"Don't buy a budget tripod." I have seen more videos and read more articles around tripod snobbery than any other type of gear elitism, and it's not just snobbery, it's to the point of shaming. In general, I agree that you get what you pay for. I also acknowledge that a pro or an avid amateur is going to use their tripods far more frequently than a casual amateur, so they have reason to invest in something more durable. This is where I part ways with listening to and accepting the almost toxic level of snobbery. If you're a pro or avid amateur, you're not likely to be watching a video by someone else telling you HOW to approach gear. So then, who is the audience of these photographers telling people they shouldn't buy budget tripods? It's the casual amateurs! Most of us are going to get as much use out of a tripod in a couple of years as a pro gets in a month. My $100-150 tripod will last me 5-10 years or more. And I bet the pro is spending $600 or more every 2-3 years or less, even if they don't need it. And remarkably, the guys that are telling you that you don't need a better camera are the same ones telling you to blow your budget on a tripod. Re: editing. I would say that most the advice on getting it right in camera is more about minimizing time spent in post. I would also add that there is legitimate concern over how much editing occurs. My thought on that is that you should be transparent about it, if entering a contest or if submitting something under the category of photojournalism. Even before the AI boom of the last year or so, it was too easy to fake or even fabricate an image. Re: manual mode. I think there's something to be said for learning manual mode, so that you can better understand what's happening in aperture or shutter priority. So then you have the skillset needed fine tune your settings to get the shot you want. But my view on that is strictly utilitarian, not as some sort of gatekeeper.
EXACTLY! Wow, I didn't even condor that one. Yea I did at one point buy the heaviest manfrotto tripod I could buy, and thought that it was helping me get sharper images. In reality, the bullhead drooped pretty badly with my telephoto lens, and the tripod just felt heavy, but rickety. Crappy purchase, but "I needed it for long exposures", meanwhile I have gotten great long exposures with a tiny travel tripod even in the wind, don't touch the camera and there is no difference. Thanks for the comment!
when photographers say "gear doesnt matter" they are directing that usually to people with budget dslrs ($70-500 cameras) and budget lenses. i shoot on the canon t2i that i got for $69 and my main lens is the canon 50mm f1.8 and im yet to reach the skill ceiling. its not that getting better gear wouldnt help, its that getting better gear will not substantially improve my photography more than garnering further skills. but even with phones, i used to be a phone photographer, some of my best photos are from that era of my photography, ive migrated since then but i stuck with it longer than many others mightve bc i truly believe that gear is far less important than what u do with it. a good photo is still a good photo even if its not dslr quality; the composition, lighting, and subject transcends.
@@Aqua2D yes What say is true 2 reasons Improvements in camera help with a few things. But most shoot in daylight or with flash So extra pixels nice but not big deal Shoot more, take time, enjoy yourself = better pictures
@@Aqua2D yes I agree. It’s all about the light. It’s easier to take a great image with a true camera system but I have some excellent iPhone pics as well. I had a iPhone 6 image that made a magazine cover.
Such a good video Nick!🎉 Even before you mentioned him I was thinking that this video was giving me Simon D'entremont vibes (and I mean that in the best way possible).
The "snobby" photographers who follow strict guidelines, lack imagination and creativity. There's nothing wrong with getting creative with your photos, as long as you make it known, loud and proud that you enjoy the creative aspect of photography. Taking the photos is the technical and physical part that requires observation. However, the real magic happens during editing process.
I absolutely love buying new gear, I almost never regret it. Also I agree that gear does matter. The difference between having a weather sealed camera and not having a weather sealed camera is quite large, I remember getting sand in my old lens and ruining it. 😑 Before cameras were invented, painting was a way to document a scene. Those artists would pick their own colours and put their own touch on it. Why can't I? Lol Great video, Nick!
I love buying photography gear. Makes me very happy. I just bought a GFX 100s ii and it is magic. Do I need such a professional camera? I do! 😄😄 Because it makes me happy and gets me wanting to go out and take pictures.
