I saw this article online & it made me react in a negative way. You see, I own a Nikon Coolpix S4000 & the cam is ok to start with, but I don't think it's the camera ALONE that makes the photo.
ok, i see both sides of this. i believe that i have an eye for photography, and i can get WAY better photos with my DSLR than i can get with my point and shoot.
another example: i watched a video on youtube the other day about quality of lens. is it better to have a pro camera with a cheap lens or an L lens with a entry level camera??? I completely agree that you should invest in the best lens you can afford.
on the other hand, great photographs usually come from talented photographers.
i think there's a ratio involved in this situation, x-amount equipement: x-amount talent.... with talent taking a large portion of the ratio.
honestly, i think lots of people are over reacting. If you take photos, you know what really goes into it. No point in making a big deal...
People overreacted big time... easy to get on a soapbox on the internet. Nikon apologized on Facebook today for insulting everyone. It was probably some noob intern's dumb mistake, or poor word choice. *shrug*
Makes me wonder how many people up in arms over it own more than a $100 point and shoot, or hell, a $30 Holga. If the camera didn't matter, everyone would shoot with toy stuff. Kind of hypocrites going off the deep end when you know a bunch of the people whining about this have DSLRs and nice lenses....
I'm a Nikon shooter, I don't feel insulted or discredited. I just hate them for not working on a new pro body, and instead just caring about Joe-blow consumer cameras. Enough hate I'm semi debating switching to Canon, and I hate Canon...
What a silly comment for Nikon to make, surely they should know better? I can definitely understand why photographers would react negatively to that statement
I have seen people take AWFUL pictures with cameras and lenses many times more expensive than mine. The eye is a huge part of a great photo. Understanding - even if marginally - the technology in your hands is a big part, too. I take and sell equal parts Nikon shots and iPhone shots on my website and they are vastly different. I can take the same shot with my SLR as my iPhone and they will both be composed well and will print nicely but the SLR will be sharper and will print larger. There are arguments for either side but saying that a good photo is solely due to the camera is BS.
Great gear does not make a great photographer, but it can make a good photograph better. This is true of most things.
Of course Nikon want you to believe it is their equipment which makes one good. Each manufacturer spends millions a year to convince of this. Nikon simply phrased it poorly. Purposely or not.
@rafaelseno It is mostly the photographer. I think I take some very nice shots and I just have a simple point and shoot so I really believe that it is who is taking the pictures that counts the most
I think its half photographer, 25 percent camera, 25 percent viewer.
Because the camera matters, your eyes matter alot and the photo will only look good to certain number people regardless of what you use or what talented eye you have.
I totally agree: if the person behind the camera is a nincompoop, even the best camera might not help you. But I also think that when you are a bit of a nincompoop and have a great camera, it can help you get better pictures than with a camera of bad quality in automatic mode (brighter colours, better focus, etc etc).
@hmgphotos I love my olympus and they have yet to insult me. I actually went with Olympus because I bought an entry level dslr to see if I really wanted one. I have since moved up, bought a few lenses and filters and still do not regret going with olympus at the beginning.
@autumnseden I want to take photos of the same subject and see how different they come out from yours. I always say it is the eye and a steady hand that take a great photo. If that was not true all photos taken on an iphone should suck.
This discussion actually gave me an idea: I will pick a subject &/or a theme of my choice & take at least 2 photos of the same subject using at least 2 different cameras (Making sure that one of the cameras is way better in terms of technology than the other one.) This way, I will be able to find out whether it's actually the camera or the eye of the photographer, or both.
For me, there are big chunks each of the photographer, the camera & the people who look at the photo that makes up a nice photo, or a bad one.
I have long said that it is the photographer not the camera. Yes a DSLR can give you a higher resolution and the file sizes and editing processes are different. The biggest difference is range and clairity at 100% magnification But if your not printing banner and poster sizes this will not matter one bit.
I have had 2 different point and shoots over a period of 3-4 years. A few of my images from those cameras were published in magazines and have placed in the top 10 in competitions.
I now own a DSLR. It has given me a wider range of shots than the point and shoots(longer exposure time,wider aperture, and better clarity at 100% magnification).But the composition and subject matter have always been up to me, and that is what makes a good image.
So I will leave my opinion as this. For posters and banners, yes get a better camera and lens, but to have better photos, grow as an artist.
@rafaelseno I think with your experiment you will find the only difference to be the clarity (at 100%) and color saturation. I will be interested in seeing them.
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another example: i watched a video on youtube the other day about quality of lens. is it better to have a pro camera with a cheap lens or an L lens with a entry level camera??? I completely agree that you should invest in the best lens you can afford.
on the other hand, great photographs usually come from talented photographers.
i think there's a ratio involved in this situation, x-amount equipement: x-amount talent.... with talent taking a large portion of the ratio.
honestly, i think lots of people are over reacting. If you take photos, you know what really goes into it. No point in making a big deal...
Makes me wonder how many people up in arms over it own more than a $100 point and shoot, or hell, a $30 Holga. If the camera didn't matter, everyone would shoot with toy stuff. Kind of hypocrites going off the deep end when you know a bunch of the people whining about this have DSLRs and nice lenses....
I'm a Nikon shooter, I don't feel insulted or discredited. I just hate them for not working on a new pro body, and instead just caring about Joe-blow consumer cameras. Enough hate I'm semi debating switching to Canon, and I hate Canon...
Of course Nikon want you to believe it is their equipment which makes one good. Each manufacturer spends millions a year to convince of this. Nikon simply phrased it poorly. Purposely or not.
Because the camera matters, your eyes matter alot and the photo will only look good to certain number people regardless of what you use or what talented eye you have.
This discussion actually gave me an idea: I will pick a subject &/or a theme of my choice & take at least 2 photos of the same subject using at least 2 different cameras (Making sure that one of the cameras is way better in terms of technology than the other one.) This way, I will be able to find out whether it's actually the camera or the eye of the photographer, or both.
For me, there are big chunks each of the photographer, the camera & the people who look at the photo that makes up a nice photo, or a bad one.
I have had 2 different point and shoots over a period of 3-4 years. A few of my images from those cameras were published in magazines and have placed in the top 10 in competitions.
I now own a DSLR. It has given me a wider range of shots than the point and shoots(longer exposure time,wider aperture, and better clarity at 100% magnification).But the composition and subject matter have always been up to me, and that is what makes a good image.
So I will leave my opinion as this. For posters and banners, yes get a better camera and lens, but to have better photos, grow as an artist.