Do you care about others?

I don't care what the other guy is shooting with (usually), but I do enjoy talking shop with them. I recently went to a fair with a some friends (two other couples), and all three of us guys were shooting with digital SLRs. I was using a 1DMkIIN, one of us was using a 300D, and the other was using a Pentax. We had a great time and at the end of the day we all wound up with photos that we liked - but the fun was in getting the shots and talking about how to set them up. (Okay, I did ask some of the young ladies at the fair to look at the "real camera" but it was to more to get everyone to laugh than to rib my buddies).

Sometimes, I grab my D60 and shoot with that. Especially if it's a situation where there is some risk to my camera (standing in the surf comes to mind). It's not about the gear, it's about getting the shot.

Mark

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My shooting buddy (a Noink shooter) and I are forever in competition regarding gear, but we keep it fun. And that reminds me. He just upgraded from a D70 to a D200. I'd better go camera shopping!

liza wrote:
My shooting buddy (a Noink shooter) and I are forever in competition regarding gear, but we keep it fun. And that reminds me. He just upgraded from a D70 to a D200. I'd better go camera shopping!

Is this finally the excuse to get that 1Dmk2n?

I have to go with those who don't care. I know I have capable equipment that I know how to use well. Only experience i have with speaking with a pro shooting with something better than me was at a Notre Dame football game. i was sitting front row in the student section right behind where the associated press guys were keeping their gear. before the game started, one guy came over to change a lens to his 500 f/4, he was shooting with a 1D Mark II. I was standing there with my 20D plus 70-200 f/2.8 IS (which sparked the conversation). he commented on how great the camera/lens i was using is and then i made a joke about letting me use his super tele when he wasn't

When I first started out I was very nervous if anyone showed up with better equipment. Was always obsessed about better equipment. Once I stocked my larder with the gear I wanted and could afford I hardly ever even think about it. Now I am more interested in getting information about technique etc. These encounters are often blessings when they share their wisdom...and now sometime I am the one is ahead of the game. I have run into some bad seeds, but they are the exception.

hehe reminds me of a guy I met on a Roadracing championship. I have my trustworthy D60 with me on all the events I´m so lucky that a friend of mine drives in the Norwegian Championship series so I have many hours at the tracks in Norway After 2-3 events dragging my Manfrotto tripod with me and never used it I started leaving it at home. The only support I bring is a monopod. During one of the races this weekend I went down to a curve called the butcher, there is always a bike or two in the sandpit here When I got down to the curve there was a fellow Canon photographer there. He had a 20D with 70-200 2.8L IS and 2x extender. This was mounted on a tripod with a remote zoom control pan bar with a wirerelease. If there was a tornado coming this camera would still have been standing there afterwords I talked a little photo related stuff with him and he was so big about his gear. When the race started I moved further down into the curve to get the best shots. He was sitting on his little chair behind the bombproof setup After the first 5-6 rounds he came over to me and started asking if I got some clear shots. All his shots where just blurred I tried to tell him that he had to pan and follow the bikes as they passed but it did´nt seem to help him any. I don´t think you need IS when the poor lens is cemented to the ground

Who cares, as long as you know what you are doing.

Woolburr wrote:
Is this finally the excuse to get that 1Dmk2n?

We'll see. I'll have to shoot a few weddings to justify that kind of cash outlay.

I have no interest in attempting to judge people by their gear, and it doesn't bother me if they try to do so to me. I realize that a great photographer could probably get better shots with a cheap disposable camera than I can with all my gear. I am fine with this because I am a hobbyist who has decided not to base his self-esteem on photography-related matters. If criticizing my gear makes someone else feel better about themself, they are welcome to do so.

Hmmm... I have been the "Hired Guy" at a few events. I do not have the best equipment, but I do the best with what I have. There have been a few occasions when people have better equipment than me, and the people carrying the equipment looked at my equipment and say "You have got to be kidding!". I just smile. After all I was chosen for my work I had done and those "gear snobs" probably do not know how to use their gear except in the green box (Auto). LOL! I would like to have an L one day... the 24-70mm 2.8 L would be a dream and mounted on a 5D!!! Too cool!

Well, ok, sometimes . . .

Oh, really? . . .

Sure . . . me too <wink>

Me too . . .

I couldn't care less about what other people think about my equipment. Most knowledgeable photographers will judge a person more my the way they set up their shot and handle their equipment anyway.

If anybody should be self conscious it should be the guy with the most expensive 1DsMkII and all the latest lenses and accessories who looks like he hasn't a clue what he is doing when he is handling his equipment. Everybody has to learn, but most of us had to work our way up the equipment ladder.

Thanks for all the reading material. A neat read.

I didn't mean to say that I felt bad about it, or I felt inferior. I was more mad at his "thinking" that I was inferior. I think we both got what we "wanted". He was published, and being paid by the publisher, he got the shot they wanted I guess. I was there to have a good time, and if I got some stuff someone wanted, well where's the check.

I am pretty darn happy with my old beater, even if they have 3 cameras replace it since then. My AE-1 still works too, but that is a different thread

I don't like to get that "put down" feeling like that. I guess that I would just say something like "I don't need all that fancy crap to take a great picture" and let it go like that.
I don't care that someone has "better" gear than I do but I don't care for that attitude by anyone.

I'm not bothered by people looking down on my equipment. I know I don't have the best camera in the Canon lineup, but its still the best camera I've ever owned. I have a lot to learn before I could even consider moving up to a better camera. The camera I have does what I need it to do for now and until it doesn't, I can't see upgrading.