Art and Photography

Is a good camera very important to you?

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Sr. Member
Feb 7, 2009
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Is a good camera very important to you?

Is a good (expensive) camera important to you? I noticed around me on my trips to places, and I saw NOBODY using a cheap (<$200) camera. SO many people have expensive cameras (I define any DSLR as expensive). And for the non DSLR group, the point and shoot is obviously very good (or at least a decent $300-400 one). Even if it is an old one, you can easily tell that it was high end at that time.

I can't believe so many people would spend so much on cameras. How important is a camera to you? How much would you spend on one?
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Jul 30, 2005
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seeing as your posting this question in a photography section on a forum, you can just anticipate the responses your going to get.

Why wouldn't you want to get a GOOD camera? That is the device that is going to capture the images and memories for the rest of your life, why not get something good that is going to produce the results you want? Some people are happy with the results of a regular P&S and there's nothing wrong with that, then there is others such as myself who want the tools to enable us to produce a higher end product.

I went to Europe for 2 weeks last year and was SO happy and thankful I brought my DSLR with me. The ultra wide angle lens made for amazing shots of the huge, ollld buildings. Plus I was able to get some pretty impressive low-light/night shots that I just wouldn't of been able to get with a cheap(er) P&S.

That being said, taking pictures is just not that important to some people, we all have our priorities and mine is capturing the memories I'm going to want to show my children one day.
Sr. Member
Feb 7, 2009
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I'm just surprised where the market is flooded with crappy cheap cameras, and yet, people still fork big money to buy DSLRs. I think many people would buy cheap cameras, if the market is directed to that. Also, I can't bring myself to spend $700-$1000 for a camera that I'll use once a month, which will be needed to be replaced after 3-4 years. There are some things I would spend a lot on (for example my last 2 earphones have all been over $100), but those are things I'll use often.

But then again, I don't go on vacations.
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Dec 13, 2007
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what are you trying to say?

you realize alot of people DO buy cheap cameras right?

you realize that people don't want or do the same things....
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Jul 10, 2007
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Maybe you live in a wealthy neighborhood or the fact that you're posting in a photography section of a forum... but the DSLR user group is still relatively small compared to P&S users.
#KeepFightingMichael
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May 29, 2003
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chengbin wrote: I'm just surprised where the market is flooded with crappy cheap cameras, and yet, people still fork big money to buy DSLRs. I think many people would buy cheap cameras, if the market is directed to that. Also, I can't bring myself to spend $700-$1000 for a camera that I'll use once a month, which will be needed to be replaced after 3-4 years.
If your cheap camera can take the same pictures as DSLR, I am willing to dump all my gears and save me tens of thousands!

I fail to see the point of this discussion, and not even sure if you are just trolling. It's like asking "If you can buy a $10k hyundai WHY would you buy a Mercedes - if the market is directed to that", or "If you can get all your eat sushi for $19.99/person, why do you want to spend more to eat at a good Japanese restaurant".

You know the answer to those questions.

The OP is just unreal, find a better topic to troll!
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Sep 18, 2009
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I've been using 35mm SLR's for many years, and find the DSLR's better in most respects. The lenses and bodies are smaller, lighter, and produce sharper photos easier.
Before I converted, I was handed P&S digitals to use many times, and found them mostly inadequate. I had to put up with a lot of nonsense, and the results were mediocre.

A prosumer DSLR such as D40 with kit IS lens will run circles around pro level film cameras of the 90's, and you can build it up from there.
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Dec 23, 2003
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Costs are all relative. For some, $400 seems like an insane about of money. For others, $4000 on an DSLR seems like a reasonable cost. Same logic applies to cars: To a guy who drives a Civic, spending $100K on a upscale car seems excessive.

There are basically 3 main segments in the market:

- Cheap cameras good for kids who break them and handle them rough (under $200)
- Mid price cameras that take decent pics and get good reviews ($200 to $500)
- SLR and upper end gear for the shutterbugs

Sure there are multiple levels of marketing, but this is just a general idea. My suggestion is to get a camera that you can afford and check reviews to see how it ranks with other cameras in that price.

For example, I picked up a ZS3 Panasonic for my recent trip and took these PICS. The camera cost more then $200 but the features and image quality it provided justified the price. I figured that if you spend good money on a vacation, would you want to capture the moments with some cheap camera that takes poor images? Again, it comes down to what you can afford. Even a $200 camera is better then nothing.

My background in photography started like 20 years ago with black and white Nikon film cameras and darkroom photography. I have a rudimentary understanding of the camera operation and can appreciate the features in the higher end cameras. This may be the reason why I can justify spending some money on cameras (within reason of course).
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Oct 19, 2006
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[quote="chengbin" post_id="10695247" time="1271812628" user_id="211348"]Is a good (expensive) camera important to you? I noticed around me on my trips to places, and I saw NOBODY using a cheap (<$200) camera. SO many people have expensive cameras (I define any DSLR as expensive). And for the non DSLR group, the point and shoot is obviously very good (or at least a decent $300-400 one). Even if it is an old one, you can easily tell that it was high end at that time.

Why are you asking this question??

