Should I buy a "proper" camera?

[Speedie]

Hi,
I'm still fairly new to photography. I have a little pocket Ixus 4-megapixel camera which takes great shots. I like the size as I can easily carry it with me anywhere. I've noticed a lot of pics on this forum taken with semi-professional cameras like the 20D which do look more impressive. I was wondering how much of this is down to the way the camera has been set-up for each particular shot, and how much is down to it simply being a better camera? If I'm still using my camera in "auto" mode, is there any benefit in me upgrading to one of these semi-pro cameras, or do you only see an improvement when you start playing with the settings? Any advice appreciated.

[steven]

Sound like you answered you question with a no.
If you are happy with what you have why even consider anything else.

Most of what makes a picture good is the photographer not the camera.

The main advantage the semi-pro gear has is changeable lenses.

[timmyquest]

Sound like you answered you question with a no.
If you are happy with what you have why even consider anything else.

Most of what makes a picture good is the photographer not the camera.

The main advantage the semi-pro gear has is changeable lenses.

I dont know if it's so easy. Obviously you dont want to go out and drop your life savings on camera gear if your happy with what you've got. But i dont know if its such a bad idea to go out and look around a bit.

One of the largest advantages to DSLR's (or any SLR for that matter) is obviously the fact that you can change lenses.

But there is so much more to it. The image quality is simply better, part of this is because of the lens (in a film camera i supose it's the only reason) but it is also because of the sensor. The pixles on the sensor (size wise) the hardware within the camera (metering, speed, etc).

Yes you can still get great photographs with a point and shoot if your any good. But given the choice, do you think any real photographer would rather have a $600 point and shoot over a $400 D30? I know which one i'd chose...

[johneo]

Photography is like anything else one does in life. You can go along to get along, shoot a few sanps here and there. You can do that with a simple point and shoot or you can spend mucho dollars to achieve the same results ... OR ... You can tweak and practice and manipulate and practice and reshoot and practice and ... well, it does take loads of practice ... and then one day you look at a photo and say "WOW! I took that?" and when you see that shot of a lifetime, you try to figure out how to make it better ... then you know the money you spent on all that equipment just wasn't enough and you need another lens or a better camera so you go broke and 'upgrade' and then start all over and practice and practice and practice until you see another fantastic shot and then realize ... "WOW! I think I'm getting the hang of this but I can still make it even better!".

Like anything, if you want to improve your skill, what you use for tools of the trade should reflect the level you need to achieve those skills. I've always thought that someone that "knows" all the aspects of photography will do a much better with a cheap disposable camera than someone that knows nothing will do with a bag full of the best equipment money will buy, it's the skill of the craftsman!

[robertwgross]

First of all, explore the maximum capabilities of your current camera. Once you have that mastered, then consider whether the camera is limiting your results, or whether it is skill, or subject matter.

Take a photography course from a local community college or adult education center. Some instructors will tell you what kind of camera you must use for the course, and that might be a SLR film camera, or it might be digital. Typically, at the end of such a course, the students show some of the results of what they have practiced. It is entirely possible that some of the good shots will come out of simple cameras. However, you will see some shots that are very impressive, and maybe they required "advanced capabilities" from the camera on top of some creativity and skill. The most common capability that is desired is the ability to control depth of field. A small camera can't do that much. A decent SLR or D-SLR with a decent lens can do that. Any Canon EOS camera, film or digital, can have the 50mm f/1.8 lens stuck on it (which is a cheap one), and you can discover all sorts of things about depth of field. Being able to isolate a subject from the background is kind of a joy at first.

So, the answer is, it depends.

---Bob Gross---

[RichardtheSane]

Speedie, I'll be honest, don't upgrade.

Buying a better camera will not instantly make you a better photographer.

Sure, there are some absolutely fantastic images captured with these cameras, but that is usually because the photographer has worked their way up to them. They have developed photography skills or requirements that exceed the capabilities of their camera.

The camera is only as good as the person using it.

[CyberDyneSystems]

If you find that your current camera seems to be limiting your needs and expectations,. maybe the next step is a more well rounded compact like a "G"...

Th move to an SLR like the 20D or 350D is a much larger commitment than any of us were willing to understand before making that step.

Lastly,. in the EOS forum we do see almost weekly the down side of this venture ,.. almost as often as we get the "wow I'm so happy with my new 20D!" posts,. we see the "Why do my 20D pics look worse than my ixus pics looked"?

