I am really, really...

Get used to it. People are essentially clueless and think it's the equipment and not the operator.

Statement wrote in post #2501684
..getting annoyed with people complimenting my camera and not me! If I gave them my camera they would have no idea how to take a picture. In fact, my camera (350d) is no better than a point and shoot if you just use auto mode. Come on people!

/vent

Sorry Bucko but that is just the beginning

Wait til somebody will or won;t hire you because of the camera body you are using.

Wait until they see your pictures and say hey you must have spent a fortune!!

Wait until they say If I had a great camera like that I could shoot pro baseball TOO!!

Or they spend a fortune on gear and follow you around from wedding shot to wedding shot!!!

Like my friends G-PA sez get some chapstick for your a$$crack cause these folks ain't got a clue...

It's just getting started so buckle up an get the chapstick!!

Les

liza wrote in post #2506265
Get used to it. People are essentially clueless and think it's the equipment and not the operator.

Absolutely agree. Plus to each person their needs. I recommended a DSLR + 18-200 lens to a friend who to this day considers it way superior to my current lens setup. And maybe he is right from his view point.

Those types of comments don't bother me at all. Generally, they have some degree of validity. After all, we do the same thing here on this board. If the equipment didn't matter to some degree, we wouldn't obsess so much over Canon vs Sigma vs Tamron; "L" vs non-"L". We wouldn't pixel-peep and shoot endless photos of AA batteries. There would never be a "Do I have a sharp copy" thread.

I've seen many well-composed, nicely lighted photos taken with cheap P&S cameras that would have been really nice, given better equipment. Part of the reason that I've spent thousands of dollars on equipment is so that I can get better photos.

Of course the craftmanship matters. Of course understanding how to properly use the equipment matters. Of course the post processing matters. But, as evidenced by the hundreds of thousands of dollars spent by members of this board, in December alone, so too does the gear.

best example of this in action
i own a 350d, sigma 70-200f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 580EX and kitlens

i take reasonable photos, maybe 50% keepers and one in 100 is "brilliant" by my standards, average by potn standards. i have been taking photos since i was 16, and have continued to learn since then, once i joined potn my photos have improved dramatically and i am learning more about my camera (i have also spent $2000 ish on better lenses and a flash.)

my fiancee's father bought a 400d, and my old 75-300 f4.5-5.6, he also has a 18-55 and for christmas we got him a 50 f1.8 and a 430EX
he hasnt learnt much about his camera and uses it in green square mode
he now wants a sigma 70-200 f2.8 because his current lens "isnt big enough"

he thinks by spending money on gear he can get photos as good as mine, he never asks questions, doesnt seem to want to learn and once i get my 1d2N he will probably want a 1 series too - personally i cant wait - then he will have to learn because the camera wont be making all the choices for him

i really dont get the )nice cam, must take great pics) i usually get "nice camera. whats that thing go for?" lol ... My fave was a groupe of kids fishing at a state park, i had the 30D with 70-200 f4 L and a mono pod and they were so amazed like I was some pro with a super cam that could see to the moon, they all wanted to look through to VF at the people across the lake, they were so funny, they were so into it, by the time i left they wanted to know where to get one.

If I were canon, I would increase the price for P&S and let you all have your Big toy for less cheaper. . .
Hmm.. .. Just made everyone so happy heh?

penyuijo wrote in post #2507815
If I were canon, I would increase the price for P&S and let you all have your Big toy for less cheaper. . .
Hmm.. .. Just made everyone so happy heh?

I hear that!! And most folks just buy what ever is cheaper, no regard to "doing their Homework" and finding the best digi cam or at least the best digicam they can afford!!

