Ken Rockwell - is it as easy as he makes it sound?

SlowSteve

SlowSteve

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Hello folks.

Having spent a good while getting a foot onto the vicious learning curve that is the world of taking pictures - reading the reviews of camera's and getting concerned by Camera A's lack of ISO detail compared to camera B's, and of worrying about the vignetting on the lens above the lens I can actually afford.

Then I get pointed towards Ken Rockwell's site.

"Buy a d3100, get an extra lens if you feel like it - you don't need to - go take pictures, they will be awesome"

Seems to be the basis message. "Stop worrying about kit - it's all the same" seems to be another message - and he backs it up by taking identical or better photos with a cheap point and shoot.

So now I'm back to being confused again.... is it really as easy as it sounds - and most of what else I have read is overblown, or is he just a crazily over-optimistic, well skilled guy and what he says doesn't translate to mere mortals like me?

Steve
 
He's very arrogant most of the time. That said, he doesn't care about what anybody else might think about his opinion. Which, often, is actually the same thing. He does have some good advice, most of a photograph is down to the photographer, but many photographs just simply aren't possible with the likes of a compact. I was at a house party at the weekend and was taking photographs in the garden with the only light being from a security light at the top of the garden and a floodlight from the bottom of the garden. Taking photographs without a flash on a compact camera in these conditions would be impossible (in fact, people were drunkenly asking me why my camera wasn't flashing) but with a stabilised f/2.8 lens and ISO3200 I was taking very usable photographs.

I often read Ken's site for an second opinion (I've read most of his reviews on Canon gear) and for a good laugh when I'm in a bad mood. He makes money from his work so he's doing something right, but I wouldn't say he was anything special.
 
In this case I think he's pretty much right.

Yes, if you shoot in very low light, stuff that's miles away, or very small or a host of other not so unusual circumstances you'll need some extra kit. But if you're just getting started and want to take great pics but don't really mind what of then I'd agree with him.

I bet if you looked at a the 'landscape photographer of the year' book or most other general photography books you could get remarkably close to most the pics with the gear he suggests. However, having the imagination, opportunity, people and camera skills to get them is a different proposition altogether.
 
i take his opinions with a pinch of salt, but you cant knock him for having reviews of almost every nikon lens ever made, very useful if you want a quick rundown of a lens, although he does say that every lens is the best lens ever.
 
Nuffles said:
He's very arrogant most of the time. That said, he doesn't care about what anybody else might think about his opinion. Which, often, is actually the same thing. He does have some good advice, most of a photograph is down to the photographer, but many photographs just simply aren't possible with the likes of a compact. I was at a house party at the weekend and was taking photographs in the garden with the only light being from a security light at the top of the garden and a floodlight from the bottom of the garden. Taking photographs without a flash on a compact camera in these conditions would be impossible (in fact, people were drunkenly asking me why my camera wasn't flashing) but with a stabilised f/2.8 lens and ISO3200 I was taking very usable photographs.

I often read Ken's site for an second opinion (I've read most of his reviews on Canon gear) and for a good laugh when I'm in a bad mood. He makes money from his work so he's doing something right, but I wouldn't say he was anything special.
Click to expand...

Read the "About Me" section of his site carefully, and see if you still feel he is arrogant!!
 
SlowSteve said:
Hello folks.

Having spent a good while getting a foot onto the vicious learning curve that is the world of taking pictures - reading the reviews of camera's and getting concerned by Camera A's lack of ISO detail compared to camera B's, and of worrying about the vignetting on the lens above the lens I can actually afford.

Then I get pointed towards Ken Rockwell's site.

"Buy a d3100, get an extra lens if you feel like it - you don't need to - go take pictures, they will be awesome"

Seems to be the basis message. "Stop worrying about kit - it's all the same" seems to be another message - and he backs it up by taking identical or better photos with a cheap point and shoot.

So now I'm back to being confused again.... is it really as easy as it sounds - and most of what else I have read is overblown, or is he just a crazily over-optimistic, well skilled guy and what he says doesn't translate to mere mortals like me?

Steve
Click to expand...

IMHO it all depends on whether you are a hobbyist an enthusiast or a pro.
If you just want to take good quality images then kit lenses will do the job most of the time though they have their limitations , if you are specializing in a particular field then you would need better gear.

Some people have larger disposable incomes so can afford the best ( like the guy who buys a Ferrari but never goes over 30mph) they don`t need it. It is a different case if you are a semi or pro photographer their livelihoods depend on higher quality.

Its a balancing act of not paying for more quality than you will ever need and not buying cr*p.
 
At the end of the day, all the fancy buttons on cameras are their to make it look better than the competitors, its predecessors and to sound good.

Most of the time, you don't need them. There are exceptions, like the above example of ISO3200 to take a shot, but this is well beyong the realms of film (IIRC) so is not that important.

What is important is finding a camera that fits your budget, fits your hand and fits your head.

By that I mean you can afford it, and the bits to go with it, whether that is lenses, memory cards, tripods etc.

Go to a shop and hold one - if it feels wrong in your hand it will frustrate you, so get one that is comfortable, and that you like the layout of the buttons.

When you have found one that feels right, play with the menus - if you can get your head around what buttons make what changes it will make your life easier.

