Is owning a Canon Rebel a joke?

There are many technical advancements to be had with higher end cameras. But they are only technical. It's up to the photographer to add the creative, no camera can compensate for that.

Two days ago I was sitting in a cafe table with my family when some "pro photographer" shows up and asks us if he can take us a picture. I show him my T3 which i had in my hands and say something like "I have a camera here, why would i want someone to take us a picture?" He jokes that my camera isn't worth **** and proceeds to take a photo of us. We didn't say no. He then picks his Nikon D700 with a huge flash on top of it and almost blinds us (it was already dark). He then says we can later go to his shop if we were interested in his photo. Of course i wasn't mildly interested in that awesome pro photo with pro gear... And the guy was lucky because i was in a good mood.

Last 2 comments are all you need to know.

Azathoth wrote in post #16440442
Two days ago I was sitting in a cafe table with my family when some "pro photographer" shows up and asks us if he can take us a picture. I show him my T3 which i had in my hands and say something like "I have a camera here, why would i want someone to take us a picture?" He jokes that my camera isn't worth **** and proceeds to take a photo of us. We didn't say no. He then picks his Nikon D700 with a huge flash on top of it and almost blinds us (it was already dark). He then says we can later go to his shop if we were interested in his photo. Of course i wasn't mildly interested in that awesome pro photo with pro gear... And the guy was lucky because i was in a good mood.

What a way to try making money... walk around telling others their camera is crap,then expect them to buy.

But I do use a big flash so I'll be careful of blinding others in a bad mood.

Actually, owning a full frame, while at the same time making fun of rebel users, is a joke. It's called "small pecker" syndrome.

The attitude, if serious and not facetious, that a "Rebel with a cheap lens is a joke" speaks volumes about the myopic ignorance that still intrudes the photography world.

Use what you need, use what you want. If it's a US$50,000 set up, fine. If it's a pinhole camera, fine.

Frodge wrote in post #16440493
Actually, owning a full frame, while at the same time making fun of rebel users, is a joke. It's called "small pecker" syndrome.

I see this thread going down-hill fast.

RandyMN wrote in post #16440520
I see this thread going down-hill fast.

Why? I've been on these forums for over a year and consistently read how rebels are garbage and ff is great. I see the same attitude on car and body or forums that I frequent. "The only the best" will suffice. My comment is directed at those who feel that they can break into the hobby wih little experience, buy expensive equipment and tell others to do the exact same because that is the only way to succeed. Any serious person knows this is false, with cars, bicycles, cameras, etc ad nauseum. The comment is to make an analogy with the users experience, which is nil.

The two situations where I regularly see Rebels being denigrated are A) Rebel shooters who thing the only think keeping them from the cover of NatGeo is their camera; B) People who buy a Rebel and suddenly think it's all they need to be a pro photographer, especially in the context of weddings.

Of course, you also have the new photographers who graduated from category A by way of purchasing a full frame camera. Now they have to share with the world how much better they are because of their FF sensor, and they'll do so by talking down the Rebels. These people aren't worth acknowledging.

I love my little Rebel. It has some limitations but many fewer that I. If I were marketing myself as a "pro" I would feel under dressed but I'm not and I don't. I will either wear it out or the 7DmkII will be released...

OneDeep wrote in post #16439215
I know it's not the camera but it's the glass or the photographer that makes the pictures good. But everytime I read an comment online it's something about "he's a rebel user" or "it's a rebel" I don't know it just feel like I can't be taken serious by owning a Rebel or having a camera most soccer moms have. I don't use auto mode didn't from day one besides semi auto sometimes but try to keep it in manual.

I just kind of regret my choice of camera and now saving up for a something else. I'm probably the only one that feel this way. That even if I'm just starting out and learning things about my dslr it's not good enough in the eyes of people because it's a rebel.

