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a little intimidated?
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Hi all,
So I am self-taught in photography. A few years ago when I lived in Ireland I tried taking photos with a compact camera of landscapes. I lost interest though. Now I am more interested in outdoor shots of people. Portraits you could call them maybe. I live in Prague so nice setting too.
The point is that I need a new camera and I am in the process of buying a canon eos 1100. I would go for something better if I could afford it. maybe spending a few more hundred would not offer a huge advantage at this price range anyway (?) That is the first question, do you think I can take decent outdoor photos with this camera or should I spend a bit more and get something semi-professional? What are the major advantages of getting something around the 800-100 euro mark? Spending more than this is out of the question.This leads me to my main point. I am somewhat intimidated by professional photographers and their plethora of equipment. Is all that really necessary? I think of musical instruments. I am a musician. You can buy a guitar that is decent and if you are good you can make it sound great. Never like the best but still very impressive. Does the same apply to cameras? it seems there are lots of photographers who have spent thousands and thousands on equipment and I am just curious how necessary this is for someone in my position or indeed for anyone except professionals? I don’t want just holiday snaps. I’d like to build a portfolio and put it on my own website. I don’t want to make money from it though at the moment but I don’t want the photos to look amateurish either.
What do you think?
Thanks a lot and excuse the border-line convoluted way I expressed myself. I am tired!
J.
Hi J.
The EOS 1100, like most entry level DSLR’s, is more than capable of producing excellent images, especially if used with a decent lens. OK, it might struggle with certain subjects and certain situations in which a more expensive camera might make it easier to get the shot, but if used well, you should be able to get good results.As for being intimidated by pros, I don’t think that they “need” top of the range equipment for the most part, but it does make their life easier if they do have it. Many pros bring “too much” equipment to a shoot because they are planning for different eventualities which can happen. They might not need to use their backup equipment, but it would be disasterous if their main equipment failed & they didn’t have a backup.
I am an amateur who has spent thousands on my equipment & I don’t regret spending it. I certainly don’t need the majority of it & it doesn’t make me into a “better photographer”, but I like the flexibility that it gives me. In fact, some of my best shots were taken when I had my 1st DSLR (EOS 450D), but I grew out of that camera and felt restricted by it.
Hi Miki
Thanks a lot. That’s a very encouraging message. So maybe I should invest in a better lens than the kit lens and add that to the eos 1100 (?) in time. I know less about lenses than I do about cameras (which is not a whole lot either). :) I guess I will see how I go.
J
I wouldn’t be disheartened, and remember that most professional photographers have that much gear is to ensure they get the shot, no matter what, so as to meet their professional obligations and not come back empty handed. Outside of professionals, and other specific types of photography that require specific types of equipment, I would argue the weakest link in the photographic chain is almost always the photographer, and the most target-rich area for improvement.
Photographic companies have spent a lot of time and money selling us the idea that for every problem there is a product, but in order for us to improve as photographers, it is often only in isolated cases that throwing money at the problem, works. For your own chosen photographic pursuits, I would look at the areas that would make a tangible improvement to your images, and work on those, but I’m betting that like all of us, the route to photographic improvement does not lay easily with spending more money :)
I would say go for the camera and kit lens you mentioned, and upgrade only when/ if you honestly feel it is the limiting factor.
Welcome to the forum, by the way :)
A keen amateur photographer has his neigbours round, he shows his photos that he’d taken on his holiday, the wife of the neigbour as she leaves turns to him and says, “those were wonderful photos, you must have a good expensive camera.”
About a week later the photographer is invited round for meal at the neigbours house, after a great meal, they are about to leave and the photographer turns to the neigbour and says “that was a lovely meal, you must have expensive pans in your kitchen!”
Just a little thought for you.
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