Something bugging me.

we all know that the bigger the camera, the better the photographer is. Why else did I buy a grip for mine the other day? It's made the camera a lot bigger. It now has more buttons, therefore it is better, therefore I am immediately a better photographer.

Simples!


TO be 100% honest I upgraded from a 2008 K20D to a 2011 K5. Why? Well

1) Because I could
2) Much improved ISO performance esp above 1600 ISO, and this goes up to 51,200, whereas the K20D was unusable over 1600
3) It's new and shiny and that alone makes it good.
 
The saying 'more money than sense' comes to mind. But if it makes them happy and the family isn't going hungry at the expense of a new camera, then leave them to it.
 
I don't really get this thread. Why does anyone buy anything they already have one version of?

I already have a pair of shoes, they still fit, why do i need another pair?

My house has rooms and a toilet, kitchen and bathroom - why do i need to move to a nicer house?

people purchase goods because it helps them enjoy life and feel rewarded. I don't see how photography equipment is any different to any other purchase that is done out of a want rather than a need
 
Maybe because a great photographer can only do so much with his equipment, it becomes the limiting factor at some point? ;)
 
joescrivens said:
tell that to the amazing photographer who needs to take a photo of something in low light with no flash on a canon 450d with a kit lens that only goes down to f/3.5

a great photographer can only do so much with his equipment, it becomes the limiting factor at some point.
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to summarise the rest of my thread...

Buy stuff when you are hitting a brick wall that your gear cant deal with

(which is philosophically different to buy the latest greatest thing because it is there)
 
daza said:
its not the camera that makes the photo its the person behind it
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No its not, but certainly a camera with the necessary features to photograph what you are after helps. Try shooting an indoor sports event with terrible lighting with a point and shoot and then print it A3 size.

daza said:
there's a few photographers out there that shoot with a simple point and shoot and put most peoples efforts on this forums including mine to shame.
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I always wonder how much thought process goes into snapping something with a point and shoot. I might be missing something, but hey, I am just a newbie so what do I know?:thinking:
 
joescrivens said:
I don't really get this thread. Why does anyone buy anything they already have one version of?

I already have a pair of shoes, they still fit, why do i need another pair?
Click to expand...

Ohhh gosh you are such a man :D
 
I suspect most people who get a new car do so because they want to not because theirs has become such a banger that it's won't even start. (my parents used to do that though, the old Peugeot 205 was a wreck :D).


Galaxy66 said:
Like Stuart pointed out interest rates are poor lately, so if you have the spare cash what good is it doing in some greedy banks accounts, it may as well be used to gain some enjoyment out of life and if that means upgrading to the latest gear with bells and whistles they may never use so what!!
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Too true. How many times have you had some spare cash, decided it would be better saved, only to end up a year or so down the line and realise it's all gone on other mundane things and you wished you had just spent it in the first place.
 
EMA747 said:
I suspect most people who get a new car do so because they want to not because theirs has become such a banger that it's won't even start. (my parents used to do that though, the old Peugeot 205 was a wreck :D).
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Cars are a different matter with me Andy ;) I kept the last one for nearly 10 years:), the new one I have now was forced on me because of the winter before last otherwise I would still be driving it not my son.
 
This would probably have had more of the usual responses if it had been in the Talk Photography section where it should have been but I suspect the mods will turn a blind eye and leave it in OOF :D
 
There was a thread recently where someone had an issue with their photos. A large number of people said it was the lens and they should upgrade, cue the list of lens suggestions which would get rid of the issue and be much sharper.


The issue with photo? Motion blur as it was a kid moving and a 1/60 or so shutter speed.

Changing the lens won't fix the issue, but it is what most people went straight for.

Learn to use what you've got, learn to get the most out of what you've got. Upgrade if you can, but not because your photos are crap, a new camera won't fix that, learning how to use your camera will.
 
I couldn't care less what other people spend their money on, and to some people having new kit will be as enjoyable as taking photos (and possibly more so). Whether or not they can use it is an absolute irrelevance, imo

A
 
joescrivens said:
I don't really get this thread. Why does anyone buy anything they already have one version of?

I already have a pair of shoes, they still fit, why do i need another pair?

......
Click to expand...

A pair:shrug:
Why do you need a pair when you have already got one version of it ?

:D
 
Everyone to their own ...if you have money to spend and want to blow it on upgrades then go for it providing you're not going to put others down that may have "inferior" gear.
Personally i am more than happy with the gear I have and have no wish to upgrade.
I find both my D50 and D80 offer more than enough in the way of settings with superb results especially when I return to them after spending many hours running film through old box brownies or sheet film through old quarter plate field cameras.
Perhaps if we all reverted to an old Brownie with a fixed shutter speed and perhaps 2 or 3 apertures then returned to our beloved modern kit, we would all appreciate more what we already have.
Applies to most of what we have in this modern age, not just camera gear.
 
daza said:
As the way I see it people are just burning money and not learning an awful lot, the latest gear wont make them better. I understand they work hard and I do too yet we don't see people upgrading there car every year especially when they have a family.
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agree with what you say but heres a situation

Say I take pictures at football, poor lighting, wrong time of year

I enjoy my D300 and think its fantastic at what it does, night games are ok but for me to improve I need better ISO quality that the D700/D3 offers. no other reason

Justified upgrade?
 
Yes. You understand the settings and you are doing the best with what you have, but you have found a limit you cannot get past with your.current equipment.

Today I realised I want a fast long lens. I was photographing an eagle today in far from ideal conditions and with aperture wide open (5. something), ISO at 1600 and the shutter speed was too slow and the photos lack sharpness. I'm currently looking for a 70-200mm f/2.8 which will allow faster shutter speeds.
 
daza said:
I myself still have my trusty canon 40D I've had it two years and I'm still learning with it I get some stunning photos by my reckoning and doubt an upgrade to a 60D would make much of a difference,
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I pretty much agree with you about shiny kit syndrome - i'm still using a 20D and 450D , and i'll upgrade when i need to and not before

that said if people want to upgrade every five minuites its no skin of my nose.. and it does mean that there's plenty of kit arround s/h when i do decide to fleet up
 
Following the OP's logic, I shouldn't ever have an All Inclusive holiday in the Caribbean but should stick to a campsite in Cornwall. After all in won't make me a better holiday maker.

Get real. If I can afford to spend money on something I want then why shouldn't I? If it makes me feel better then good, if not then oh well I tried, nobody was hurt.
 
I have to admit to being really indecisive with kit back in the analogue days although it was always with secondhand cameras, sometimes people just don't quite feel comfortable with what they have and if they want to spend their quids on hardware then so be it but I get your point especially when its such a minor difference.
I've only ever had one digital SLR-an EOS 20d that I must have had for six years but it does me ok, I'd like to upgrade and think an upgrade after all this time would yield some noticable differences however it will have to wait as I currently spend my quids on other things.
 
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