Scatterbrained wrote in post #16440588
The two situations where I regularly see Rebels being denigrated are A) Rebel shooters who thing the only think keeping them from the cover of NatGeo is their camera; B) People who buy a Rebel and suddenly think it's all they need to be a pro photographer, especially in the context of weddings.

Of course, you also have the new photographers who graduated from category A by way of purchasing a full frame camera. Now they have to share with the world how much better they are because of their FF sensor, and they'll do so by talking down the Rebels. These people aren't worth acknowledging.

I agree.

In response to the OP's question, no, it's not-but some people will try to convince you otherwise. And if it IS a joke, well I get the last laugh every time I sell a picture that I took with my Rebel T2i with my $100 50mm attached to it. Honestly, I've sold more images with that gear than I have with my FF camera and any of my L lenses. There are a lot of haters out there but I just ignore them. Case in point, a year and a half ago I stood outside the ring and took pictures at a small, local rodeo. I talked to the "event photographer" that night with his 1-D X and 70-200 2.8L. Well, I tried to talk to him but when I complimented him on his nice glass, he just glanced down at my Rebel with it's 55-250mm kit lens and smiled at me but didn't really speak to me. I even offered to hold his camera for him when someone got hurt (he's an MD when he's not taking pictures at local rodeos) but he preferred to leave his camera next to the fence rather than to let me hold it. Fast forward 9 months later when I showed up at the big time rodeo with my 5D Mark II with my 70-200 2.8L attached and my all-access pass that I had talked my way into acquiring and all the sudden I was a part of the cool kids club. The photographer from 9 months before amazingly remembered me from before and this time I was accepted by him and all the other "professional" photographers with open arms. I'm not going to lie, it felt great to be a part of an exclusive group where we could all talk shop, laugh, swap info, and have a great time. I even had the TV camera guys for the PBR chatting with me about lenses during the "commercial breaks". However, when all the other photographers (including the PBR official photographer) contacted me after the rodeo and sent me links to their pictures from that night, I quickly realized that if you took my pictures that I had taken with my Rebel from the previous rodeo 9 months before and compared them to those other photogs pictures...you wouldn't have been able to tell my pictures from any of theirs and you couldn't tell any of their pictures apart from each other. I was a little self-conscious to send them the links to my pictures from that night but decided, "screw it", I had told them each from the very beginning that I'm not an "event" photographer but a "fine art" photographer; plus, just because my work looks NOTHING like theirs, I have nothing to be ashamed of because although I'm sure they're each great photographers, if you google "Bull riding" you'll see a million pictures that look just like theirs and that anyone in the crowd could have taken. But I have never seen pictures that look like mine and I can take pride in the fact that my work is nothing like everyone else's. Who knows, in April when the rodeo returns to our area, I may no longer be accepted since they all know I'm "different" now but quite frankly, I don't care. I do what I do because I love it and I don't need anyone else's approval or acceptance to feel good about my work. Just last week I added another FF camera to my gear list; I could have afforded to buy the Mark III but I weighed my perceived (by other "professional" photographers) credibility against common sense and decided I didn't need to blow an extra $1K on the Mark III when the 6D has the same IQ and meets my need perfectly for the type of photography that I do. Now I can spend that $1K I saved and buy the macro lens that I want. I talked to my buddy and fellow photographer about my decision this past week and she just shook her head and said, "That is such a smart purchase. I wish I could make decisions like that but I would have bought the Mark III solely because it's perceived as more professional in the wedding photography business." So the moral, ignore the Rebel haters and prove to them that you don't have to have the best gear to get great shots.

PS.
In case you're curious, here's a link to my
rodeo pictures that I'm proud to say don't look
like everyone else's. Notice: I don't even have
a single picture of a guy riding a bucking bull and
I'll admit that I'm probably the ONLY person at that
rodeo that can say that.
http://fineartamerica.​com …s&artworkgaller​yid=231449 (The pictures with the gritty, desaturated look are from that day)

Amber,

Great photography! Well done!

Thank you very much Gerry!