Honest Answers Only!!

On the whole, I'd be inclined to think someone that has two D3's is that 'into' photography (via profession or otherwise) that they've thought it worthwhile investing so much money. I'd expect fairly good results from them.

However, I don't think it's necessarily a true correlation. I've some seen people take photos with pro-level kit (often press guys) and they've been rubbish. It goes without saying that top kit doesn't make a top photographer, and I like to think that low-end kit doesn't make a bad one!!
 
I prefer to judge on the image. You can have all the gear but no idea. You either have "the eye" for photography or you don't. I like to think I have an eye bit whether it is "the eye" I don't know I can't be the judge.
 
Its an interesting question :)

When my subscribed photo mags drop on the mat, the first section I usually flick to is the reader images. Ive often noted that some of the best pictures are taken with fairly "old" kit like 10 and 20Ds and Ive wondered why such obviously talented photographers havent upgraded - but why would they when they can obviously produce such stunning work with their existing kit!?

To be honest, Im more of a "lens envy" girl if anything :D . A 400D (in my opinion), fitted with the same L glass as a much more expensive model could do a pretty good job in taking a very similar picture (assuming the photographer had the talent!) in MOST cases (and obviously I dont mean shooting a pro soccer match for example).

Im much more interested in the lens used rather than the body. I often feel disappointed if someone has taken a shot with a choice bit of glass like a 70-200 f/2.8IS and managed to get it blurry or out of focus -whereas I probably wouldnt have given it much thought if it were taken on a kit lens! So I suppose I do judge a bit in that respect.
 
I'm not sure I agree with the concept of 'talent' though. I think a fair bit of it comes down to practice, experience and hard graft. I think we should be wary of declaring someone's success as being solely the consequence of 'talent'. Sometimes I think that word is too easy a way of explaining away why someone else can do something we can't. Not saying you can't take good photos (I wouldn't know), but just saying it in general.

I see your point on the kit though.
 
just a couple of lines after reading this thread i dont judge people on what gear they have/have not got as i learn to use what i can afford .And as the old saying goes NEVER JUDGE A BOOK BY ITS COVER as id can only improve.
 
Well I use my Panasonic a lot with the raynox as most of you know and the whole kit was less than £250 which is less then some of my lenses for my Canon 350. I never judge a person by their gear only by their results. So many people here put up a good shot and are followed by a series of posts asking which camera or lens they used as if it is some sort magic lens for taking great photos. The fact is a new model comes out and we fork out more dosh for no real improvement. Photography is the person not the gear, the gear makes the photo possible but not the idea ;) Work at your photography not at your bank balance.
 
I don't judge people buy the kit they use, but i do take an interest. I look more for the exif data, to see how the shot was achieved. I do tend to assume (without seeing their pictures) that i can expect better shots from those with more expensive cameras.

This is all from a real newbie, so please take this into consideration :baby:
 
I wouldnt know one camera from another :) same as cars!

I just love taking pictures!

Iv got a Minolta (goes to look at which one) ummm Minolta Dynax 5D which i love I also have several hand me down lens from my fella!

I think you have to have a good eye for photography and although the camera might help with the quality if there isnt a decent picture there no amount of quality will help!

Or there is always photoshop it seems! Cant get the hang of it myself mine always seems to end up looking worse :thinking:
 
I think, as long as you enjoy what you doing and are happy with the results it don't matter a jot what other people think
 
Do you judge people on what camera they use?
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Definitely don't 'judge' based on which camera people use, am definitely interested in which lenses people use and also how many people have the same camera as the one I'm using.

When I first started out 18 months ago, i did sometimes get lens envy of other people, but joining a camera club has taught me that it's those with the best reading of light (and can compose a scene from it) often produce the best results. The best photographers at our club don't have the most expensive kit, most of them have a decent light meter though.
 
The quotation I have in my sig as always summed it up (for me)

Concentrate on equipment and you'll take technically good photographs. Concentrate on seeing the light's magic colours and your images will stir the soul. - Jack Dykinga
 
I haven't read through the entire contents of this thread, but I don't care what kit other people are using - what brand or type of camera they have, and I'm never intrigued to look either. A 'top of the range, dogs danglies' camera doesn't make you a better photographer. I have seen some astounding shots taken with point n shoot cameras, and some totally pants shots taken with high spec DSLR's.
I keep being asked when I'm going to upgrade from my current camera, and the answer is... I'm not! It serves its purpose well and has more functions than I'll probably ever need (or learn to use!!). So, to answer your question, no I don't judge anyone by what camera they have :)
 
sawman said:
No. Not into camera snobbery.
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:agree: ... but I do like nice new gadgets and things ... :D

... and trying to get the best out of them that I can ... :suspect: ... even if someone with a phone could do better ... :shrug: ... that is not the point imhgo ... ;)





:p
 
Nope. Not at all. I have seen some simply epic shots taken from bridge cameras as well as pretty poor shots taken from cameras priced in the thousands. It makes little difference really. As said really, look at the shots only.

