Pro DSLRs, Pro Photographers

A very good article, thanks DPR.
This is just another living example, which illustrates that in spite of your magnificent skills as a photographer you need the right tools of your trade to sell your product.
Of course you can still be a great one with your Canon 40D, but only in your neighbourhood or photo club. And if this makes you happy, fine.

Photography is all about image image image!

- Look like a pro.
- Know how to get the shot (Lighting, composition etc).
- Produce quality photos consistently.

An article about the 1D X and D4, but where are DPR's in depth review of these two pro dSLRs?

the few pros i know use the cheapest stuff they can find….

Better cameras make life easier no doubt. But, in my professional work as a photographer I had one very interesting assignment. The assignment was sponsored by Panasonic, which never made professional level still cameras. The client: UNESCO/ Our Place.

This was a documentary type of assignment and the 'top end' camera was a simple (and slow) LC-1. Images were well received by editors world wide.
Cameras do not chose composition or exposure (manual).
There are ways to over come slow focusing as well if you know your craft.

In my travel assignments I will always chose a smaller camera over a big one as it make me less obvious. So either D4 or EOS 1x will not do.

My last visit to Varanasi India was all shot on couple of Sony NEX-7.
No editor yet refuse my images on the base of the camera metadata.
They either fit with the story or not.

Photography, pro or other, comes in many shapes and forms and the diversity of cameras on the market reflects that.

I HAVE to comment on the comments posted earlier today:

'Ahh, the good old days.

Things were better back then.

Funny how old duffers from every generation believe this'.

YES - they were - like employing 6 full time shooters, like being able to have a full time studio, like having the cash to tour the USA every year and presenting at Caesars Palace in front of 1000 people

Yep - the Good Old Days WERE better.....the wedding photo business here in the UK is in free-fall and I would NOT recommend anyone to try to make a living from it nowadays.

Last point - played with a Canon 1D X owned by a pro photographer who i know well - superb- but it could take it him many, many weddings to cover its cost, I'm guessing just in time to 'have' to move on to the 1D X 2 version.... a foolish waste of money and efforts - sorry !

I feel sorry for anyone trying to make a living in photography! I have two friends who used to but both starved to death!

Really? "I think the expression “pro” has a negative smell meanwhile. Financial pros, real estate pros, catering pros …" Really. And your next job is what, Pope? I WAS a photography pro... made my living in photography and film. I am now a Real Estate Agent (pro). I make my living selling real estate. I am sucessful because of my past as a "pro" photograpger, a BA in Business and a Masters. I no longer call myself a photography "pro" because I no longer make my living selling photography. If you want to be appreciated as a photographer... call your self a creative photographer... a life long photographer, whatever. My wife was an IT Director and a really good photographer. She did not call herself a pro. Be proud of your own profession and enjoy your passion for photography. Not being a "pro" does not make you good photographer.

Far too many moronic non-professional photographers that think they are in the same league as professional photographers.

No, you're not as good as a professional photographer because you are using a consumer dSLR. Any editor can tell who is using high-end equipment and who isn't, in addition to be being able to spot artistic talent suitable for their media brand.

The editor defines who is pro. Not you.

Some of the comments here are insult to human intelligence. When someone talks about ''the good old days'' which period of photography do they refer to? The beginning? Glass slides etc...? or 40's, 50's. Every generation gear is generally better than previous one.If you just take landscapes you have as much time as you want and one can use the camera one wants including the ''Glass slides'' ''Catching action with manual focus cameras'' possible. But when the photographer next to you is continuously shooting action without being bothered with focus adjustments, pre-focusing etc. considering talent levels are similar the one with the faster gear will laugh all the way to the bank and you might have to wait for the next game to get a winning shot. Silly isn't it. Not to mention the slower guy's pictures will be scrutinized by gear heads like you for minute focus adjustments, focus points, misses etc. And you'll continue living as very bitter, unhappy and un-fulfilled gear heads

what is a professional? a professional photographer is a person who makes all his profits from photography. if the profits are not all from photography, then he is a semiprofessional. this is the true definition, and it has nothing to do with skills (though professionals are expected to show them).

what about equipment? well, when we say professional camera, we actually mean "professional targeted camera", because only the ones who earns all their money from photography can eventually, and eventually needs to, buy a better (more enduring, faster,...) camera.

Pros are self-proclaimed elite people - arrogant until they drop. They believe that expensive gear produces good pictures. Their business model is to sell concepts to others enabling them to make money with others.

This has nothing to do with the arts or true mastership. "Pros" are a simple profession as there are so many others.

There are the real pros that can track a runner with a manual focus camera...just like the good old days
And there are the so-called pros that shoots with 10fps, the best AF system in the world and gets 1 keeper out of 3000 shots.