This honestly goes for every fallacy of this kind. Like cooking. Everyone loves to claim a good chef could cook a meal on a brake drum over a trash fire. But it's simply not true. When I finally invested in good knives and pans my cooking got much better. I still shoot my Nikon D600 (professionally) and it does EVERYTHING I need it to do, but I'm still looking at the new Z line, there are reasons to upgrade. I recently got into off camera flash photography and I bought some cheap lights to cut my teeth. After a few sessions I got some great shots, but ultimately realized the limitations of the lights and why they were so cheap, so I invested in better lights that had wider range and High Speed Sync and the quality of the images I can produce increased. It's not so much having the gear, it's understanding it. If you don't understand it and don't plan on learning, stick to your iPhone. It will likely make no difference, but if you take the time to learn a craft you can do SO much more.
Couldn’t agree more. Great gear makes you better, if you can use it. Pros use pro gear, it’s just that simple.
7 месяцев назад+3
1. "Bad worker blames his tools" is what's being said by "you dont need fancy cameras". Focus on the fundamentals of photography (exposure, composition, subject/background, focus) as opposed to believing that more expensive gear will make you better. 2. ISO is a gain setting, just as microhpone, the higher you set it, the noisier it gets. But same as with mics, line volume (optimal signal/noise ratio) is achieved at different voltages for different microphones with different mixers, so you just gotta match it to the scenery. You NEED higher ISO if you can't adjust shutter or aperture. If it's grainy, it's underexposed, that's all. 3. Editing is getting you from the picture you took to the picture your eyes saw. 4. Everyone needs to learn manual mode of their camera so they can drive it whenever they need it, same way we learn to drive manual so we can drive any car. And then we buy an automatic and live our lives with comfort.
@@lightmeetslens your audio sound is awesome. Warm and soft, feels good in my ears. I use zoom f2 with rode lavalier but seems like zoom recorder is too harsh for my voice. Thanks for the answer.
I totally agree. I just bought a GFX 100s ii. Do I need it for my hobby? Nope!! But I love it, I love the images and motivates me to go out and take pictures. I still love my XH2 though.
@@anthonym3051 agree on most I don’t edit. 2 reasons Raw a big use of memory think = 6 jpeg I check my images after I take good move on Bad delate and retake Fix the problem if. One
I'm an amateur when it comes to photography... But I do happen to be extremely technical in other fields... And, perhaps partly because of that, I just plain ENJOY using good equipment... I probably could take decent pictures with an old low end camera... But, because I enjoy my nice new camera, I'm more inclined to get it out and take pictures with it... And, yes, NOT being an expert, I appreciate the fact that I can get great photos WITHOUT fighting with my gear...
@@keithlevkoff8579 yes new $1,000+ gear A little better than refurbished 2012 camera A little easer to use I paid $280 for Nikon coolpix p510 great pictures 42x optical 24-1000 rated 16 megapixel sensor Same as modern camera
I mostly agree with all this except the first one. I do think it’s important for young photographers to understand that THEY are making the image and not the camera. They should be able to not only work within constraints but use them to their advantage. Expensive high end cameras are great, but if you don’t have a vision for the image you’re trying to create then it’s not going to help. If you can’t take a good picture with a Holga then a Hasselblaad isn’t going to fix that.
Sorry but the most important part of any camera is the nut behind it, I still shoot 35mm film it's art mate and the subject is more important than a new camera
I think people can and should edit their photos as much as they want. I also think people should be willing to disclose their edits when relevant, like for a contest or if publishing it as some form of news or information. There is a line between photos and photo illustrations. People can disagree on where, exactly, the line is. But knowing the steps the photographer has taken between pushing the shutter button and sharing the image helps everyone decide for themselves on which side of the line the image belongs, by their standard.
Editing is the final step to photography. When I do a shoot with clients I'm looking for the basics of a great final image. I don't ever look to make the perfect image in camera, I know what I can do with editing. So a slightly deeper shadow will lift right up. As long as everything is exposed properly you eventually get to the point that you can see what's good enough in camera.
You don't need to be a 'gear junkie' but you do need the 'right' tools to take the pictures you want. Define that first. Do you really need a 600mm lens? Or f1.2 primes? (At 5 different focal lengths?)
Better dump the 100 year old TLR I just bought on ebay so. Seriously, I agree with most of what you said but as a non-professional but serious photographer, I've made a decision not to buy a camera less than 10 years old. I embrace noise.
I wouldn't worry too much as its only a short amount of time before most PRO photographers will be out of work as Artificial Intelligence takes over. Then youwill never hear any chatter about gear, low light, ISO etc etc as it will be irrelevant.
