With Adobe software and other amazing software that can do a lot of things to the pictures. Just wondering do we need to invest and continue to buy better camera or lenses any more? This is a comment from my wife when I asked for money to upgrade my camera to FF and better lenses.
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Do we need to buy nice lenses and camera anymore?
- Thread starter pdt
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LX93
Senior Member
Is the living room couch comfortable for sleeping?
pdt wrote:
This is a comment from my wife when I asked for money to upgrade my camera to FF and better lenses.
pdt wrote:
This is a comment from my wife when I asked for money to upgrade my camera to FF and better lenses.
udaman
Senior Member
YES!@
Getting it right (or darn near right) in the camera makes it a lot easier to edit later..
Next time your wife asks to "Upgrade" her wardrobe, apply the same logic, and suggest she get it altered (upgraded) for a more modern look...See how that goes ;-) ;-) ;-)
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Peter Arbib
Getting it right (or darn near right) in the camera makes it a lot easier to edit later..
Next time your wife asks to "Upgrade" her wardrobe, apply the same logic, and suggest she get it altered (upgraded) for a more modern look...See how that goes ;-) ;-) ;-)
--
http://www.pbase.com/peterarbib One of my gallery's
PPG http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/peterarbib
http://101photography.wordpress.com/ Basic Photography Stuff
http://arbib.wordpress.com/ Classic Images In B&W
Gear in my Profile Plan
Peter Arbib
aplucini
Senior Member
No offense to your wife but that's a comment made by someone who doesn't know anything about photography or photo editing.
My wife and friends make comments like that all the time too. There is this perception by the general non-photography public that Photoshop can do ANYTHING including the impossible.
I take photos every day that I wish I had gotten right in the camera because photoshop can't work miracles. Sometimes the problems are due to photographer's error and other times they are due to the limitations of the camera or lens. The more sophisticated your camera or lens, the less dependency you will have on photo editors. Photoshop has not reached the point where it can fix out of focus images or brighten up a dark corner of a room without damaging the photo to some extent and there are many other limitations with even the best photo editors.
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Allan in Colorado, USA
My wife and friends make comments like that all the time too. There is this perception by the general non-photography public that Photoshop can do ANYTHING including the impossible.
I take photos every day that I wish I had gotten right in the camera because photoshop can't work miracles. Sometimes the problems are due to photographer's error and other times they are due to the limitations of the camera or lens. The more sophisticated your camera or lens, the less dependency you will have on photo editors. Photoshop has not reached the point where it can fix out of focus images or brighten up a dark corner of a room without damaging the photo to some extent and there are many other limitations with even the best photo editors.
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Allan in Colorado, USA
Genghis_Obnoxious
Active member
Your comment, made by your wife, is like asking a mechanic if he can rebuild a car engine with just a crescent wrench. You might find a mechanic that would say yes, but he would, also, quickly say that he would never actually give it try without the proper tools.
Camera bodies, lens, and lighting equipment are all tools for the photographer. Some more important than others, but they are tools that help you get the job done right.
Ask your wife if she would trust a mechanic with just a crescent wrench.
Oh, by the way Photoshop is nothing more than a crescent wrench. It may seem like it can do everything, but it can only do so much.
Camera bodies, lens, and lighting equipment are all tools for the photographer. Some more important than others, but they are tools that help you get the job done right.
Ask your wife if she would trust a mechanic with just a crescent wrench.
Oh, by the way Photoshop is nothing more than a crescent wrench. It may seem like it can do everything, but it can only do so much.
Kartika Sari
Forum Enthusiast
for my as a photographer, post production software like ps, apple, LR, etc, is use only when "emergency" (pimples, fats, distracting bg that i can't change, etc)
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briand liong
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v_
Senior Member
All you need is a brush, some paint, canvas..... and the knowledge how to paint like Rembrandt. As simple as that.
There is no limit what can be done in Photoshop either. The only limit is what you can do in PS is the your knowledge, artistic talent and experience.
Better equipment will not make you a better artist or photographer, but the image quality will probably improve by using quality gear.
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Viktor
'Happy shooting!'