I suppose this is why it irritates me so when people say "zomg look at that camera! bet that takes good pics!"

pfft.
 
I get the feeling that, after a couple of months on here, that as a Canon owner you don't really own good glass until you have an L lens of some form (red L's in the signature seem to be popular on here!!!??) It seems to be that when 3rd party lenses are reviewed or recommended, the general post structure is:

Yeah, the Sigma's good...
Especially in low light...
Really sharp images....
In fact it's as good as a Canon lens....
But I would save up and spend £800 more on an L lens from Hong Kong!

I definitely believe a class system of sorts exists on here in terms of kit. That said, 99% of the pictures that I've seen posted on here are exceptional, when compared to my own efforts, regardless of equipment used, and I am just happy to be part of a such a talented forum!! :D
 
ive change my sig thanks to this thread lol
 
I definitely believe a class system of sorts exists on here in terms of kit
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It exists everywhere and I believe the term for it where camera kit is concerned is a glass system. ;)
 
I wouldn't show any Bias due to peoples gear i just get annoyed when someone can take good shots with the same gear i have which means i have nothing to blame when my pics are not so good:p But if there were to people who had a link to each to there galleries and one stated they had a 400D and the other has a 1Ds mk111 s And you could only look at one gallery which one would it be?
 
shrimperblue said:
Do you judge people on what camera they use?

For example: if you see in someones signature that they use a an entry level camera like a 400D.... do you think nooby or does it not matter what ever camera they use.

I know this is an odd question but I feel it is an interesting one.

SB

PS

I dont by the way.
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I think there are many facets to the answer...

Most of us on here should not (banter aside and we know all darksiders really want Canon gear:p:D)

O.K. SERIOUSLY...many ignorant customers and people will unfortunately do this.

You might quote on a wedding with your 40D in hand - figuratively speaking - and a complete novice/incompetent with a 1D might get it.

We all know that "small/cheap" can deliver awesome results in competent hands - within reasonable limits of course...

Bottom line - IMHO you should be judged by your work and not by the kit you use to produce it.
 
if there were two people who had a link each to their galleries, one stated they had a 400D the other has a 1Ds mk111 s and you could only look at one gallery, which one would it be?
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Obviously the one containing smiling beguiling ladies. :D

Actually, that is kinda my serious answer, the one most likely to have subject matter that interests me. :)
 
Nope, not really that bothered. I do sometimes have a quick look at some of the equipment if it is a really stunning pic just out of curiosity. After all, that is part of learning. I'd be more interested in the focal length and the aperture used rather than the camera itself.

I'm sure some of the members here could get a better pic out of a pinhole camera that I could out of the latest box of electronic wizardry. (Thinking Messiah Kahn here)

If we look at some of the iconic images of our lifetime, the majority were produced on 35mm film but the folks behind the camera had the talent and experience to produce some stunning work. David Bailey is a genius with light, Bob Carlos Clarke was so visionary, Jaques Henri Lartigue was years ahead of his time. Not one of them had the metering and autofocus systems found in a modern DSLR.

So no, it's the concept and the execution, not the gear 99% of the time for me.
 
If we look at some of the iconic images of our lifetime, the majority were produced on 35mm film but the folks behind the camera had the talent and experience to produce some stunning work
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and quite often very talented printers that might spend days making a second or less of a photographers time look quite so iconic.

In many ways todays snapper has to be a far more rounded artist. :)
 
I'll tread very carefully in response to this thread.

Though most people, in fact nearly all folk on here, are extremely welcoming, friendly, and are not gear snobs, in part I do agree with a previous poster in this thread, that there is a perceived class system here on tP. For example, one only has to look at posts from newcomers to DSLR's who are asking what cameras folks here consider they should look at or go for - the answer is nearly always Canon this or Nikon that. Now that is fine, as Canon and Nikon produce superb kit - but so do other manufacturers.

My answers, when I do reply, are that the user should try out the cameras first, additionally pointing out other gear that is suitable for a newcomer - but that critically they should try the gear in their hands before making their purchase decision, and not take it that the 'I love Canon' or 'I love Nikon' smilie is the defining criteria for making their purchase. Quite often in these cases, there follows a response similar to... 'don't forget though, you are buying into a system' which is a veiled dig at any non Canon or Nikon suggestions.