Ha, so wrong it's hilarious. You can pretend to produce photos using AI, but they aren't photos. A real photo is a slice of time. Fabricated nonsense will never replace a real moment.
I've been a working photographer for about 40 years and if I need a camera with more capability than I have for a given job, I'll rent it. Only a fool would buy a Phase camera if they are only going to use it one or twice in a year. Having better gear gives you more headroom for creativity, but ironically so does having less sophisticated gear.
There are some wildlife photographers that will not even crop. That’s over the top. Our vision is not static. We move our head get different angles etc. If you have ever been to the great pyramids there is trash all over the place. That rubbish is going I did enjoy this video. However it would have been better if you had always used the “ rule of thirds “ on all the images you showed
You don't need a good camera to make good photos. I own an EOS 30D, and with that camera I could make 90% of your landscape photographs. There are photographs that I want to make that the 30D and APS-C lenses cannot make. For this reason I have a set of TS-E lenses and a fullframe camera, currently a Lumix S1R, to get the best out of them. I have a few cameras, each has its own special capabilities, and I have them because I use (or want to use) those special capabilities. I make photos that your Sony gear cannot. Sony cameras don't play well with my TS-E lenses because the Sony mount is compromised. I use AF where available, but I set aperture, shutter speed and ISO manually. I know how camera meters work and I understand why they often don't set the best exposure. You're wrong about ISO, the noise is due to electronics. That's why my S1R is useable at higher ISO than my 30D. Turning up the ISO is like turning up the volume on sound gear. The higher the setting, the more the noise. For me, "getting it right in camera" means recording the best images for processing later. I set aperture, then shutter speed. I almost never touch ISO. This year I've been dabbling in expressionism. See Eva Polak for what that means. My photos can look fairly weird, but nobody has ever accused me of making fake photos of stuff. Oh, my latest camera is an OM-5 with 12-45 F4 lenses. Rated IP53. If I need, I can (gently) rinse it under the tap. Your SONY? 20 Mpx sensor, in camera high res modes of 50 (hand held) and 80 (on a tripod), Size? Fits into a pocket.
Camera industry against cell phone with camera on them Yes sales at record low Old cameras 2012 vintage Not much difference from $1,000+ modern cameras
You do what you can with what you have. So it is possible to take amazing pictures with mediocre gear. But why limit yourself? If you had better gear, that image would be even better. I detest the snob nonsense coming from fanboys who go on about how a shitty camera that costs a fortune is good for you because it forces you to slow down…. These are the kind of people who set their watches 10 minutes fast in order to be on time…
I've got to add a bit of a snarky... or maybe "counter-snarky" comment here... I've heard all of the comments about how smart phones are great... And the reason given is usually "because the best camera is the one you have in your pocket when you need it"... And I don't disagree there... and yes... I quite often whip out my phone to document something... And sometimes I even use it to capture that special shot that just won't wait... But, when I do take the time and effort to get out my Nikon, I can almost always count on BETTER results... So, yeah, always use what you have with you... but having something good with you really does help... sometimes a lot... And I'm sorry but, to me, there is nothing sadder than having a really great shot ruined by poor technical quality. Yes, I get the whole thing about art, and how the technical quality doesn't matter with some shots... But, at least to me, with SOME shots, it matters a lot... And I've absolutely got great photos that I sure wish I'd taken the time to take on a better camera... And, on your comment about editing, and how post processing is not something to avoid... To me THAT's the time when I really appreciate having an image that starts out with the best possible technical quality... (Just try cropping, sharpening, and blowing up one of those "it's not so bad" photos from your phone...)
Did I miss any?
Oh yea, that's a great one also, some of those workshops are like 6 grand! Thats the price of a top of the line camera. Thanks, I missed that one :)
"Don't buy a budget tripod." I have seen more videos and read more articles around tripod snobbery than any other type of gear elitism, and it's not just snobbery, it's to the point of shaming.
In general, I agree that you get what you pay for. I also acknowledge that a pro or an avid amateur is going to use their tripods far more frequently than a casual amateur, so they have reason to invest in something more durable.