There is no limit what can be done in Photoshop either. The only limit is what you can do in PS is the your knowledge, artistic talent and experience.
Better equipment will not make you a better artist or photographer, but the image quality will probably improve by using quality gear.
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Viktor
'Happy shooting!'
spbStan
Senior Member
Most people have hardware that is capable enough to create much better, more compelling images than what they are used on now. So, the wife really does understand, which she can because she is not a gear geek. I spend a lot of time in world class museums and I have yet to hear a viewer of a great piece of art "wow, look at that sharpness, must have used great brushes". Good photos are rare, but decent gear is very common. Just face it, most of hobbyists are gear geeks who like to play with and talk about gear, but very few have a true talent in creating art with photography. A lot of the pros are just technicians, journeymen, not creative, doing the same routine poses and lighting set ups year after year for weddings and portraits, and make their money by being cameras operators.
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Stan
St Petersburg Russia
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Stan
St Petersburg Russia
Charlie Self
Senior Member
And that applies to the OP how? I've stood in museums looking at great art and heard artists who wondered how a painter mixed his colors, what type of yellow (or you name the color) he used, how he learned to do the brush strokes in a particular scene, so you're not in the company of artists, I'd guess. Artists fret about their gear just like anyone else who uses gear.
If he's a gear geek, that's fine. Gear geeks support the R&D that goes into the technology used by more "artistic" photographers.
It sounds to me as if he needs to educate his wife in the advantages of the camera he wants versus the lacks in the one he is using. Will it make his photos better? Maybe. Maybe not. That's between him and his wife.
As far as creating art goes, some don't even try. Most who do try fail, but it only takes one success to justify the pile of mediocrity that preceded it, IMO.
And what is art, anyway? This past weekend I read an art critic's take on some classic cars. I hope to never again read such twaddle about autos by someone who came very close to admitting he hated them, or at the least intensely disliked them. He decided they were art. That was decided long before he was even a glimmer in his parents' eyes, but he has no brought it to the world's attention, as if no one else knew. That's too often the art scene, in almost any genre. A bunch of pretentious twits determining standards that were developed, and met, before they were born.
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Charlie Self
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michaeladawson
Forum Pro
As others have stated, this is a question asked by someone who apparently does not understand (or appreciate) photography at all.
Photoshop can't fix garbage. If you take a photo out of focus can Photoshop fix that? No! If your lens is extremely soft in the corners can Photoshop fix that? No! If your camera only shoots 3 frames per second can Photoshop reconstruct that precise moment in time when (insert sports scenario here), that you missed but could have captured if you had a 9 fps camera? No! Does Photoshop take a 6 MP image and uprez it to a 25 MP image of equal quality when printed LARGE? No!
I could go on, but I think I've made my opinion evident. If you don't need the features I have alluded to above then maybe you don't need top notch lenses and bodies. Otherwise...
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Mike Dawson
Photoshop can't fix garbage. If you take a photo out of focus can Photoshop fix that? No! If your lens is extremely soft in the corners can Photoshop fix that? No! If your camera only shoots 3 frames per second can Photoshop reconstruct that precise moment in time when (insert sports scenario here), that you missed but could have captured if you had a 9 fps camera? No! Does Photoshop take a 6 MP image and uprez it to a 25 MP image of equal quality when printed LARGE? No!
I could go on, but I think I've made my opinion evident. If you don't need the features I have alluded to above then maybe you don't need top notch lenses and bodies. Otherwise...
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Mike Dawson
veteran35th
Leading Member
Dunno how much CS5 costs where you live, but I can buy some pretty decent equipment for the cost of Adobe Design Standard CS5 on Amazon.fr - €2000 !!!! Then there's the time to learn it.
An idea : take a picture of your wife with your present equipment. Manipulate it a bit in your present photo editing software. Show her the results. You'll either get a slap in the face or she'll give you some money.
Matt
An idea : take a picture of your wife with your present equipment. Manipulate it a bit in your present photo editing software. Show her the results. You'll either get a slap in the face or she'll give you some money.
