Do Smarter Cameras make Dumber Photogs?

[PhotosGuy]

I'm going out of town for the holiday & didn't want you guys to totally forget me, so I thought I'd "stir the pot" a bit with these! :lol: :wink:

Have a good one,
FC


Do Smarter Cameras make Dumber Photogs?
http://www.cameraquest.com/photog.htm

Drastically Improve Your AF SLR Images!
http://www.cameraquest.com/improve.htm

"OK Photogs, ready? Take notes, and repeat after me:
Switch the camera from automatic to manual exposure and from Autofocus to manual focus.
Shh....don't tell anyone. The more people who know, the harder it will be for you to win those photo contests."

"You probably think I'm kidding. I'm not.
The sad truth is, the more decisions your camera makes, the less you think, and the more out of touch you are with your images.
Try it and you'll may be surprised by the marked improvement in your photography. Hmm. Maybe you are smarter than your camera after all."


For the Image Conscious Wanna Be Photog
http://www.cameraquest.com/imagecon.htm

Lens Tester's Anonymous: It's a lot easier being a Great Consumer than a Great Photographer!
http://www.cameraquest.com/lenstest.htm

"Alfred Eisenstadt, the legendary LIFE Magazine photographer, didn't believe in other people's lens tests. He tested his own new lenses by using them. If he liked it, he kept it."

"Amazingly, Eisenstadt didn't think he needed someone else's stinking lens test of someone else's stinking lens to take great pictures. All he succeeded in doing was help define photography this century. Maybe he was too busy taking pictures to care what someone else thought about his lenses. How weird. Misplaced priorities, I guess."

"Footnote: Yes, I wanted heavier sarcasm, but it would have made the site X-rated."


Photographing War
By Peter G. Kokalis
http://www.cameraquest.com/combatph.htm

[Andy_T]

Hi Photos guy ...

... entertaining read, but the colour scheme somehow hurts the eye after prolonged reading...

The article by the war photographer that decided to use both camera and weapon was interesting :roll:

Best regards,
Andy

[Tom W]

"OK Photogs, ready? Take notes, and repeat after me:
Switch the camera from automatic to manual exposure and from Autofocus to manual focus.
Shh....don't tell anyone. The more people who know, the harder it will be for you to win those photo contests."

"You probably think I'm kidding. I'm not.
The sad truth is, the more decisions your camera makes, the less you think, and the more out of touch you are with your images.
Try it and you'll may be surprised by the marked improvement in your photography. Hmm. Maybe you are smarter than your camera after all."

Manual exposure, I can understand (or at least semi-manual as in Av or Tv). But, I know that in most situations (there are exceptions), my 10D can focus much faster and more accurately than I can. Autofocus is the bomb!

[PacAce]

"OK Photogs, ready? Take notes, and repeat after me:
Switch the camera from automatic to manual exposure and from Autofocus to manual focus.
Shh....don't tell anyone. The more people who know, the harder it will be for you to win those photo contests."


And while you're at it, turn off the LCD display and totally ignore the light meter in the viewfinder. And, yes, throw away your 420EX and your 550EX and get yourself a manual Vivitar flash (the non-auto version).

Set your WB to either Daylight or Tungsten and use filters to correct the color temp if appropriate.

:mrgreen:

:roll: :roll: :roll:

[4walls]

I went out with my bro-n-law two days ago on a photo shoot. He uses a Nikon D100 and a D70. My biggest surprise was that he shoots EVERYTHING in manual mode and uses a light meter. He has found the results are way better than relying on the camera's metering.

It is fun to watch a professional at work.

[Chako]

Ah Ha! I knew there was still a use for my luna 6F! :shock:

[Lamplight]

Manual exposure, I can understand (or at least semi-manual as in Av or Tv). But, I know that in most situations (there are exceptions), my 10D can focus much faster and more accurately than I can. Autofocus is the bomb!

I agree. Every shot I've ever attempted in manual focus ended up being out of focus. And I can't afford glasses because I bought a camera. :lol:

[PacAce]

Manual exposure, I can understand (or at least semi-manual as in Av or Tv). But, I know that in most situations (there are exceptions), my 10D can focus much faster and more accurately than I can. Autofocus is the bomb!

I agree. Every shot I've ever attempted in manual focus ended up being out of focus. And I can't afford glasses because I bought a camera. :lol:

Considering that the standard focusing screens in the EOS cameras weren't optimized for manual focusing, it's not surprising that manually focused images aren't really coming out sharp. The manual focus cameras had split prisms and micro prisms to aid in focusing and these are only available in the 1D series cameras as an option.

[Tom W]

I went out with my bro-n-law two days ago on a photo shoot. He uses a Nikon D100 and a D70. My biggest surprise was that he shoots EVERYTHING in manual mode and uses a light meter. He has found the results are way better than relying on the camera's metering.

It is fun to watch a professional at work.

If he had a Canon, he could rely on the camera's internal metering, and thus not need to use a separate light meter. :D

[Webster]

Don't know about the photographer part, but smarter cameras definitely make for dumber comments. The content of that web site is dumb enough, but I ask you: would you take any advice from someone who advertises his total lack of aesthetic taste as he does by the design of his pages?

I don't expect I'll be bookmarking that site.

[Andy_T]

I still think the article has a point.

For me, it would be an invaluable way to reduce the number of my pictures that I have to delete because of bad composition and uninteresting subjects...

... unfortunately, I'll have to delete them anyway, but now because they are out of focus, over- or underexposed :twisted:

I'll definitely cherish the few remaining ones that are at least technically ok...

Best regards,
Andy

[Lamplight]

Considering that the standard focusing screens in the EOS cameras weren't optimized for manual focusing, it's not surprising that manually focused images aren't really coming out sharp. The manual focus cameras had split prisms and micro prisms to aid in focusing and these are only available in the 1D series cameras as an option.

Well shoot, I learn something new every day. :)

[Steveo31]

"OK Photogs, ready? Take notes, and repeat after me:
Switch the camera from automatic to manual exposure and from Autofocus to manual focus.
Shh....don't tell anyone. The more people who know, the harder it will be for you to win those photo contests."


And while you're at it, turn off the LCD display and totally ignore the light meter in the viewfinder. And, yes, throw away your 420EX and your 550EX and get yourself a manual Vivitar flash (the non-auto version).

Set your WB to either Daylight or Tungsten and use filters to correct the color temp if appropriate.

:mrgreen:

:roll: :roll: :roll:
Hahaha!!! LOL!! :lol:

In some cases it's true, but I don't think it's a problem. If you want to be a good, solid, "smart" photographer then it is up to you to think about what you are doing.

[shniks]

The articles are kinda funny, but a bit silly as well - its almost as if the camera has absolutely nothing to do with the photo. I agree, a good photographer will produce good photos from any camera he/she has, but that same photographer will make even better pictures with better equipment.