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Does Gear Matter? Why Professional Photographers Use CHEAP Cameras

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tbcass said:
AcquiredTaste said:
My average wedding purchases a 20x30 for their main art print. I don't think you are speaking from experience.
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I am not a wedding photographer. I'm speaking about the people where I live who hire a wedding photographer.
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Pretty common here to provide/offer a single 20x30 here after the client has reviewed and picked their fav image of the set. That said...also getting more common for the client to only ask for the files. Not a generally wealthy group...unfortunately :)
 
kalisti said:
Olympus and now OM are I believe the only mirrorless systems that offer a lot of cross type AF points, which seem to out perform other mirrorless in low light AF.
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I shoot weddings and events and use Olympus M43 cameras. Bought all the gear I have used. Yes, the Oly’s C-AF is a beast in low light with my primes.
 
The who thing is a bit silly. Professional photography covers an infinite gamma of activities, and the practitioners will have an infinity of different needs and budget.

Just to start off, a buisness has a budget and limits on investment. Any good buisness will spend as little as possible on equipment.

The word "Professional" has become one of the most abused words in the English language, thanks to marketing and advertising.

I would advise people not to waste precious moments of their lives on these rubbish videos. Do something more constructive, like learning how to take better pictures.
 
MoreorLess said:
NixonS said:
The question shouldn't be "does gear matter," the question should be: Does Gear Matter to You?

Because with a question like that, you're saying things that people within the community kind of already know. Things like:

- Older isn't broken.

- Older gear can produce amazing images.

- Older gear can be used for professional use
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Something mentioned in the video which I think is significant is that there was arguably a period were "gear" was advancing very rapidly during the 00's especially, shifts up in sensor size, significant increases in resolution, noise performance, AF and FPS in the range were most would notice it.

The last 10-15 years I do think its arguable that things have slowed down and that what advancements we have seen have been more extreme performance(especially FPS) which might not be that useful. If your a serious video shooter I spose things have shifted more but I do think theres been an effort by the industry to try and sell the idea that same very rapid advancement is happening when for most people I'm not sure it is.
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I don’t doubt that things have slowed down, but I don’t believe they’ve stopped altogether.

As in, if you rely on the latest advancements like with eye autofocus, you’ll want a camera with better eye-tracking technology. Not for me, but that's one example one might have.

As for me, most of my gear is over five years old. I still use the single central AF point on many of them, and it’s been working alright.
 
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Because professionals make money, and people, particularly Western people and most particularly Americans, really respect money and those who make it. If a tookl or technique can be used to make money, that makes it good and a model for others. The word "professional" is a valuable key word for selling anything.
 
yardcoyote said:
Because professionals make money, and people, particularly Western people and most particularly Americans, really respect money and those who make it. If a tookl or technique can be used to make money, that makes it good and a model for others. The word "professional" is a valuable key word for selling anything.
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The best marketing words are the ones that don't actually mean anything.
 
I used my D750 from 2014 to 2021 to shoot my part time real estate work, in its time a fabulous camera, probably underrated ...

In 2019 I got a Z50 and DX 10-20 for f mount to serve as a backup and also go up on a pole which can be really useful shooting exteriors of properties.

The mistake I made was getting a Z6ii 6 months later. I was patient enough to wait out the original Z6 which had famously skittish AF - until the 6ii came out which I thought was going to fix that. I know plenty of folks did/do fine with Z6s and 7s, but I can show you far more shots with questionable focus from my Z6 than the 750 ever came close to producing.

I wish now I had waited all the way until the Z8 finally appeared (which I now own). But there was no way of knowing what was coming, even after the Z9 appeared. Even now my Z8 will occasionally confirm focus - but it's not there - and this is on tripod and completely static subject matter. It's far better than the 6 was, but not as rock solid as I think it should be, even now with firmware 2.0

The truth is I gained very little moving from my 750 and my 14-24 2.8. into Z.

I kept the 750 all along, sold the Z50 when I bought the Z8, then sold the Z6ii, and and now I just consider my 750 to be a perfectly able backup for my Z8 ... I expect these two cameras to ride off into the sunset with me.

I'm 74 and if I can do 5 more years of this kind of work, I'll be really lucky.

P.S, I guess by example I'm trying to say I already knew what the content of the video asserts. Shame on me for loosing my nerve. It cost me the lost delta on a Z50 and Z6ii.
 
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HyperCypher said:
I used my D750 from 2014 to 2021 to shoot my part time real estate work, in its time a fabulous camera, probably underrated ...

In 2019 I got a Z50 and DX 10-20 for f mount to serve as a backup and also go up on a pole which can be really useful shooting exteriors of properties.

The mistake I made was getting a Z6ii 6 months later. I was patient enough to wait out the original Z6 which had famously skittish AF - until the 6ii came out which I thought was going to fix that. I know plenty of folks did/do fine with Z6s and 7s, but I can show you far more shots with questionable focus from my Z6 than the 750 ever came close to producing.

I wish now I had waited all the way until the Z8 finally appeared (which I now own). But there was no way of knowing what was coming, even after the Z9 appeared. Even now my Z8 will occasionally confirm focus - but it's not there - and this is on tripod and completely static subject matter. It's far better than the 6 was, but not as rock solid as I think it should be, even now with firmware 2.0

The truth is I gained very little moving from my 750 and my 14-24 2.8. into Z.

I kept the 750 all along, sold the Z50 when I bought the Z8, then sold the Z6ii, and and now I just consider my 750 to be a perfectly able backup for my Z8 ... I expect these two cameras to ride off into the sunset with me.

