Ansel Adams on Camera Equipment

I found this section in the beginning of Ansel's The Camera discussing equipment to be very interesting:

"I urge, again, avoiding the common illusion that creative work depends on equipment alone, it easy to confuse the hope for accomplishment with the desire to posses superior instruments. It is nonetheless true that quality is an important criterion in evaluating camera equipement, as are durability and function. Inferior equipment will prove to be a false economy in the long run. As his work evolves, the photographer should plan to alter and refine his equipement to meet changing requirements." - Ansel Adams, The Camera

I agree with his ideas on this topic. First, don't buy equipment far beyond your level. And second, whatever you do buy, make sure it is good quality (i.e. the 'buy once' philosophy). What do you think?

frugivore wrote in post #14361436
I agree with his ideas on this topic. First, don't buy equipment far beyond your level. And second, whatever you do buy, make sure it is good quality (i.e. the 'buy once' philosophy). What do you think?

What is equipment far beyond one's level? Who defines this? Is there a secret book that lays it all out for people?

I had a 5DC + 24-105L + 70-200 f4 IS 3 months after I picked up my first DSLR, which was the 300D. Did it allow me to grow into the gear? Sure. Was I right? Was I wrong? Who's to really say? My philosophy at the time was to buy the best that I could afford and make sure gear wasn't the reason I was limited.

It took me all but 2 days to figure out the limitations of the 300D and the 18-55 that came with it. So I bought the 50 1.8 and learned all about DOF control. It took me about 2 weeks to get my hands on a 20D + 17-55 IS. It took me another month to get my hands on a 30D. Then another month to get my hands on a FF camera, the 5DC. During this time I realized the 50 1.4 was just a better focusing lens so I bought that. Of course I wanted a telephoto to learn what people were telling me, like compression and subject isolation so I bought the 70-200 f4 IS. It took me another month to realize the value of that extra stop the 70-200 f2.8 IS offered. On and on we go.

So don't know man. I don't think there's any rule on gear acquisition. Now that I have a side business going, I buy the gear more from a need standpoint rather than a want, but the fact remains. I try to buy the best money can afford. It leaves no doubts.

frugivore wrote in post #14361436
I found this section in the beginning of Ansel's The Camera discussing equipment to be very interesting:

"I urge, again, avoiding the common illusion that creative work depends on equipment alone, it easy to confuse the hope for accomplishment with the desire to posses superior instruments. It is nonetheless true that quality is an important criterion in evaluating camera equipement, as are durability and function. Inferior equipment will prove to be a false economy in the long run. As his work evolves, the photographer should plan to alter and refine his equipement to meet changing requirements." - Ansel Adams, The Camera

I agree with his ideas on this topic. First, don't buy equipment far beyond your level. And second, whatever you do buy, make sure it is good quality (i.e. the 'buy once' philosophy). What do you think?

Agree....

A little sump'm else from Adams along similar lines

I enjoy buying new gear and spending the time necessary to master that new gear but, mastering that gear and using it as an art-form still escapes me.

nicksan wrote in post #14361501
What is equipment far beyond one's level? Who defines this? Is there a secret book that lays it all out for people?

I had a 5DC + 24-105L + 70-200 f4 IS 3 months after I picked up my first DSLR, which was the 300D. Did it allow me to grow into the gear? Sure. Was I right? Was I wrong? Who's to really say? My philosophy at the time was to buy the best that I could afford and make sure gear wasn't the reason I was limited.

It took me all but 2 days to figure out the limitations of the 300D and the 18-55 that came with it. So I bought the 50 1.8 and learned all about DOF control. It took me about 2 weeks to get my hands on a 20D + 17-55 IS. It took me another month to get my hands on a 30D. Then another month to get my hands on a FF camera, the 5DC. During this time I realized the 50 1.4 was just a better focusing lens so I bought that. Of course I wanted a telephoto to learn what people were telling me, like compression and subject isolation so I bought the 70-200 f4 IS. It took me another month to realize the value of that extra stop the 70-200 f2.8 IS offered. On and on we go.

So don't know man. I don't think there's any rule on gear acquisition. Now that I have a side business going, I buy the gear more from a need standpoint rather than a want, but the fact remains. I try to buy the best money can afford. It leaves no doubts.

I think the point is that a photographer will stumble if he faces too steep of a learning curve which will hamper the growth of his skill. Had you gotten your hands on a 1Ds-class DSLR from the get-go, it probably would have taken you a lot longer to get to where you are, knowing the strengths an limitations of all the gear.

If you keep changing equipment its much harder to get to a point where you are not thinking about the technique and this goes way beyond just having the basic knowledge but to a point where the equipment becomes an extension of your vision.

Buying to your budget is important, but budgeting for reasonable gear is equally important. This is true in any field I've found, not just photography.

I ended up with a Rebel T3 when getting into the hobby because it was well priced for what I could afford, and not so expensive as to be overly painful if something happened to it. (I wanted to photograph paintball, and the best shots tend to be taken from right down on the field, even IN the game play. And it is a field where you can take shots in more than one sense. Saving up even longer and springing for a 7D or 5DmkII would have given me better equipment that I would use for longer, but would also be a far greater setback if I broke any of it.)


