Whats important for you?

I am a bit bored, and dare now to open a thread for hearing what you guys set your focus on.

For me, the most important part of a camera is the low light performance. Followed by a wide aperture on my lens. Mostly because i dont want to be limited to the available light around me. I dont give much to megapixels, maybe thats why i dont stuck on nikon :P

I shoot street, whenever i can landscape and love portrait shooting. Since i have no macro lens at the moment, id love macro if i had one

What do you guys find the most important thing for your photography? And what do you shoot and suits best for your shooting style?

The most important for me (you wont hear this from many others) is the ergonomics. I can't work with a camera that has weird feel to it with odd placements of buttons and wheels or screens or to small of a handle and so on. It HAS to feel right when i pick it up.

I recently bought an 1Ds (ten years old).. why? I can guarantee you that it wasent for the ISO capabilities or the lightning fast fps. Nope, it was the body and it's feel.. and ofcourse because it looks so sexey. (sure, i was looking for a FF but the body/feel of the 1Ds is the reason i dident get a 5Dc)

I shoot most subjects and scenery, i do like ordinary things from weird/different angles, street photography and to be able to capture those faces/expressions in portraits that you see from the masters.

bent toe wrote in post #15954119
The most important for me (you wont hear this from many others) is the ergonomics. I can't work with a camera that has weird feel to it with odd placements of buttons and wheels or screens or to small of a handle and so on. It HAS to feel right when i pick it up.

I dont think its an underrated point. When i first mounted my Sigma 24-70 to my t4i, i felt a strong desire for a bigger body. One but not the main reason why i bought the 6D. A 1Ds would be a bit too big for my hands but i feel pretty the same about ergonomics.

The most important part of a camera for me is the AF system.

I started with a 60D about 2 and a half years ago. At that time, all I care was ISO performance and sharpness which promptly made me upgrading to 5D2. Although I absolutely loved that camera and happy with the improved ISO, AF was a real letdown.

1 center crosstype point really caught up on me fast, I found myself being limited to center point, or I fear not nailing critical focus with focus recompose or using any outer points. Therefore when 5D3 was announced, I knew exactly that's the camera I ultimately want due to its vastly improved AF.

The 61 points AF system totally freed my composition and no longer have to worry about placing subjects off center, especially at large aperture. Also I don't think a great AF system is limited to sports shooting or birding as some might think. To me that's a big deal and definitely more important than ISO performance for me these days (not saying it's bad on 5D3)

For me it's mostly about fast, accurate auto-focus in continuous mode.

Next is fast frame rate and a large raw buffer.

Everything else is a distant runner-up...

Initially for me it was small and light camera ( I have arthritis so my hands suffer a lot ).

And my main thing was natural light stuff so low light didn't matter. But then I found I wanted to shoot live bands ( I used to play in one ) so had to get a faster lens.

Then after a while ergonomics kicked in too, so I got a battery grip.

Now I carry a light camera, but a bag full of stuff in case I need it ( so my back suffers ) and lots of other stuff and a battery grip and a long lens and some other bits and bobs.

I now think I need better IQ at low light, so I'm looking at a 60D, and perhaps a sigma 10-20mm too.

As to fast focus, even with slow lenses I have found BBAF or manual focus seems to help at lot, I still have a lot of lost/wasted shots, but memory cards are cheap.

I think what I'm trying to say is the priority for me at least seems to change the more I try new stuff.

Next month I'm doing some studio shots for an actress I know. Then it will be all about triggers and portrait lenses for me.

Pat McGuire wrote in post #15954239
Initially for me it was small and light camera ( I have arthritis so my hands suffer a lot ).

And my main thing was natural light stuff so low light didn't matter. But then I found I wanted to shoot live bands ( I used to play in one ) so had to get a faster lens.

Then after a while ergonomics kicked in too, so I got a battery grip.

Now I carry a light camera, but a bag full of stuff in case I need it ( so my back suffers ) and lots of other stuff and a battery grip and a long lens and some other bits and bobs.

I now think I need better IQ at low light, so I'm looking at a 60D, and perhaps a sigma 10-20mm too.

As to fast focus, even with slow lenses I have found BBAF or manual focus seems to help at lot, I still have a lot of lost/wasted shots, but memory cards are cheap.

I think what I'm trying to say is the priority for me at least seems to change the more I try new stuff.

Next month I'm doing some studio shots for an actress I know. Then it will be all about triggers and portrait lenses for me.

Sad to hear that, but i checked your pics and it doesnt seem to be a big handycap. You got alot of amazing photos, keep up the good work!

Before considering everything else. Size is an important factor for me. I have more opportunity to shoot if I feel comfortable bringing a camera with me. If only a small FF MILC existed (with the exception of the Leica M) **cough **cough (Sony RX1 fail)

davidfarina wrote in post #15954331
Sad to hear that, but i checked your pics and it doesnt seem to be a big handycap. You got alot of amazing photos, keep up the good work!

Thanks mate. You are too kind. You should see the one's I don't put up ( bloody horrible stuff )

And that brings me to another point. If any fellow photogs like any of my shots, it means a lot more than if my friends or non photogs do. Because they know how the end image can be a lot of work and walking around and finding the right place and time to press the shutter.

For me it is versatility. I want to feel I am able to capture photos wherever I go. My focus (no pun intended) is on wildlife and travel/landscape. I also shoot family & events.

Inspiration!

I never know when it comes... When it is present, the 60D and the 18-200 can be plenty. The nifty can be an added bonus. The Great White Father can be wow...

When it is not present... everything looks like a dog...

Tapeman wrote in post #15954516
For me it is versatility. I want to feel I am able to capture photos wherever I go. My focus (no pun intended) is on wildlife and travel/landscape. I also shoot family & events.

^^This^^

Even though I have a backup body, I like for my primary body to be able to be an "all-in-one". I shoot sports, family, portraits, low-light, outdoors, travel, and so on. My 5D3 handles everything nicely. I've been the route of multiple bodies for different circumstances and life is a lot easier with one body that can handle it all.

kin2son wrote in post #15954168
The most important part of a camera for me is the AF system.
...

AGREED. I shoot weddings, and to me a fast and accurate AF is key. Most of the time you can make up for darkness with flash/strobe/tripod, and for portraits f/4 is plenty at 100+ mm. You can even make up for macro with a tube. BUT, without a reliable AF system you get nothing and a slow AF misses the fleeting moments.

for me high iso performance and fast AF are important. Given I do a lot of shooting indoors and take a lot of pictures of my son. I'm finding my new to me 50D to really be shining in that regard. Performs well in low light and AF is lightning fast with every lens I own. I also love the ergonomics of the 50D with a grip on it. It's a heft camera and given I have bigger hands it works out well.

I like the 50D also but I prefer manual AF. The 50mm f/1.8, Ef-S screen, and the camera's mass is a nice combination for me.