April 15, 2010
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Live Chat on The [b] School…
www.thebschoolstudyhall.com Today I chatted on The [b] School with Becker about camera equipment. The real goal I think was to talk about “debate” in general, how people on the internet tend to give advice, seek advice, debate, argue, fight, insult, …and so on and so forth.
What I’ve noticed over the years is that MOST online communities *de*volve into one of two things- Either a raging flame war forum where people just argue and fight all the time, OR a quiet, benign community where everyone just sits around and pats each other on the back saying “nice photo!”
I used to check forums like DPReview’s just to hear the latest rumors on Canon / Nikon gear, as there are a couple reliable inside sources who do often leak information on new gear. However once Nikonrumors.com and Canonrumors.com started up, I stopped visiting the DPReview forums almost entirely. In fact, I hardly visit ANY community anymore, apart from the [b] school. I still use certain websites, including DPReview, SLRGear and others for reviews and more factual information, however.
(By the way, links to all these sites can be found above at the top of this page. ALSO, by the way, I don’t get a dime for “plugging” any of these sites, mind you, and I like it that way. I joke about being sponsored by Sigma some day, but in reality there is probably NO product or service in existence that I don’t see at least one fault in, and so I’d rather not take anyone’s money, ever. Of course free products are always cool! *cough* Sigma 85 1.4 *cough* )
Anyways, like I was saying, people waste a lot of time on the internet. There are the “knowledgeable”, experienced photographers who try and preach a RAW / Canon / Mac gospel and speak in absolutes. And there are the beginners who stress out because of this preaching. In reality- Being condescending gets nobody anywhere. Really. Opinions are awesome, I love to hear them, but they’re NOT fact. Oppositely, neither does “nice photo!” get you anywhere, when you really want to improve. I’m not condemning all “nice photo!” comments, because I indulge myself too… However when someone asks for useful, constructive criticism, you shouldn’t worry too much about being gentle.
And that’s the gist of any debate, whether it be Nikon versus Canon, RAW versus JPG, Mac versus PC, etc… The bottom line for me is this- the grass is always greener; experience both sides before making any decisions. If you’re chugging along just fine with your current equipment or system, there’s no need to stress out if some “pro” comes along and tells you you need to change this or buy that. When the time comes for you to get fed up with this or that, you’ll KNOW, and change will be as simple as giving the “other side” a test run. It’s great to seek advice, but be careful where you ask and always have a grain of salt handy. Have a big chunk of salt handy, if I’m the one giving the advice.
Just as a bonus round, here’s a few questions I saw on Twitter that didn’t get answered in time. I’d better get back to work so I’ll make this quick…
@erinpurchase – D80 upgrade path:
The D300 and D300s are both very powerful, capable cameras if you’re on a crop-sensor budget. I still shoot with a D300 regularly. The D700 is *the* camera to have for wedding / portraits, and in the long run you MUST own one as a serious professional,@brandmanphoto – 50 1.4 focus issues:
Any lens f/2.8 or faster is going to give you focus problems at least once. The most important thing is to test lenses under controlled circumstances that eliminate any possibility of user error. Checking focus is as easy as using a tripod and taking multiple pictures of a stationary object, with a clear view of a foreground-background transition. Any newer camera that has “AF fine tuning” can correct a pretty considerable amount of front focus or backfocus on a lens by lens basis. ALSO, proper camera technique is important and that’s what the camera workshop is for! Of course depending on what camera you have, an individual focus point itself may actually be out of alignment, and that’s a more serious issue that you can’t really adjust yourself.@bsweetfoto – switching to film stuff?
Yeah, I think it’s just a fad. Some people are just jumping on a bandwagon, but of course others are truly pursuing an artistic passion and “look” that only film can achieve. Personally, I shoot film as a hobby. As a camera geek I really enjoy the oldschool operation of a fully mechanical camera, and I just like the way slides and other films look. If you’re interested in trying film out, I can highly recommend going on eBay and picking up some old, used gear. If you’re wondering wheter or not film is going to be the next big thing, a trend essential to business survival, I definitely think NOT.@peytoncooke – crop factor come in handy?
I like the crop sensor cameras for just a few reasons. First, the focus point spread which is outlined a few posts ago, HERE. Second, the compact size of my D300 and Sigma 50-150 2.8 is just fantastic compared to the equivalent 70-200 2.8 on full-frame. (Although of course if you shoot Canon, you do have the full-frame option of the 70-200 f/4, which is just as light as the Sigma 50-150 I think.) Third, well, they were a much more affordable option back in 2007 when I bought my last crop-sensor body, a D300. (although now you can get a used D700 for almost the same price as a new D300s!) Fourth, I do enjoy the extra reach because of my telephoto kind of style. I love using an 85 1.4 (or 1.8) on my D300. It’s a great candid setup for extremely low light. …At the end of the day however, you WILL want at least one full-frame body if you plan on shooting portraits or in low-light, especially in a professional capacity. So that is in your future, eventually. However that doesn’t mean a crop sensor body is a waste of money in the long run. I outlined this philosophy HERE.@marcweisberg – G-Tech backup drives:
Yep, I love G-Tech. They seem to be one of the more QUALITY brands out there. I like RAID 1 more than I like the DROBO concept. Ultimately, I’d love to have a G-SAFE. Or two.…Anyways, maybe next week or next month, I’ll turn on the “Xanga TV” feature and we can chat some more about camera gear. I better not do that tonight though, I’ve spent enough time on this for now and I gotta put a few more hours into taking care of my CLIENTS before the end of the day.
If you missed the [b] school broadcast, you can view it INSIDE the [b] school if you join. Honestly though, don’t pay $10 just to see ME ramble on about cameras! The real reason to join is the fantastic community that I talked about, and the MUCH higher quality content that Becker and others have uploaded (videos) to the “classroom” section. If anything, skip your next five Starbucks binges, join the [b] school for a month, soak up as much knowledge as you can, and see what you think at the end of the month.
Take care!
=Matt=
