http://blog.alexgray.com/2010/09/is-reader-or-lens-more-importan.html
The Lens or The Reader?
I have been in the photography business for about 30 years now and have seen so many changes in the way people use cameras, it has been an amazing experience. When I first started out there were two kinds of camera users: those who took lots of pictures and had a darkroom setup to print and process their own images, and those who had never really taken very many pictures but always wanted to.
What I am talking about here is the film camera user and in particular the 35mm SLR film camera user. Back then, most people took far fewer images than they do now, the ones they did take were printed by them or their lab, and the ones which were printed were looked at closely on a light table or projected on a screen in order to see them properly. This was a personal viewing experience.
From this time until not too long ago if you wanted to look at your images regularly you had to hold them up to the light or project them onto a screen where you needed to squint at a tiny image in order to see it clearly. This was not easy for
It is also a bit dated as they have come out with some new zooms since then. I have had the chance to use the 24-70 2.8 ii, and it is indeed wonderful. The 24-105 is also terrific.
This article began as a review of the Canon 24-70 2.8 L lens, but it evolved into something that I think is more interesting. It is my contention that lenses are so important that they should be considered when buying a digital SLR camera, not just “accessories.” And this realization does not come from recent events; I’ve been thinking about it for years now. In fact, I’ve been trying to spread the gospel of this idea for many months now to anyone whom I could corner and hold still long enough to listen to me rave about how important lenses are.
What is more important, the lens or the camera body? Neither is more important than the other. This article will show you why.
The first thing to consider when choosing a camera body is what type of photography you want to do. Will you be shooting landscapes? Portraits? Sports and action? Wildlife? A camera that is best for one type of photography might not be best for another.
What you want to look for in a camera body depends on what you plan on doing with it. The chart below shows three different levels of cameras ranging from beginner to professional. You can see that at each level there are multiple choices of camera bodies to choose from. To find out which one is best for you, check out my article about choosing a camera body based on your needs:
http://www.alexgrayart.com/blog/2012/5/choosing-a-camera-body-part-1
Now let’s take a look at some of the top-rated cameras currently available. You can see that the Nikon D4, Canon 1D Mk IV, and Canon 5D Mk III are all great choices for professional photographers, but their prices are enough to make anyone think twice before buying them. If you are just starting out as
If you are a photographer, you will have heard the term “the most important thing” in regard to your gear. It’s a bit like photography itself; there are many things you can do with it, but if you want to do something really well, then what is the one most important thing?
The first important thing is to be able to see. You need to learn how to see and how to compose images. There are many ways of doing this; some involve going on courses and others just looking at pictures and taking pictures yourself. The key point is that it is hands-on. You can read all you like about lighting or composition, but until you are in front of the camera taking pictures, nothing happens.
The most common mistake that people make when it comes to photography is to think about gear before they think about seeing. Don’t get me wrong: having good gear can help you see better and make better images, but if you only ever think about new gear then you will never learn how to see and compose images. A professional photographer tries not just to take pictures, but also to take good pictures.
I have been really impressed by the Sony RX10. I love the idea of a camera that is good enough for most jobs and is easy to carry around. And it has a much bigger sensor than most compacts, although not as big as the Leica SL, which has become my favourite all-round camera.
The RX10 is a more serious all-rounder than even my beloved Hasselblad V series cameras (although they are much more convenient and compact with their leaf shutter lenses). The RX10 is also cheaper than the Leica and of course much cheaper than any medium format system.
Why do I like them so much? Well, when I was a kid I used to draw pictures on sheets of glass with India ink pens. What I liked about this process was that it allowed me to see the artwork from both sides at once. You could say that I saw myself through my own eyes in this way, because I had a double vision of what I saw. This got me thinking about different ways of seeing things: first through yourself and then through your lens.
I like to think these old fashioned viewfinders are a bit like the second pair of eyes that you don’t notice in some animals, such as birds of prey or spiders. These animals
In the early days of the digital camera, I was a huge proponent of using the lens that came with the camera. I wrote about this at length in my blog post “The Case for Lens Bodies.” I still believe that in most cases it is better to learn to compose your image with the lens you have than to rely on cropping later. But lenses are not just a matter of composition and they are not just a matter of price.
Trying to decide which lens is best for you can be overwhelming. It is hard to figure out what you actually need, and what you don’t need but just want. Unlike other purchases, where there are clear metrics for success (durability, ease of use, features), deciding what lens to buy has more subjective criteria. This can make it easier to convince yourself that you want something you don’t really need, or even that you need something that isn’t worth having.
There are those who will say “buy whatever lens gets you closest.” This is good advice if your primary interest is photography and not gear collecting. The problem with this advice is that it encourages people to gravitate towards their comfort zone and avoid stepping outside of it. A better approach is to start by asking yourself a few questions: What
The image on the right was created using a Lensbaby. You can see more of my photos using the Lensbaby on Flickr.
I’ve always had an affinity for the Lensbaby. The concept is simple and beautiful, yet it’s not without its own challenges. I like that it forces me to think about shapes, lines and light in ways I wouldn’t normally. It’s not a tool for every job, but it’s one I wish I could use more often.
The Lensbaby is a lot like the Inverted Focal Length Rule which states “the closer you are to your subject, the longer the effective focal length”. It’s a rule that all landscape photographers should follow, and most do. The Lensbaby is kind of like a macro lens. It brings you close to your subject, which in this case would be your own imagination.
I’m thrilled that Lensbaby has been creating such beautiful images with their new tilt/shift lens. I can’t wait to try one out!