This is where I part ways with listening to and accepting the almost toxic level of snobbery. If you're a pro or avid amateur, you're not likely to be watching a video by someone else telling you HOW to approach gear. So then, who is the audience of these photographers telling people they shouldn't buy budget tripods? It's the casual amateurs! Most of us are going to get as much use out of a tripod in a couple of years as a pro gets in a month. My $100-150 tripod will last me 5-10 years or more. And I bet the pro is spending $600 or more every 2-3 years or less, even if they don't need it.
And remarkably, the guys that are telling you that you don't need a better camera are the same ones telling you to blow your budget on a tripod.
Re: editing. I would say that most the advice on getting it right in camera is more about minimizing time spent in post. I would also add that there is legitimate concern over how much editing occurs. My thought on that is that you should be transparent about it, if entering a contest or if submitting something under the category of photojournalism. Even before the AI boom of the last year or so, it was too easy to fake or even fabricate an image.
Re: manual mode. I think there's something to be said for learning manual mode, so that you can better understand what's happening in aperture or shutter priority. So then you have the skillset needed fine tune your settings to get the shot you want. But my view on that is strictly utilitarian, not as some sort of gatekeeper.
EXACTLY! Wow, I didn't even condor that one. Yea I did at one point buy the heaviest manfrotto tripod I could buy, and thought that it was helping me get sharper images. In reality, the bullhead drooped pretty badly with my telephoto lens, and the tripod just felt heavy, but rickety. Crappy purchase, but "I needed it for long exposures", meanwhile I have gotten great long exposures with a tiny travel tripod even in the wind, don't touch the camera and there is no difference.
Thanks for the comment!
Here's one; Lightroom is the industry standard for editing. It has poor Raw Demosaicing compared to some other editors.
@@lightmeetslens I was kidding. Rules are over rated.
when photographers say "gear doesnt matter" they are directing that usually to people with budget dslrs ($70-500 cameras) and budget lenses. i shoot on the canon t2i that i got for $69 and my main lens is the canon 50mm f1.8 and im yet to reach the skill ceiling.
its not that getting better gear wouldnt help, its that getting better gear will not substantially improve my photography more than garnering further skills.
but even with phones, i used to be a phone photographer, some of my best photos are from that era of my photography, ive migrated since then but i stuck with it longer than many others mightve bc i truly believe that gear is far less important than what u do with it.
a good photo is still a good photo even if its not dslr quality; the composition, lighting, and subject transcends.
@@Aqua2D think talking old 2012 camera vs 2024 camera
Yes improvements
But slight
@@Aqua2D yes
What say is true
2 reasons
Improvements in camera help with a few things. But most shoot in daylight or with flash
So extra pixels nice but not big deal
Shoot more, take time, enjoy yourself = better pictures
@@Aqua2D yes I agree. It’s all about the light. It’s easier to take a great image with a true camera system but I have some excellent iPhone pics as well. I had a iPhone 6 image that made a magazine cover.
Such a good video Nick!🎉
Even before you mentioned him I was thinking that this video was giving me Simon D'entremont vibes (and I mean that in the best way possible).
Thanks Tim! Yea, he does have a special something about him, thanks for the watch!
@@lightmeetslens whatever the special something is, you have it as well. Must be a Canadian thing 🇨🇦
lol, I don't know if I have it, you do! maybe it's a Maritimer thing :)
The "snobby" photographers who follow strict guidelines, lack imagination and creativity. There's nothing wrong with getting creative with your photos, as long as you make it known, loud and proud that you enjoy the creative aspect of photography. Taking the photos is the technical and physical part that requires observation. However, the real magic happens during editing process.
I absolutely love buying new gear, I almost never regret it. Also I agree that gear does matter. The difference between having a weather sealed camera and not having a weather sealed camera is quite large, I remember getting sand in my old lens and ruining it. 😑
Before cameras were invented, painting was a way to document a scene. Those artists would pick their own colours and put their own touch on it. Why can't I? Lol
Great video, Nick!
Thanks! Yea, or excluding a tree they don’t like, moving a composition slightly to the left of whatever.
I love buying photography gear. Makes me very happy. I just bought a GFX 100s ii and it is magic. Do I need such a professional camera? I do! 😄😄 Because it makes me happy and gets me wanting to go out and take pictures.