"I noticed around me on my trips to places," There's your answer. If you are going to Machu Picchu and it's the one time you are likely to go because there are just so many places in the world to see would you bring a 90 dollar vivitar P&S with fake 2x zoom? Or if you go to europe and the trip costed you couple thousand and you aren't going to come back for years, maybe never. Now does a more expensive camera that can capture those images and memories sound all that expensive?
Deal Addict
Feb 5, 2009
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Nope, a good camera is not important to me,
I want the crappiest thing out there so that it's unreliable and doesn't produce good images.. What's the point of having anything that's good. :D :cheesygri

But most of all I want to spend lots of money on it to make sure I get no value from it..

Sorry, couldn't resist giving a silly answer to this question
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Oct 21, 2006
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a good camera is as important to me as a good picture. If I have the choice between taking a picture with a good camera and a bad camera, why would I purposely choose the one that did a poorer job unless I had some other constraint (time, money, size, etc)?
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May 25, 2009
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I buy these big, expensive, multi-thousand-dollar cameras because I'm compensating, you know like those guys who buy Porsches as their commuter car ;)
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Sep 21, 2007
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here's my answer. You can't take money with you when you die. You can't go back into the past. A good camera captures those moments. Why would you not want to look at the past as nice as possible :) .
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Oct 22, 2003
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Chengbin went to high park over the weekend and saw everyone there with a DSLR. He proceeds to think that this is the case everywhere else.

And to answer your question: Yes, a good camera is very important to me.

It's funny how you can post this question in the photography section. It's like going to an import car forum and asking people if modification is very important to you? Or posting this exact question in the MAC forum asking if iPhone is very important to you?
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Jun 9, 2003
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you can get a D70 for around 100-200 (hope for $100)

then pickup a 50mm f/1.8

and produce some pretty amazing pics.

there...$200 budget...amazing pics

or $200 (d70 + 18-700 stock lens...average pics but you'll get more consistent shoots than an P&S)


(for me...lens > camera)
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Feb 25, 2007
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chengbin wrote: Is a good (expensive) camera important to you? I noticed around me on my trips to places, and I saw NOBODY using a cheap (<$200) camera. SO many people have expensive cameras (I define any DSLR as expensive). And for the non DSLR group, the point and shoot is obviously very good (or at least a decent $300-400 one). Even if it is an old one, you can easily tell that it was high end at that time.

I can't believe so many people would spend so much on cameras. How important is a camera to you? How much would you spend on one?
Yes, as much as i can afford.

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Feb 17, 2007
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I gave away all my gear to my friend. I only have a 5D MKII, 24-105mm, and 580ex II for traveling. I also have a few prime lens for whenever I go out to say a dinner but don't want to bring such a big lens. It's quite a big comfort difference going around with a 50mm f1.4 vs a 24-105mm.

But I have to admit that when I first started, I was just interested in the gear. Like how geeks love computer hardware, I love my photography equipment. I bought a Digital Rebel, XT, then 5D, and now 5D MKII.

Gear played a big role in my wedding photography business. I had L series everything + alienbees. My assistants used to shoot with my cropped sensors + cheap lens. When I switched my assistants to the 5D + 24-105 + 580ex, the quality of the photos improved so much. They were switching lens less and focused more on composition and lighting. There was also A LOT less out of focus photos. The cheap sigma/tamron lens they were had poor low light focusing.
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ricsad wrote: I gave away all my gear to my friend. I only have a 5D MKII, 24-105mm, and 580ex II for traveling. I also have a few prime lens for whenever I go out to say a dinner but don't want to bring such a big lens. It's quite a big comfort difference going around with a 50mm f1.4 vs a 24-105mm.

But I have to admit that when I first started, I was just interested in the gear. Like how geeks love computer hardware, I love my photography equipment. I bought a Digital Rebel, XT, then 5D, and now 5D MKII.

Gear played a big role in my wedding photography business. I had L series everything + alienbees. My assistants used to shoot with my cropped sensors + cheap lens. When I switched my assistants to the 5D + 24-105 + 580ex, the quality of the photos improved so much. They were switching lens less and focused more on composition and lighting. There was also A LOT less out of focus photos. The cheap sigma/tamron lens they were had poor low light focusing.

Interesting, what made you quit your photography business? (Please don't tell me because the market tells you that you have to use cheap cameras like what OP said!) ;)

I just can't foresee myself quitting it anytime soon and just curious about the reasons that some people quit.
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Nov 28, 2008
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I have just built my x GF a Canon 30D kit with 18-55Lens, 4GB RAM under at exacly $250 from craigslist.
There can you say I am cheap?
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Feb 17, 2007
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My websites were doing well then one of them got lucky and no point doing photography anymore. It was fun in the beginning because you keep buying new equipment and want to try stuff out. Then later the 12-14 hour wedding days just feels like work. Meeting clients, post processing (no lightroom back then), etc... most of it isn't fun but I made a lot of friends. I passed on my wedding business to my long time friend who assisted me with most shoots. His business is doing well now and he also started doing video last year.

I'd probably still do photography if I didn't get into this whole online business thing. Long wedding days, post processing, etc can sound like a lot of work, but it's better than many jobs like being an accountant.

Oh and here's a little photo effect that I used back then that a lot of clients liked. Create new layer, set blend mode to Exclusion, fill with blue (R:0 G:127 B:255), then reduce opacity. I reduced my opacity to 10% to keep it subtle.

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