I have a nice little point and shoot camera that I think is perfect for my needs. It fits in the palm of my hand, so I can walk around without lugging a big piece of equipment along. The colors look nice. I am very happy with it.
Last year, I went on a trip with some friends. One of them brought along his fancy schmancy camera. And you know what? His pictures are great. We could take a picture of the same thing, and mine would look like a tourist photo, and his would look like art.
Now, obviously someone who’s really into photography is going to be more willing to shell out for a really nice camera, but it got me wondering. If I had his camera, would my pictures look so good, or would it look just like my pictures do with my little Canon? If I took a photography class, would I learn how to take more beautiful pictures with my camera, or would it require upgrading to a fancier camera to achieve that?
eta: Maybe this should be in CS? Move if you like, mods.
Bigger cameras can do more because they have better lenses. Things like the aperture and focal length can make a huge difference in the sense of depth in a picture, and the greater versatility with exposure times can bring out more deails in the highlights and shadows. However, if you don’t know how to use the fancy schmancy camera, your results will be disappointing and potentially worse than your point-and-shoot, since there are more things to goof up. I use the fancy schmancy professionally, and a point-and-shoot for holidays.
I’m gonna say it’s a little from column A and a little from column B.
A good camera has a better sensor, better lens, focuses more accurately, and allows more creative control. A good photographer knows how to compose a picture, use depth of focus to remove distracting elements, use existing light to its best advantage and avoid cliched subjects (or address them from a new perspective). And a dedicated photographer will also take a lot of pictures and will occasionally just get a lucky shot.
fancy cameras will make better photos if you know how to use them. if you don’t then it is easier to make a bad photo. a point and shoot will give you a photo even if it isn’t the best. a fancy camera will give you a ‘what the hell is that’ photo if adjusted wrong.
The immediate step up is having a wide angle plus a much larger zoom capability. I’ve taken some great pictures with my cheapo point and shoot, but I missed a lot of great ones due to a lack of zoom/wide angle. That’s simply a difference in what camera I am using.
My cheapo point and shoot doesn’t have a lot of manual settings, and I wouldn’t particularly know how to use them at the moment. But taking a picture isn’t exactly rocket science, and learning the basics is easy. Basic manipulation of iso and aperture speed will bump you up another level.
A lot of photography is just having an eye and being lucky enough to capture a moment.
Other than that, try the photography class first. Whatever you learn there will be useful for any camera you get.
A DSLR will help in that it will generally take pictures in better focus, and allow for more creative options and you can use far higher quality lenses. But its still quite possible to take very bad pictures with a DSLR and you can take some amazing pictures with a good compact.
Lighting and composition. Oh, and has been mentioned, luck. I’d be willing to bet that if you and your friend swapped cameras, his would still tend toward “art” and yours would still tend toward “tourist” (your words–I’m not dissin’ ya). There will probably be some differences in quality, but if you can get a handle on how you compose your photo, you’ll be head and shoulders above the people who just point and shoot.
Thats a nice camera, was just checking you didnt have one of the more terrible compacts out there.
If you do decide to get a DSLR, maybe also take a look at the Olympus Pen and Sony NEX series, they let you have interchangeable lenses and a DSLR level sensor while still keeping small and letting you use the screen to focus.
I visited some friends on vacation this summer, and I don’t have my own camera. The guy I visited has this massive DSLR. Every time we went out, I was in charge of taking pictures of everyone else and their kids using the DSLR.
When you look at the pictures from the vacation, you can tell instantly which are mine and which are his. Granted, he just put the DSLR on some automatic settings for me to use, but my pictures look “good” while his look “omg awesome!”
I could have definitely taken the same pictures with a point-and-shoot. I also could have taken much better pictures if I had access to the controls of the DSLR.
Okay, could you (or maybe someone else?) recommend a photography website or blog that discusses these issues? I’m totally broke at the moment, so taking a class isn’t possible. But I’d like to improve my photography skills!
Thanks for the confirmation that it’s a nice camera! I mean, I like it, but it’s good to know that other people think it’s good too.
As I mentioned above, I’m super broke right now, so upgrading isn’t going to happen, but I will keep this in mind if I ever have some cash and I think I can figure out what to do with a DSLR.
Better cameras can help you take better snapshots. Good photographers will always take stunning photos no matter what equipment they hold in their hands.
Having an “eye” is the most important thing. You can have a great camera, know all the tricks, you can be "in the right place at the right time, but having an “eye” is what will ultimately separate your images from mere snapshots. I don’t know how to define it, I’m not sure you can learn it, but having just a slightly different take on a standard camera POV can make all the difference when it comes to what kind of impact your photos have.
I have an old Zeiss Ikon camera with the most incredible optics. A photo of a steaming pile of . . . spaghetti would look great with that camera. With digital cameras, it’s not just the optics that are less than perfect but also the sensors. Not only can they be biased towards one part of the spectrum or another, but there is also electronics that do post-processing - although i’m not sure about photos taken in RAW mode.
So I think a high end camera gives you an advantage in terms of producing the sharpest and truest image possible, but it won’t make you a good photographer - just like a handicap gives you a leg up on the links, it won’t make you Tiger Woods.
Do you think Kyla or I would get anything out of reading books about taking digitial pictures? I’ve taken plenty of decent to nice photos, but I’d like to take even better ones. I’m not up for a new camera or a class at the moment either, though.
It depends on how “stressful” the shot is. If you’re shooting a landscape with good light and the sun at your back, you can get a nearly identical shot with a $200 camera as you could with a $4,000 one. However, if your subject is moving fast, in dim light etc. that’s where your equipment will matter. Where the photographer come in is recognizing when those things become a factor. Having a good eye can only be taught to some degree; it’s just something that some people don’t get.
Average photographer, average POS camera – average pictures
Average photographer, top-of-the-line DSLR – average pictures, unless the settings are messed up, when you might get rubbish
Top-shot photographer, average POS camera – really good pictures
Top-shot photographer, top-of-the-line DSLR – really great pictures
A photographer acquaintance of mine mentioned that what he had always heard that:
Beginners discuss what’s the best film.
Amateurs discuss what’s the best lens.
Pros discuss lighting.
Definitely worth reading books and checking websites.
Also just look at lots of pictures. Dont forget that lots of them get heavily post processed as well these days, so what you’re seeing often isnt ‘out of the camera’ but also involves Photoshop or the like.
Focus on getting better rather than worrying about being great, like most art practise is a lot of it.