This honestly goes for every fallacy of this kind. Like cooking. Everyone loves to claim a good chef could cook a meal on a brake drum over a trash fire. But it's simply not true. When I finally invested in good knives and pans my cooking got much better. I still shoot my Nikon D600 (professionally) and it does EVERYTHING I need it to do, but I'm still looking at the new Z line, there are reasons to upgrade. I recently got into off camera flash photography and I bought some cheap lights to cut my teeth. After a few sessions I got some great shots, but ultimately realized the limitations of the lights and why they were so cheap, so I invested in better lights that had wider range and High Speed Sync and the quality of the images I can produce increased. It's not so much having the gear, it's understanding it. If you don't understand it and don't plan on learning, stick to your iPhone. It will likely make no difference, but if you take the time to learn a craft you can do SO much more.
Couldn’t agree more. Great gear makes you better, if you can use it. Pros use pro gear, it’s just that simple.
1. "Bad worker blames his tools" is what's being said by "you dont need fancy cameras". Focus on the fundamentals of photography (exposure, composition, subject/background, focus) as opposed to believing that more expensive gear will make you better.
2. ISO is a gain setting, just as microhpone, the higher you set it, the noisier it gets. But same as with mics, line volume (optimal signal/noise ratio) is achieved at different voltages for different microphones with different mixers, so you just gotta match it to the scenery. You NEED higher ISO if you can't adjust shutter or aperture. If it's grainy, it's underexposed, that's all.
3. Editing is getting you from the picture you took to the picture your eyes saw.
4. Everyone needs to learn manual mode of their camera so they can drive it whenever they need it, same way we learn to drive manual so we can drive any car. And then we buy an automatic and live our lives with comfort.
What is the recorder you use for the audio of this video?
Hey! This is a Rode VideoMic GO 2, connect to the camera using the Rode Wireless go 2 system.
@@lightmeetslens your audio sound is awesome. Warm and soft, feels good in my ears.
I use zoom f2 with rode lavalier but seems like zoom recorder is too harsh for my voice.
Thanks for the answer.
Not problem sir! Happy to help :)
I totally agree. I just bought a GFX 100s ii. Do I need it for my hobby? Nope!! But I love it, I love the images and motivates me to go out and take pictures. I still love my XH2 though.
@@anthonym3051 agree on most
I don’t edit. 2 reasons
Raw a big use of memory think = 6 jpeg
I check my images after I take good move on
Bad delate and retake
Fix the problem if. One
I'm an amateur when it comes to photography...
But I do happen to be extremely technical in other fields...
And, perhaps partly because of that, I just plain ENJOY using good equipment...
I probably could take decent pictures with an old low end camera...
But, because I enjoy my nice new camera, I'm more inclined to get it out and take pictures with it...
And, yes, NOT being an expert, I appreciate the fact that I can get great photos WITHOUT fighting with my gear...
If you have the means to do so and the desire: then go for it.
@@keithlevkoff8579 yes new $1,000+ gear
A little better than refurbished 2012 camera
A little easer to use
I paid $280 for Nikon coolpix p510 great pictures 42x optical 24-1000 rated
16 megapixel sensor
Same as modern camera
I mostly agree with all this except the first one. I do think it’s important for young photographers to understand that THEY are making the image and not the camera. They should be able to not only work within constraints but use them to their advantage. Expensive high end cameras are great, but if you don’t have a vision for the image you’re trying to create then it’s not going to help. If you can’t take a good picture with a Holga then a Hasselblaad isn’t going to fix that.
Sorry but the most important part of any camera is the nut behind it, I still shoot 35mm film it's art mate and the subject is more important than a new camera
Very well said!
Thanks!
I think people can and should edit their photos as much as they want. I also think people should be willing to disclose their edits when relevant, like for a contest or if publishing it as some form of news or information. There is a line between photos and photo illustrations. People can disagree on where, exactly, the line is. But knowing the steps the photographer has taken between pushing the shutter button and sharing the image helps everyone decide for themselves on which side of the line the image belongs, by their standard.
Editing is the final step to photography. When I do a shoot with clients I'm looking for the basics of a great final image. I don't ever look to make the perfect image in camera, I know what I can do with editing. So a slightly deeper shadow will lift right up. As long as everything is exposed properly you eventually get to the point that you can see what's good enough in camera.
Amazing!
You don't need to be a 'gear junkie' but you do need the 'right' tools to take the pictures you want. Define that first. Do you really need a 600mm lens? Or f1.2 primes? (At 5 different focal lengths?)