Matt
udaman
Senior Member
Dunno how much CS5 costs where you live, but I can buy some pretty decent equipment for the cost of Adobe Design Standard CS5 on Amazon.fr - €2000 !!!! Then there's the time to learn it.
An idea : take a picture of your wife with your present equipment. Manipulate it a bit in your present photo editing software. Show her the results. You'll either get a slap in the face or she'll give you some money.
Matt
Thanks for that!
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http://www.pbase.com/peterarbib One of my gallery's
PPG http://www.pentaxphotogallery.com/peterarbib
http://101photography.wordpress.com/ Basic Photography Stuff
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Gear in my Profile Plan
Peter Arbib
The D0SLR cameras at the bottom of every maker's range a year or so ago can make great 12 x 18 prints under a vast array of reasonable conditions, when used by a decent photographer.
So your wife has a good point.
Any camera newer / more expensive provides only very minor benefits, except if the shooting conditions are very abnormal.
So your wife has a good point.
Any camera newer / more expensive provides only very minor benefits, except if the shooting conditions are very abnormal.
If you have to ask the question for yourself, the answer for you is, "No."
The answer to the question is always based on where your current bottlenecks lie. At the point that your gear prevents you from doing what you want to do, after you have mastered it and pushed it as far as it can go, then you need something more capable.
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RDKirk
'TANSTAAFL: The only unbreakable rule in photography.'
The answer to the question is always based on where your current bottlenecks lie. At the point that your gear prevents you from doing what you want to do, after you have mastered it and pushed it as far as it can go, then you need something more capable.
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RDKirk
'TANSTAAFL: The only unbreakable rule in photography.'
ratzass
Well-known member
Certainly not. Have you seen Terry Richardson's work ?
ClarkPhoto
Forum Enthusiast
"Amateurs worry about equipment, pros worry about money, masters worry about light."
Aspire to be a Master. Your skill(s) will show through regardless of the edit.
Aspire to be a Master. Your skill(s) will show through regardless of the edit.
michaeladawson
Forum Pro
I think there is a big difference between having a nice camera and lenses and getting caught up in the upgrade game.
You are right about newer camera models and lenses providing minor benefits for the vast majority of shooters. If you own a professional model body or lens it is a huge expense to upgrade every cycle for such minimal gains. I don't do it myself as it is a waste of money (in my opinion). My own skill in capturing the photo and in post processing play a larger role than the equipment.
But it is a big difference to upgrade from the consumer level gear to professional equipment. A professional body makes it easier to capture the shot. The IQ of the RAW file will not be that much different between the pro and consumer bodies (in most cases) but the ability to capture the photo and/or minimize post processing work is much better with the pro body. And the difference between pro and consumer lenses is usually evident in the IQ of the capture unless you are shooting all your images stopped down.
Without knowing more about the OP and what he shoots I can't render an opinion with regard to his situation. For example, if he already has top notch gear, just older, then I think his wife is probably right. Upgrading to the latest will not afford him appreciable gain. But if he's shooting with entry level equipment, and his skills and subjects are advanced beyond his gear, then he's not going to get it done with Photoshop alone.
Mike Dawson
You are right about newer camera models and lenses providing minor benefits for the vast majority of shooters. If you own a professional model body or lens it is a huge expense to upgrade every cycle for such minimal gains. I don't do it myself as it is a waste of money (in my opinion). My own skill in capturing the photo and in post processing play a larger role than the equipment.
But it is a big difference to upgrade from the consumer level gear to professional equipment. A professional body makes it easier to capture the shot. The IQ of the RAW file will not be that much different between the pro and consumer bodies (in most cases) but the ability to capture the photo and/or minimize post processing work is much better with the pro body. And the difference between pro and consumer lenses is usually evident in the IQ of the capture unless you are shooting all your images stopped down.
Without knowing more about the OP and what he shoots I can't render an opinion with regard to his situation. For example, if he already has top notch gear, just older, then I think his wife is probably right. Upgrading to the latest will not afford him appreciable gain. But if he's shooting with entry level equipment, and his skills and subjects are advanced beyond his gear, then he's not going to get it done with Photoshop alone.
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Mike Dawson
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