I am a relative newcomer to DSLR's, and indeed have learned a lot from the folk and threads on here, so please don't think I am out for an argument, I don't want that, and I am very grateful to those who have helped in my learning experience. It's just that speaking from where I stand - it is what could be perceived as an outsiders perspective. Like it or not, despite what people say here, as the site has grown, there is an underlying trait of bias and snobbery which, though I still visit almost daily, has caused me to actually post less frequently. I will also say though that during the last 6 months this perceived bias has significantly reduced.

As for signatures, I have my kit listed for several reasons; as we all are, I am proud of the kit I have, and like Chilli mentioned almost at the start of this thread, I often get asked via PM or email what and why I have this or that kit. I am always happy to respond to those requests.

Happy snapping folks... :)
 
Blimey......'ello John. :)

I do agree with all that you're saying about the canon/nikon bias and I think that there probably are some people that look at the "big" two as being the serious choices and all the others as also rans.

Most of these folks are probably new(ish) to photography and only know of all these makes as digital producers. They are perhaps not so aware of the great optical and engineering heritage of companies like Olympus or Pentax, amongst others.

Pentax and Fuji for example are the only DSLR producers to have made a medium format system. Nikon and Fuji are the only ones to make lenses for large format cameras.

There are probably far more people that just want to share the choice that they have been happy with and in the majority of cases, that's canon, followed by nikon.

If I was a sony, pentax, oly or fuji user, I'd smile wryly to myself and let us sheep get on with it.




Baaaaaaaaaaa :lol:
 
theMusicMan said:
I'll tread very carefully in response to this thread.

Though most people, in fact nearly all folk on here, are extremely welcoming, friendly, and are not gear snobs, in part I do agree with a previous poster in this thread, that there is a perceived class system here on tP. For example, one only has to look at posts from newcomers to DSLR's who are asking what cameras folks here consider they should look at or go for - the answer is nearly always Canon this or Nikon that. Now that is fine, as Canon and Nikon produce superb kit - but so do other manufacturers.

My answers, when I do reply, are that the user should try out the cameras first, additionally pointing out other gear that is suitable for a newcomer - but that critically they should try the gear in their hands before making their purchase decision, and not take it that the 'I love Canon' or 'I love Nikon' smilie is the defining criteria for making their purchase. Quite often in these cases, there follows a response similar to... 'don't forget though, you are buying into a system' which is a veiled dig at any non Canon or Nikon suggestions.

I am a relative newcomer to DSLR's, and indeed have learned a lot from the folk and threads on here, so please don't think I am out for an argument, I don't want that, and I am very grateful to those who have helped in my learning experience. It's just that speaking from where I stand - it is what could be perceived as an outsiders perspective. Like it or not, despite what people say here, as the site has grown, there is an underlying trait of bias and snobbery which, though I still visit almost daily, has caused me to actually post less frequently. I will also say though that during the last 6 months this perceived bias has significantly reduced.

As for signatures, I have my kit listed for several reasons; as we all are, I am proud of the kit I have, and like Chilli mentioned almost at the start of this thread, I often get asked via PM or email what and why I have this or that kit. I am always happy to respond to those requests.

Happy snapping folks... :)
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MM

I agree mostly with about everything you say, but for two things...

I have not seen any underlying snobbery or bias but I will not go into that because banter could also have been misunderstood:bonk:

The other thing, though, is that of "buying into a system" as a veiled dig as you put it...:thinking::shrug:

Those are words I might have used advising others - directly and indirectly - and I fail to see how it could be perceived as anything but sound advice.

My first 2 dslrs were the 350 and 20d and I bought a number of EF-S lenses.

I have now gone FF and these do not work on my 5D or soon to arrive 1D and getting rid of them is turning into a costly experience.

Even 1 year ago I had no idea I would EVER own a 1D - let alone a 5D - and the EF-S purchases (the system) made perfect sense at the time...

Boy do I regret those purchases now.

If anyone else can learn (or at least be advised of) my costly mistakes I think that is one of the main aims of this forum.

I really fail to see the dig there but I would like to believe there might have been a statement by someone that could have had merits in making you reach that conclusion.

:thumbs:
 
dazzajl said:
Blimey......'ello John. :)
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Hey Daz... nice to see you again sir. We must talk again sometime soon yeah...:)

dazzajl said:
If I was a sony, pentax, oly or fuji user, I'd smile wryly to myself and let us sheep get on with it.




