What camera are you using?

No, I'm not really asking because most of you have your equipment listed in your profiles. I'm just curious how many of you hear this question from friends, family members and others when they see your pictures. Let me give you some background and tell you why I ask.

I'm not a beginner per se because I've been shooting snapshots for most of my adult life, but it's only been the last year or two that I've gotten reasonably good equipment and made a concerted effort to learn how photography works and to improve my skill and my imagination.

Obviously friends and family and Facebook "friends" can be a pretty easy audience to impress but invariably when I post a photo to Facebook or a web forum I get a lot of questions about what camera I'm using. It's almost as if these people assume that the photos are made by the camera and that they could take photos that are just as nice if they only had the equipment that I had.

For the record, I've taken a handful of photos that I think are pretty nice but I'm very inexperienced and I'm not winning any contests with my stuff. I shoot a Canon T1i with the kit lens, the 55-250 or a Tamron 18-270 VC. As I said, decent stuff but clearly not high end equipment.

i can't recall ever being asked what i'm using. people will comment on the big white lenses when they're out, but that's about it. with the gripped 5D i'll get "that's a big camera" sometimes, but nothing more. i put a lot of my photos up on FB and the "what did you use" has never been asked.

great shots have been taken by Kodak Brownies, it's not the camera that makes the shot. here's a small collection of some of them i often look at when i need a "fix"
http://www.brownie-camera.com/gallery.htm


sounds like you know what you're doing, and i think you've got good equipment. keep it up.

When people ask that.... just say "Mmmmm, that meal you made sure tastes great. What pan are you using?" That makes just about as much sense.

When people ask that .... just say "Mmmmm, the one that over exposes naked women all the time.

A published College professor once asked me that...My reply:

"I read your latest paper...It was great....What word processor do you use?"

Another analogy I've seen is: That is great looking guitar, I am sure it plays beautiful music

I guess I have a slightly different paradigm. I have a couple of custom Petros acoustic guitars and they both have unique voices. I'm a decent player but not a pro. Both guitars make me sound like I'm a better guitarist than I am because they produce such excellent sound.

Don't certain camera and lens combinations produce better color rendition, clarity, etc than others? I realize the person behind the camera makes a huge difference. I'm not minimizing that.... but I think equipment has an impact as well.

I just reply with iphone and instagram. That way, I don't come off as passive aggressive

Phoenixkh wrote in post #14616302
I guess I have a slightly different paradigm. I have a couple of custom Petros acoustic guitars and they both have unique voices. I'm a decent player but not a pro. Both guitars make me sound like I'm a better guitarist than I am because they produce such excellent sound.

Don't certain camera and lens combinations produce better color rendition, clarity, etc than others? I realize the person behind the camera makes a huge difference. I'm not minimizing that.... but I think equipment has an impact as well.

The analogies are definitely a bit tired. You can't make a world class meal from crap ingredients, to add one more analogy to the pile. Better equipment yields more possibilities, especially nice glass.

Phoenixkh wrote in post #14616302
I guess I have a slightly different paradigm. I have a couple of custom Petros acoustic guitars and they both have unique voices. I'm a decent player but not a pro. Both guitars make me sound like I'm a better guitarist than I am because they produce such excellent sound.

Don't certain camera and lens combinations produce better color rendition, clarity, etc than others? I realize the person behind the camera makes a huge difference. I'm not minimizing that.... but I think equipment has an impact as well.

This is absolutely true but my point is that I'm not shooting world class gear and making awesome photos (at least not yet). I'm shooting decent gear and taking OK to good photos, which happen to be better than what many of these people have ever taken. The presumption that if they run off and buy the gear that I have (or the next decent photographer that they see on Facebook) that they will be able to take great photos is a bit silly.

Bill,

I should have been more clear. I wasn't commenting on your original post but on the direction the thread was taking. I get decent photographs out of my G12 and am getting used to my 60D so those photos are improving.

I agree that buying a new camera, leaving it on auto and shooting with no thought isn't going to produce great photographs even though the equipment itself has been upgraded.

I was just thinking "out loud" (in font, actually). I ran into limits with my G12 after a year and a half or so. That's why I bought the 60D. In my case, a DSLR is giving me more chances to get the shot, though I'm still learning how to do so.

Only people ever interested in what camera I was using were other photographers. Most people just want to see the pictures.

I'm using a good camera

I guess I must spend more time around other photographers than around the general public. I can't remember ever being asked...

Ahh yes the age old complement, wow, that camera sure takes great pictures. My mother tell me that all the time. Thanks ma