By far the best article and interview I've read here. Most articles are superficial and/or puffery but this is quite insightful with intelligent questions asked. Well done and thanks. Now, about the 1D X and D4 reviews....

One of the best things I have ever read on here. And I have been here since the beginning. Well done.

The difference between professional and consumer cameras, has nothing to do with the ability to take good or bad pictures, or with image quality.

The real difference between pro and consumer cameras, mostly has to do with build quality, ergonomics and performance. Consumer bodies aren't built to the same standards; they are (to a large extent) made of cheaper materials, have less extensive sealing (or none at all), the shutter and other mechanisms aren't made to last as long (or at least aren't as thoroughly tested), and they have fewer dedicated, physical control points. Usually, they also have simpler AF and metering systems, shorter battery life, and generally slower performance.
These are the reasons for the price gap between pro and consumer cameras, even when the IQ is the same. You pay more for reliability, durability and responsiveness. Of course, there are entry-level cameras with great IQ, if that's the only thing you want or need from a camera.

To be continued...

A non pro can take great photos, anytime they feel like it, with any camera they chose.

A pro must take great photos, even when they don't feel like it, with a camera that must not fail.

With 35 year experience as a newspaper and news magazine photographer I can say that the camera does matter. Faster frame rates and focus, better ergonomics, better high ISO and color/DR performance has made press photography technically easier, but as everybody has access to the same tools, it has at the same time raised the bar considerably. For certain type of photography these top DSLRs (I use D4, D3 & D800e) are not the best possible tools, though, for that reason I also have Fujifilm X-Pro1 & X-E1. That said 95% of the assignments can be best done with D4 or 1DX type cameras. After getting used to them trying to use anything less is frustrating.

Pro does mean that they earn their living with taking photos. This does not mean that they make better photos. They can take most of their photos with consumer cameras, for sure. But, they need this “pro equipment” for their demanding work, hunted by deadlines and common style patterns required by the public viewing trends.

I am happy that I must not be a pro; I can just take pictures for fun. And if we didn’t have the “pros” we would miss something. One would no more have the chance to view those amazing artificial pictures or know about Schicki Micki News.

So much whining from armchair photogs. The reason these guys need high end equipment is due to the rigors of their job and the modern demands of new media. Granted there are excellent amateurs, the difference between a pro and non-pro is the ability to deliver satisfactory images to clients and publications on consistent basis.

Pro photographer: Anyone who shoots full frame and pretends that Sony doesn't exist.

Looking at these cameras, supporting accesories and photos, especially sports photos and wedding and fashion photos, I am afraid "pro" photogs are looking more and more like special equipment operators, skilful operators and technical software users, not exactly artists like some may be thinking. It is work, and often repetitive, laborious routines. So my definition of a pro is someone who more likely than not cannot enjoy his work.

I dread to be a pro photog. It's a hobby to me, a leisurely one that I want to enjoy, in spite of the limited gear that I get to use. ;-)

I would envy and enjoy their cameras and lenses, but I shudder to think of the life of many such pros, the heavy gear that must be hauled around, the setup, preparation and the customers demands... and not what I want to shoot....

Of course some pro's have it better than others, but I think most are making a hard living.

:)

What a tired old line "the camera doesn't matter" has become. Of course it matters. It's a tool, and as we all know, a craftsman doesn't blame his/her tools - BECAUSE A CRAFTSMAN IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CHOOSING THE RIGHT TOOL FOR THE JOB!

Yes, an outstanding photographer will be able to get *good* images on an iPhone, or whatever. Just as Mick Fanning would shred on a foamy, or Casey Stoner would impress on a postie-bike, or Sebastion Vittel in a Kia.

However, give these blokes the right tools, and allow them to fine-tune them perfectly for the job at hand, and they win world titles. It's no different for professional photographers.

Nowadays, "Pro Photographer" is just a title used by anyone who sells photos for a living. In no way, shape or form it means that the person actually knows how to take great photos. There are plenty of amateurs who take better shots than self-proclaimed "pros", hence why you should always look at someone's portfolio if you want to evaluate their work, rather than their title, gear, company and even years of experience.

The idea that a pro could do the same job with a lesser camera isn't credible. A camera is either capable of achieving a certain shot, or it isn't. You wouldn't take a slow focusing, older mirror-less to a high-demand sporting even and expect it to perform like a D4 or a 1DX, no matter who was using it. Under certain circumstances, the capabilities of the camera determine if you get the shot, just as much as the photog.

A camera is a tool; not unlike an artists paint brush.

That being said, it's like anything else, either you know how to use it or you don't.
And that my friend is the difference; between pros and ametures.