I'm 74 and if I can do 5 more years of this kind of work, I'll be really lucky.

P.S, I guess by example I'm trying to say I already knew what the content of the video asserts. Shame on me for loosing my nerve. It cost me the lost delta on a Z50 and Z6ii.
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Wow, even mirrorless had these AF issues?
 
digital_vintage said:
HyperCypher said:
I used my D750 from 2014 to 2021 to shoot my part time real estate work, in its time a fabulous camera, probably underrated ...

In 2019 I got a Z50 and DX 10-20 for f mount to serve as a backup and also go up on a pole which can be really useful shooting exteriors of properties.

The mistake I made was getting a Z6ii 6 months later. I was patient enough to wait out the original Z6 which had famously skittish AF - until the 6ii came out which I thought was going to fix that. I know plenty of folks did/do fine with Z6s and 7s, but I can show you far more shots with questionable focus from my Z6 than the 750 ever came close to producing.

I wish now I had waited all the way until the Z8 finally appeared (which I now own). But there was no way of knowing what was coming, even after the Z9 appeared. Even now my Z8 will occasionally confirm focus - but it's not there - and this is on tripod and completely static subject matter. It's far better than the 6 was, but not as rock solid as I think it should be, even now with firmware 2.0

The truth is I gained very little moving from my 750 and my 14-24 2.8. into Z.

I kept the 750 all along, sold the Z50 when I bought the Z8, then sold the Z6ii, and and now I just consider my 750 to be a perfectly able backup for my Z8 ... I expect these two cameras to ride off into the sunset with me.

I'm 74 and if I can do 5 more years of this kind of work, I'll be really lucky.

P.S, I guess by example I'm trying to say I already knew what the content of the video asserts. Shame on me for loosing my nerve. It cost me the lost delta on a Z50 and Z6ii.
Click to expand...
Wow, even mirrorless had these AF issues?
Click to expand...
That mirrorless has AF issues is well known and oft reported. One report I read pointed out that DSLRs do optically what mirrorless does in software. Whilst mirrorless solves one set of problems it introduces others. Clearly the situation has been manages to the extent that few users report AF issues such as focusing on the background rather than the subject.

It is really a case of deciding which set of compromises one is most happy to accept, those of the DSLR or those of mirrorless, neither is perfect.
 
GeoffRG said:
digital_vintage said:
HyperCypher said:
I used my D750 from 2014 to 2021 to shoot my part time real estate work, in its time a fabulous camera, probably underrated ...

In 2019 I got a Z50 and DX 10-20 for f mount to serve as a backup and also go up on a pole which can be really useful shooting exteriors of properties.

The mistake I made was getting a Z6ii 6 months later. I was patient enough to wait out the original Z6 which had famously skittish AF - until the 6ii came out which I thought was going to fix that. I know plenty of folks did/do fine with Z6s and 7s, but I can show you far more shots with questionable focus from my Z6 than the 750 ever came close to producing.

I wish now I had waited all the way until the Z8 finally appeared (which I now own). But there was no way of knowing what was coming, even after the Z9 appeared. Even now my Z8 will occasionally confirm focus - but it's not there - and this is on tripod and completely static subject matter. It's far better than the 6 was, but not as rock solid as I think it should be, even now with firmware 2.0

The truth is I gained very little moving from my 750 and my 14-24 2.8. into Z.

I kept the 750 all along, sold the Z50 when I bought the Z8, then sold the Z6ii, and and now I just consider my 750 to be a perfectly able backup for my Z8 ... I expect these two cameras to ride off into the sunset with me.

I'm 74 and if I can do 5 more years of this kind of work, I'll be really lucky.

P.S, I guess by example I'm trying to say I already knew what the content of the video asserts. Shame on me for loosing my nerve. It cost me the lost delta on a Z50 and Z6ii.
Click to expand...
Wow, even mirrorless had these AF issues?
Click to expand...
That mirrorless has AF issues is well known and oft reported. One report I read pointed out that DSLRs do optically what mirrorless does in software. Whilst mirrorless solves one set of problems it introduces others. Clearly the situation has been manages to the extent that few users report AF issues such as focusing on the background rather than the subject.

It is really a case of deciding which set of compromises one is most happy to accept, those of the DSLR or those of mirrorless, neither is perfect.
Click to expand...
I haven’t had a camera focus on the background since my last DSLR. What confounded me was, in this one particular scenario it did it both when through the viewfinder and though live view.
 
Horses for courses. I had a D750 for just as long. I used it right up until it was clear it was not up for the job. I quickly purchased a Z9 and started using that.

I really haven't used the D750 since. It gets used by my daughter.

Use what works for you until it doesn't.
 
few users report AF issues such as focusing on the background rather than the subject.

This prob i also get with my r6 though not often. The other issue is i find eye af not as sticky a lab controlled tests
 
tbcass said:
It's a false premise to say that there's a belief that only expensive cameras are possible to take good photos and that pros use cheap cameras.
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And the purpose is to explain "why professionals use cheap cameras" but in my experience, a professional using a "cheap camera" is the rare exception. (Other than the occasional part time trying-to-make-a-buck-on-the-side types).

So the whole thing is based on false premises.
tbcass said:
The video, like most on YouTube, is sheer nonsense.
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Click bait :) (And I didn't bother clicking - this thread is enough).
 
A74Me said:
the guy lost me when he said the 5diii had good AF, for events that generation is not even close to the latest cameras.
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You meant the 5d-2 right? The 5d-3 has the same AF as the 1dx and is very capable.
 
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