Remember people have been taking photos with basic cameras - box cameras, pinhole cameras, fully manual cameras etc. for years and years - but it is the person behind the lens that presses the button.

If you want a good intro into photography, then look at a bridge camera. This is a halfway house between a compact and a DSLR. You lose some of the top end ability of a DSLR, but gain loads from the useability of the camera.

The Fuji HS10 is a good example of this type of camera.

I shoot on a bridge, my gallery is all shot on a bridge, and I am still learning on it. I will get a DSLR at some point, but not yet. I do feel sometimes that many people are more worried about having the kit than by using it and taking photos with it!

So yes Ken is right, and so is David Bailey if you listen to him - he just advises getting on with it!
 
PsiFox said:
Read the "About Me" section of his site carefully, and see if you still feel he is arrogant!!
Click to expand...

Hence my wording - 'a lot of the time'. He doesn't seem to understand what 'opinion' means and when you read his reviews it feels like he's putting across everything he says as hard fact rather than simply his opinion. He may well be a lot less arrogant when actually talking about himself, but it sure comes through (for me at least) in other areas. From spending many hours on his website I can't say I'd be friends with the guy in real life but as I said, another opinion is always valid even if it doesn't agree with your own.
 
The absolute key to it all is knowing your kit and understanding what it is capable of and then shooting to it's limits.

For (a very simplistic) example, if you're at a football match and you have a good dSLR and a long fast lens you can get some great close up shots of the action. If you have a PAS camera it is unlikely you'll get good close up action shots but that doesn't mean you can't take pictures of other things and capture the atmosphere of the game a different way.

If you are good you could go with either camera and come away with a series of shots that make people say "wow, great shots you really captured the event" and they won't give a second thoguht to whether you were using a 'good' camera or not. That is the skill.

edit: for what it's worth I think KR speaks a lot of sense, as long as you can recognise where he is using hyperbole...
 
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SlowSteve said:
or is he just a crazily over-optimistic, well skilled guy
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He is well skilled at getting people to visit his site, and earn him money. He's discovered that posting controversial rubbish gets more hits than posting anything useful.
 
He's alright - all he has to offer is an opinion - of which some people disagree.

The kit is important the further you go - but if you are starting out you really don't need to spend £1000 on a body and £1000 on a lens. You really don't.

For me, I like that I started on a lower model and made my way up. You really apprecaite the extras you get the more you spend.

If your first car was a porsche, you wouldn't appreciate how good it it. It would be the norm.

Buy a cheaper camera, buy a cheaper lens, Upgrade later - that's part of the fun!!!!!!!!
 
I agree kit is important to the quality of a shot but only if its a big crop or, youre looking to produce large prints though.
Much better to use a midrange body and top quality glass, than a top of the range body with inferior glass. Spend most of your available budget on the lens and buy a camera body that does the job. Most photographers look at the features available on a camera to make their choice then never use most of them.
 
Here's an interesting piece on a fashion shoot with an iphone. Admittedly there was all of the usual makeup etc, but still - it was an iphone!

http://fstoppers.com/iphone

Love this shot


4761633936_a6650a645b_z.jpg
 
Yes it really is that easy.
Most gear will allow you to get most shots.
 
MnM said:
Here's an interesting piece on a fashion shoot with an iphone. Admittedly there was all of the usual makeup etc, but still - it was an iphone!

http://fstoppers.com/iphone

Love this shot


4761633936_a6650a645b_z.jpg
Click to expand...

In perfect light, and this studio scene is an excellent example of that, and maybe when the subject is still, then to have a image to show websized on the net, or printed out at the common image sizes, 6x4, 7x5 etc, many cameras, and not just dedicated cameras, as this iPhone pic shows, can take excellent images. The first professional DSLRs were a few megapixels and they were filling magazines with images and everyone was happy. Technology has moved on and many modern cameras could take similar pictures to those images back then.

Anything outside the perfect light/subject situations however, which is most of real life, then the advanced features of cameras come into play to a greater or lesser degree, faster, more precise focusing, low light capabilities, high frames per second, and yes even more megapixels amongst other things come into play to be able to a achieve a good image.

The equipment is not the be all and end all, the person operating the camera is the most important thing of course, but we don't normally have the perfect lighting situation and enough time to get the perfect picture, and the advanced features of the cameras allow most of us to get better pictures most of the time, especially when we don't necessarily know how to get the most of the equipment we have when we are new to photography or have a new piece of gear.

Always try to make the most of what you have, especially before thinking of spending more money, and what you already have will probably work most of the time, and maybe that is the message Ken Rockwell should be putting over, but there may be times when the camera/lens doesn't do what you may want to achieve, and telling people that a certain camera and lens combination can do everything is wrong imho.

Everyone is different, with different expectations and aims, and one size doesn't fit all, it may be OK for the majority, but there is more than one camera and lens on sale for a reason. I think Ken Rockwell has more than a Nikon D3100 and kit lens don't you? Why do you think that is? ;)

Worry about your gear when you find you can't do something you want to do, and you're sure that it is a technology problem that is stopping you from doing it. Sites like this are great for showing the results people get with many different types of gear, and helping people to overcome user problems, rather than gear problems, or at least inform you when you hit the gear/tech wall with what you have and the results you want to get.

I do agree with him to get out and take pics though. ;) :lol:
 
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