Baaaaaaaaaaa :lol:
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Now that... I can take it on the chin no problem. Hmmmm... where's me wellies!!! :thumbs:

Anton Roland said:
MM

I agree mostly with about everything you say, but for two things...

I have not seen any underlying snobbery or bias but I will not go into that because banter could also have been misunderstood:bonk:

The other thing, though, is that of "buying into a system" as a veiled dig as you put it...:thinking::shrug:

Those are words I might have used advising others - directly and indirectly - and I fail to see how it could be perceived as anything but sound advice.

My first 2 dslrs were the 350 and 20d and I bought a number of EF-S lenses.

I have now gone FF and these do not work on my 5D or soon to arrive 1D and getting rid of them is turning into a costly experience.

Even 1 year ago I had no idea I would EVER own a 1D - let alone a 5D - and the EF-S purchases (the system) made perfect sense at the time...

Boy do I regret those purchases now.

If anyone else can learn (or at least be advised of) my costly mistakes I think that is one of the main aims of this forum.

I really fail to see the dig there but I would like to believe there might have been a statement by someone that could have had merits in making you reach that conclusion.

:thumbs:
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Hey Anton

Nothing personal here I can assure you sir, and certainly not from you. :)

Regarding your two counter points - I agree, I have seen significantly less of this over the last six months than I did previously, which I find extremely encouraging.

As for the veiled dig reference - I only ever spotted this in posts when someone had already posted in response to 'go for Canon' or 'go for Nikon' and then I or someone else had replied pointing the user to other manufacturers. I'd never seen it where there was just 'go for Canon' advice or 'go for Nikon' advice... only when there was another manufacturer mentioned. This is why I perceived it thus.

You are absolutely right though, one should offer advice re 'buying into a system' to a newcomer that before they spend their hard earned cash they also need to consider how addictive the hobby is, and that quite soon into it one will undoubtedly soon be looking for new (and often more expensive than body) glass.

I don't disagree with you at all Anton.:)
 
theMusicMan said:
Hey Daz... nice to see you again sir. We must talk again sometime soon yeah...:)


Now that... I can take it on the chin no problem. Hmmmm... where's me wellies!!! :thumbs:

Hey Anton

Nothing personal here I can assure you sir, and certainly not from you. :)

Regarding your two counter points - I agree, I have seen significantly less of this over the last six months than I did previously, which I find extremely encouraging.

As for the veiled dig reference - I only ever spotted this in posts when someone had already posted in response to 'go for Canon' or 'go for Nikon' and then I or someone else had replied pointing the user to other manufacturers. I'd never seen it where there was just 'go for Canon' advice or 'go for Nikon' advice... only when there was another manufacturer mentioned. This is why I perceived it thus.

You are absolutely right though, one should offer advice re 'buying into a system' to a newcomer that before they spend their hard earned cash they also need to consider how addictive the hobby is, and that quite soon into it one will undoubtedly soon be looking for new (and often more expensive than body) glass.

I don't disagree with you at all Anton.:)
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No worries M8!:thumbs:

Deffo no offense taken either - just had to clarify it.

:thumbs::thumbs:
 
EdinburghGary said:
I agree :)


:coat:

Gary.
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I only list my kit so when i post a picture for people to look at they can see what i have used and they may be interested in buying a lens or something and can see what results i am getting with it and what others are getting from it, just gives you an idea of what the kit does. Obviously other people will do better with the same kit but it all helps.
 
Can I just add, great topic Shrimperblue!!! This really seems to have got the forum members thinking!! :)
 
Used to bother checking out other peoples cameras but then bought a little Pentax Optio WP for carrying round all the time.

Took these this afternoon just playing about - done nothing other than a quick crop and I reckon they still look pretty good. I think its more about making the effort to get to the right position to compose properly. I see too many people cant be bothered - especially with this type of picture, for this I was sat in freezing cold water in a pair of shorts!

1.
PentaxPics042.jpg


2.
PentaxPics044.jpg


First pic post too - so be nice!

Chris
 
I have enough trouble understanding and trying to get the best out of my own kit (Fuji S3Pro) to worry about what other people have got. :lol:

I think it's great when other members get new stuff and share their excitement on a forum - even though I usually have no in-depth understanding of what it is they've got.

Having said that, I do read threads about Nikon lenses and general stuff like memory cards, tripods, studio flash kit etc. I assume the banter is just that - not envy or snobbery. I'm in awe of the depth of knowledge some people have and generously share and I think we can always learn from each other - no matter what our experience or levels of expertise.

BTW - are there any more S3Pros out there :wave:
 
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