Echo63 wrote in post #2507206
best example of this in action
i own a 350d, sigma 70-200f2.8, 50mm f1.8, 580EX and kitlens

i take reasonable photos, maybe 50% keepers and one in 100 is "brilliant" by my standards, average by potn standards. i have been taking photos since i was 16, and have continued to learn since then, once i joined potn my photos have improved dramatically and i am learning more about my camera (i have also spent $2000 ish on better lenses and a flash.)

my fiancee's father bought a 400d, and my old 75-300 f4.5-5.6, he also has a 18-55 and for christmas we got him a 50 f1.8 and a 430EX
he hasnt learnt much about his camera and uses it in green square mode
he now wants a sigma 70-200 f2.8 because his current lens "isnt big enough"

he thinks by spending money on gear he can get photos as good as mine, he never asks questions, doesnt seem to want to learn and once i get my 1d2N he will probably want a 1 series too - personally i cant wait - then he will have to learn because the camera wont be making all the choices for him

I also get people trivializing the idea of post processing. They want to see ALL of the photos I took, whether or not I think they are keepers. They want to see all the horrible pictures I take, and I don't want to show those unprocessed, unsharpened, horrible pictures altogether to them, because it makes me look bad, and I just don't want that. I can make my own decisions, seeing as how I know a lot more about photography, and I took the damn pictures myself.

JCR wrote in post #2502058
I had a similar experience not 2 days ago, a relative commenting on what wonderful pic's my camera takes, so I handed it to him in manual mode with a 2 sec shutter speed ISO100 and dialled up f/stop, at night in a dark living room.

After 15 mins of him shooting blurry black pics he got the idea.

That's a good one.

On the other hand, has anyone ever done the correct set-up (aperture, shutter speed, ISO, etc) handed it to someone and had the photo turn out very nice?

Sometimes there are two issues. 1)Whether or not someone knows how to operate the camera 2)whether the individual has a good eye for photography

I suspect there are a number of people who lack one or the other. Personally, I feel very comfortable with #1 and I'm trying to get better at "the eye" thing.

Cheers!

Statement wrote in post #2501684
..getting annoyed with people complimenting my camera and not me! If I gave them my camera they would have no idea how to take a picture. In fact, my camera (350d) is no better than a point and shoot if you just use auto mode. Come on people!

/vent

They know a good camera can make good pictures. OTOH they don't know the photographer!

Just about the same as people wandering up to admire the Ferrari, even if the driver just has a learner's permit.

steved110 wrote in post #2504650
The last three outings my keeper rate has been pathetic - so much so that not only have I NBOT shown anyone the pictures but I'm beginning to wonder why I have put so much time and effort and cahs into the hobby - when cl;early I am not doing as well as I would like...

Oh well, I'll keep on trying!

Patience...you must learn Good Composition, and you also learn technical basics and then put both together to make good photos. It all takes practice, and it all does not merely 'come naturally'. There are a few talented people who can take superbly composed photos which are technically 'adequate', and there are technical experts who can't compose their way out of a paper bag.

If you resist the Digital Temptation to point and fire like a machine gun, but to study your subject, think about how you would like to portray the subject, and decide even "is it even worth a photo", before pressing the shutter button, you are a long way on the journey of learning. I have gone out with a 4x5 camera all day and come back with ONE photo shot!

Photography is a bit like Alpine snow skiing...the early days can be agonizing, but you can have a lot of fun anyway! And digital makes it less expensive to take a photo and make a mistake, than when you had to pay for film and processing for every mistake made! As is true in other areas, the more you learn, the more you learn what you don't know! Welcome to a lifetime of learning, if you are willing to stick it out.

Though it pains me to say so the only reason my camera and lens keep me around is they can’t reach the gas pedal. Yes sometimes the truth can really hurt

Statement wrote in post #2508917
I also get people trivializing the idea of post processing. They want to see ALL of the photos I took, whether or not I think they are keepers. They want to see all the horrible pictures I take, and I don't want to show those unprocessed, unsharpened, horrible pictures altogether to them, because it makes me look bad, and I just don't want that. I can make my own decisions, seeing as how I know a lot more about photography, and I took the damn pictures myself.

my excuse is that they cant see them well enough on my 350d's screen - this may be because most of the screen is occupied with histogram and shooting data

post proccessing really helps turn a average photo into a good one. - you know you have that great shot but then you find you underexposed it by half a stop - post process can fix stupid mistakes.

my fiancee's father mentioned above doesnt even know how to run a computer, he has to get his 11 year old daughter (his other daughter) to download his camera for him, they then have to get me to burn a cd for them to take to the aussie equivalent of walmart to have them printed
i dont know how his lens is holding him back, other than its not "big" enough - i would love to know what he means by that anyway, my sigma is 100mm shorter than his 75-300 (or 100mm longer with the 2xTC on it - but its nothing a bit of cropping wont fix)