.8

and rejoice in the joys of photography again!
 
There are lot of hobbies that can be expensive and it boils down to how much one wants to invest in their given interest.
You investment in DSLR kit is quite minimal compared to what some of us have paid out and I think Ken has made some very good points.
I'm sure there are many who like me get no joy from lugging a back pack around with their camera kit but we accept it because we love photography.
Personally I think long term you would miss your DSLR and and regret selling it as the limitations of a compact camera will probably frustrate you.

Maybe you need some inspiration and perhaps going along to a TP meet might be helpful?
I know some people shy away from going to our meetings because they feel their skills are inadequate compared to others and too be honest, I felt the same at first.
However, you soon realise that there are a lot of very friendly people who are more than willing to help and some can be very inspirational.
Another bonus is that it's quite easy to find other subjects of photography than appeal to you.
A photography buddy would also be helpful as well and we have quite a few members in your neck of the woods.
 
Since you say you had a bridge camera and felt limited, you have answered your own question, keep your current gear unless financial circumstances dictate their sale.
 
hashcake said:
There are lot of hobbies that can be expensive and it boils down to how much one wants to invest in their given interest.
You investment in DSLR kit is quite minimal compared to what some of us have paid out and I think Ken has made some very good points.
I'm sure there are many who like me get no joy from lugging a back pack around with their camera kit but we accept it because we love photography.
Personally I think long term you would miss your DSLR and and regret selling it as the limitations of a compact camera will probably frustrate you.

Maybe you need some inspiration and perhaps going along to a TP meet might be helpful?
I know some people shy away from going to our meetings because they feel their skills are inadequate compared to others and too be honest, I felt the same at first.
However, you soon realise that there are a lot of very friendly people who are more than willing to help and some can be very inspirational.
Another bonus is that it's quite easy to find other subjects of photography than appeal to you.
A photography buddy would also be helpful as well and we have quite a few members in your neck of the woods.
Click to expand...

This is the stupid thing...when I am out, lugging all my bits around with me, I love it! When I go home and upload my efforts of the day, I get a kick out of seeing pictures I love.

I know tomorrow I will probably turn around and not believe that I have even contemplated selling up.
I think the idea of a buddy, or going to a meet, is maybe what i need to get my butt back into the positive frame of mind. My trouble is lack of transport, and having kids to look after. It's very hard for me to get around, and be on my own!!

Artyman..you are right. I guess I have answered my own question! Financial situation isn't dictating that I NEED to sell, maybe I am just feeling guilty??!!

Maybe I need to stop being silly, and not look at my camera as money sitting in the corner of my room.
Maybe I not to stop beating myself up about having a hobby that costs a bit!

Thanks guys and gals....I think you are succeeding in making me see sense!
 
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