And honestly, the T3 has done all I asked of it so far. Which has been to give me enough control to learn photography, and help decide what features and controls are going to be important to me in my next camera. Would I prefer a 7D or 5D of any mark? Sure. Will they make me a better photographer or help me learn faster? Unlikely.

frugivore wrote in post #14361436
I found this section in the beginning of Ansel's The Camera discussing equipment to be very interesting:

"I urge, again, avoiding the common illusion that creative work depends on equipment alone, it easy to confuse the hope for accomplishment with the desire to posses superior instruments. It is nonetheless true that quality is an important criterion in evaluating camera equipement, as are durability and function. Inferior equipment will prove to be a false economy in the long run. As his work evolves, the photographer should plan to alter and refine his equipement to meet changing requirements." - Ansel Adams, The Camera

I agree with his ideas on this topic. First, don't buy equipment far beyond your level. And second, whatever you do buy, make sure it is good quality (i.e. the 'buy once' philosophy). What do you think?

I'd say Adams strikes a good, reasonable balance.

I think it's important to realize, though, that he is not criticizing someone for buying a high-quality camera for their "first DSLR", but he is just saying that the camera alone will not accomplish the "creative work" that photography is (typically) all about.

In fact, he does say that quality gear is important. Whether you start out with quality gear or you "grow into it" is not, as far as I can see, something he is taking some kind of side in.

When I bought my first DSLR (the 30D) it was after some time shooting with smaller "compact" cameras and studying and growing into my photography, but even my first compact digicam was "advanced" enough to allow me to manually expose and focus, in other words it was of a higher quality than a P&S, and so I grew into it!

frugivore wrote in post #14361725
I think the point is that a photographer will stumble if he faces too steep of a learning curve which will hamper the growth of his skill. Had you gotten your hands on a 1Ds-class DSLR from the get-go, it probably would have taken you a lot longer to get to where you are, knowing the strengths an limitations of all the gear.

People learn at different speeds and they have different learning curves. As I mentioned, I was shooting with a 5DC a mere 2.5 months after I picked up my first DSLR and knew what I was getting myself into, why I wanted one, etc. The progression was very fast for me. Once I knew this was going to be a passion, I just went all out. That's just my style. Now I don't recommend this approach to everyone. This was just my experience. But I get tired of reading about how "it's not about the gear".

Hey, if you want/need/can afford it, do what you must.

Whenever I buy new gear, I get excited. Gets my creative juices flowing. I really want to get out there and just shoot. Always have been that way.

nicksan wrote in post #14362648
People learn at different speeds and they have different learning curves. As I mentioned, I was shooting with a 5DC a mere 2.5 months after I picked up my first DSLR and knew what I was getting myself into, why I wanted one, etc. The progression was very fast for me. Once I knew this was going to be a passion, I just went all out. That's just my style. Now I don't recommend this approach to everyone. This was just my experience. But I get tired of reading about how "it's not about the gear".

Hey, if you want/need/can afford it, do what you must.

Whenever I buy new gear, I get excited. Gets my creative juices flowing. I really want to get out there and just shoot. Always have been that way.

Im with you on that one! Nothing wrong with wanting nice gear, it doesnt apply only to photography!

Tony_Stark wrote in post #14362878
Im with you on that one! Nothing wrong with wanting nice gear, it doesnt apply only to photography!

Adams had great cameras and lenses, He just didn't have all the cameras and lenses or always the latest greatest. He was clearly not on the gadget go round. He only had equipment that clearly worked with his vision.

Ralph Gibson shoots with a normal lens. He said he shoot with what he shoots with because its the way he sees. Bresson shot with a normal lens. Winogrand shot with a 35mm lens.

I think there comes a point though where you have to look yourself in the mirror and say:
"Dude, shop less .. shoot more."

The buying frenzy (and associated nonsense) that seems to now go hand in hand with every single lens or body release just has me convinced that more and more people are seeking the "magic" in unhealthy and ultimately disappointing ways.

"The fact is that relatively few photographers ever master their medium. Instead they allow the medium to master them and go on an endless squirrel cage chase from new lens to new paper to new developer to new gadget, never staying with one piece of equipment long enough to learn its full capacities, becoming lost in a maze of technical information that is of little or no use since they don't know what to do with it." - Edward Weston

frugivore wrote in post #14361436
I found this section in the beginning of Ansel's The Camera discussing equipment to be very interesting:

"I urge, again, avoiding the common illusion that creative work depends on equipment alone, it easy to confuse the hope for accomplishment with the desire to posses superior instruments. It is nonetheless true that quality is an important criterion in evaluating camera equipement, as are durability and function. Inferior equipment will prove to be a false economy in the long run. As his work evolves, the photographer should plan to alter and refine his equipement to meet changing requirements." - Ansel Adams, The Camera

I agree with his ideas on this topic. First, don't buy equipment far beyond your level. And second, whatever you do buy, make sure it is good quality (i.e. the 'buy once' philosophy). What do you think?

Y'know, I can't agree more with what Ansel has said. He is a true inspiration not only with his photography, but with his philosophy

I have a photography friend who lives in NYC (SoHo), she's had 5 books published of her photographic art. She shoots a lot with a pinhole camera, says she likes the effect and "stuff" doesn't get in her way.
Use whatever works for you, and you'll be happy.