The $2,000.00 plus investment does not in any way guarantee better results without what can be months of hard learning.... not to mention allmost inevitably.. much more inveted financially than anyone ever intended.

[Big_B]

If you find that your current camera seems to be limiting your needs and expectations,. maybe the next step is a more well rounded compact like a "G"...

Th move to an SLR like the 20D or 350D is a much larger commitment than any of us were willing to understand before making that step.

Lastly,. in the EOS forum we do see almost weekly the down side of this venture ,.. almost as often as we get the "wow I'm so happy with my new 20D!" posts,. we see the "Why do my 20D pics look worse than my ixus pics looked"?

The $2,000.00 plus investment does not in any way guarantee better results without what can be months of hard learning.... not to mention allmost inevitably.. much more inveted financially than anyone ever intended.

Big ditto to all of that. There is not point in upgrading unless your current camera is restricting your ability to take the photos you want. From what you said, it doesn't really sound as if that is the case.

If you are serious about photography, take Bob's advice and go on a couple of courses. If you want to try playing around with an SLR, why not buy yourself a cheap film one to learn with. That way you can find out if it will really make a difference to your photos, without th need to remorgage your house!

Good luck! :D

[Speedie]

Thanks for all the replies. It sort of confirmed my suspicions. I think I need to learn more about photography, and explore all the possibilities of my current camera. I'm only really scratching the surface at the moment. By the way I'd welcome any comments on my shots taken thus far, on http://www.digitalnature.co.uk - anything I could change or improve on?

[Markus]

Maybe the main reason I didn't buy a DSLR is the "portability". Long ago I had a 24x36 SLR, and I hated lugging all that stuff around. Now I have bought a g6 and it''s no bother to take it with me. Of course with a SLR you can do specialized stuff. A G6 can't have a 300 lens etc. Still, when I look around, I observe a lot of guys (always guys), who are much more into equipment, then into photography, they get a kick out of the hardware.
Well, a (D)SLR is a great machine, but do you want (need) it? That's the question.

[Andy_T]

Speedie,

you have some very nice shots on your website.

Could you profit from a camera upgrade?

I think so ... depending on what you select.
- compact camera with options (e.g. A95, S70 or G6)
Possibility to more creatively select the exposures your camera takes, set ISO, aperture & shutter speed to get closer to exactly the effect you want to achieve instead of letting the camera do the thinking

- DSLR (e.g. DRebel, DRebel XT, 20D)
As stated above, plus:
Possibility to change lenses, larger sensor with better low light capabilities, possibility to control DOF (render areas on the picture out of focus) because of the larger sensor, faster and more accurate AF.

Take a look at this thread (http://photography-on-the.net/forum/showthread.php?t=49026) for more information on the differences.

I have used a fully automatic Ixus (APS) camera in the past, and it was really a major change for me when I got my G2 and started to play around with manual settings to get the picture the way *I* thought it should look and not the camera.

Not that the results were always better, but I found that I spent a lot more time enjoying photography ...

Best regards,
Andy

[PhotosGuy]

Should I buy a "proper" camera? Since the question's already answered, I'd like to point out that you'll probably have more fun with an improper camera! ;-)

[cjm]

Since the question's already answered, I'd like to point out that you'll probably have more fun with an improper camera! ;-)

Is that a Can On? I saw a fake camera once called a Can On at a garage sale, didn't buy it, but I wish I had, Funny now that I think back on it. (It actually was just a Pentax that someone stuck a home made sticker that said Can On)

[DocFrankenstein]

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[Moppie]

Being able to isolate a subject from the background is kind of a joy at first.



I goto bed at night, and dream of being able to do that :(



When you reach that point with your compact, or when you goto a sports event and leave your camera in its bag because its to slow to capture much of the action, and it frustrates you, its time to move up :)

[cjtinkle]

I have nice camera gear :D, even a couple of "L" lenses. And I'm still probably the world's worst photographer. The thing is, I know it, and I still have a blast, so that's really all the matters isn't it?

Course I doubt you'll ever see me posting any of MY pic's for critique, haha. But I love looking at what others post, the settings and gear they used to achieve the results, and dreaming that just maybe, someday, I'll get one photo to look half as well.

Buy what you can afford and will enjoy. Having a nice DSLR and super lenses doesn't help me any, but it sure makes it WAY more fun for me! We have a little Canon A95 as well, and I hate using it, it's no FUN! :D :D