Thinks twice about buying a new camera....

December 28, 2012  •  2 Comments

With all the sales now on it is probably tempting to take your Christmas money and head off to the high street and buy the latest camera.

The sales pitches are tempting - the pictures showing what the camera can achieve even more so.

And of course the latest camera will have even more pixels.

But why would someone want an upgrade?

It has been said in the past, to me and no doubt to many other, "oh thats a lovely picture; you must have a great camera..."

Well, that's like saying to a chef, thats a lovely roast; you must have a great oven.

Cameras are tools. You are in control. The expense of the tool has no bearing on how the photographer will use it.

So what I'd recommend is that you save your money, and continue learning how to use your camera. Cameras on phones, DSLRs, Film Cameras, are all great tools and phenomenal shots can be achieved from them all. The only exception I'd say is if you have used an auto camera for a while and want now to upgrade to one with manual features so you can increase your control. 

One option, which I'd recommend, is to buy a monthly magazine which frequently have special editions on say landcapes, portraits and such like - concentrate on these areas a month at a time. Take shots deliberately and be critical with yourself. 

Thats my recommendation - a great fine art photographer I know had an exhibition the pictures of which were taken on a £14.99 disposable camera with a tiny plastic lens - how did he manage to take great shots - he used it well. Its who's behind the camera that counts. 

So thats my tip for what its worth.......enjoy shooting.

Cheers

Guy

 

 

 

 

 


Comments

Guy Hinks Photographer
Hi Keith. Many thanks for the thoughts - that was good of you to take the time. I don't think we'rte a million miles apart - buying new gear to deliberately open up creative opportunities (which are, with your current gear, frustrated) is a considered purchase and makes sense. As you say "knowing" why you want something is the key. And as you also point out, producing the great roast is a combination of knowledge and tools to help you get what you see on the plate (before you even cook it). Thanks again for the comment. Cheers. Guy
Keith Maxwell(non-registered)
I'll be controversial and disagree with this post slightly. It's a popular and well received theory (especially amongst budget photographers) and everyone would rather the great images were more to do with themselves than the technology of their camera or the size of their wallet.

Users have entirely in their court - composition & focal point. Irrespective of the camera this will be the main ingredients of getting a good picture on a £14.99 or a £4099.99 camera. It can be learned, improved and refined to take good pictures anywhere but will not make you a success in all fields. Cheap cameras take great pictures in scenes with good light, slow subjects etc. Introduce macro, wedding, sport, action, nature etc from a distance, in poor light, bad weather and then no matter how good you compose the pictures between the £14.99 and even a £400 camera will be obvious. If your camera has a maximum ISO of 800 with sickly grainy images, an upgrade to a clean 6400 will revolutionise your shooting.

The upgraded camera opens up options for making it easier to shoot action, in low light, fast moving subjects, fine detail and things that would be too troublesome to achieve with an older camera. Technology opens more doors to what you shoot so I would say if you understand WHY you need a new camera and the features it offers, go ahead, the Christmas Sales are perfect for picking one up.

Being a chef to trade, the good roast is not from the oven but from the quality of meat I select, my seasoning and my cooking. My meat is the equivalent of a 1d mk5 too haha!
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