Better dump the 100 year old TLR I just bought on ebay so.
Seriously, I agree with most of what you said but as a non-professional but serious photographer, I've made a decision not to buy a camera less than 10 years old.
I embrace noise.
Do what you must! But don’t believe the hype :) love it!
I wouldn't worry too much as its only a short amount of time before most PRO photographers will be out of work as Artificial Intelligence takes over. Then youwill never hear any chatter about gear, low light, ISO etc etc as it will be irrelevant.
Ha, so wrong it's hilarious. You can pretend to produce photos using AI, but they aren't photos. A real photo is a slice of time. Fabricated nonsense will never replace a real moment.
I've been a working photographer for about 40 years and if I need a camera with more capability than I have for a given job, I'll rent it. Only a fool would buy a Phase camera if they are only going to use it one or twice in a year. Having better gear gives you more headroom for creativity, but ironically so does having less sophisticated gear.
There are some wildlife photographers that will not even crop. That’s over the top. Our vision is not static. We move our head get different angles etc.
If you have ever been to the great pyramids there is trash all over the place. That rubbish is going
I did enjoy this video. However it would have been better if you had always used the “ rule of thirds “ on all the images you showed
You don't need a good camera to make good photos. I own an EOS 30D, and with that camera I could make 90% of your landscape photographs. There are photographs that I want to make that the 30D and APS-C lenses cannot make. For this reason I have a set of TS-E lenses and a fullframe camera, currently a Lumix S1R, to get the best out of them.
I have a few cameras, each has its own special capabilities, and I have them because I use (or want to use) those special capabilities. I make photos that your Sony gear cannot. Sony cameras don't play well with my TS-E lenses because the Sony mount is compromised.
I use AF where available, but I set aperture, shutter speed and ISO manually. I know how camera meters work and I understand why they often don't set the best exposure.
You're wrong about ISO, the noise is due to electronics. That's why my S1R is useable at higher ISO than my 30D. Turning up the ISO is like turning up the volume on sound gear. The higher the setting, the more the noise.
For me, "getting it right in camera" means recording the best images for processing later.
I set aperture, then shutter speed. I almost never touch ISO.
This year I've been dabbling in expressionism. See Eva Polak for what that means.
My photos can look fairly weird, but nobody has ever accused me of making fake photos of stuff.
Oh, my latest camera is an OM-5 with 12-45 F4 lenses. Rated IP53. If I need, I can (gently) rinse it under the tap. Your SONY?
20 Mpx sensor, in camera high res modes of 50 (hand held) and 80 (on a tripod), Size? Fits into a pocket.
Camera industry against cell phone with camera on them
Yes sales at record low
Old cameras 2012 vintage
Not much difference from $1,000+ modern cameras
If gear doesn’t matter why are we even using digital? Go back to film.
Yea exactly! Thanks for the comment :)
You do what you can with what you have. So it is possible to take amazing pictures with mediocre gear. But why limit yourself? If you had better gear, that image would be even better. I detest the snob nonsense coming from fanboys who go on about how a shitty camera that costs a fortune is good for you because it forces you to slow down…. These are the kind of people who set their watches 10 minutes fast in order to be on time…
i absolutely hate when people say gear doesn’t matter! why bother making new ones if they don’t matter then
I've got to add a bit of a snarky... or maybe "counter-snarky" comment here...
I've heard all of the comments about how smart phones are great...
And the reason given is usually "because the best camera is the one you have in your pocket when you need it"...
And I don't disagree there... and yes... I quite often whip out my phone to document something...
And sometimes I even use it to capture that special shot that just won't wait...
But, when I do take the time and effort to get out my Nikon, I can almost always count on BETTER results...
So, yeah, always use what you have with you... but having something good with you really does help... sometimes a lot...
And I'm sorry but, to me, there is nothing sadder than having a really great shot ruined by poor technical quality.
Yes, I get the whole thing about art, and how the technical quality doesn't matter with some shots...
But, at least to me, with SOME shots, it matters a lot...
And I've absolutely got great photos that I sure wish I'd taken the time to take on a better camera...
And, on your comment about editing, and how post processing is not something to avoid...
To me THAT's the time when I really appreciate having an image that starts out with the best possible technical quality...
(Just try cropping, sharpening, and blowing up one of those "it's not so bad" photos from your phone...)