Spencer's recent article, Do you need a flagship Camera? got me thinking: is there a piece of gear that would significantly improve your photography?
Personally, right now I shoot with my Nikon 500PF but I do believe that a 600 f/4 would improve it in some cases (but maybe only 10-15% of cases), simply because of the faster aperture.
I was ready with a few thousands' worth wish list until I stumbled over the word "significantly." Darn.
A white Nikon Z 24-120 F/4 :D
Anything that involves significant optimization of the optical interface to the eye, specifically EVF and Rear LCD.
Be it through more size, or brighter, clearer, higher resolution and maximally responsive solutions.
But for me, this is simply due to deteriorating eyes and various retinal tears with colleteral damage, where my photography probably would benefit the most in this area.
A winning lottery ticket.
I'm being facetious, but "more time to actually get my backside out in the field" is probably the best/fastest route to improving. Being able to retire a couple of years ahead of schedule would accomplish that.
As for actual equipment....well, I think I'm at the point where the weakest link by far is the loose nut behind the viewfinder.
I don't think a piece gear has a huge potential of improving your skill(s). Yes, it can broaden your "reach" in some cases but in most cases it won't make you a better photographer. I would even argue that photographing with less capable gear will improve your skills as that would challenge your technique.
Only practice can make you improve. So I would prioritize travel over gear. That investment can bring you to places were nice images can be made.
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Pascal Hibon
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/phibon/
Website: https://pascalhibon.net/
I would even argue that photographing with less capable gear will improve your skills as that would challenge your technique.
To a point, yes, but the flip side is that gear that frustrates you is a hindrance to wanting to use it, in the first place.
At first, I shot film and after spending a lot of money to take pictures I was never happy with, I gave up on photography for a long time.
I came back to a Fuji that I never really got on with. It was a great camera, and capable of far more than the operator, but more often than not, I found it frustrating. I rented a bunch of cameras to audition as a replacement and ended up with an R5 that I love to death. It actually makes me want to use it and I do - far more often than I ever used the Fuji. It's just a much better "fit".
Having made my living with tools for the last 45 years, I know and appreciate what good tools can do.
To a point, yes, but the flip side is that gear that frustrates you is a hindrance to wanting to use it, in the first place.
That is so true. For sure you need gear that doesn't get in your way. Like you, I don't seem to get on with Fuji gear. Beautiful cameras but I don't like their ergonomics. That's why I replaced an X-T30 with a Z50. Both are great cameras who are capable of creating stunning images.
But does the Z50 make me a better photographer as opposed to the X-T30? Not at all. Sure I could miss opportunities while I was fiddling with the dials of the X-T30. In the same instance I would have less issues with the Z50. But I wouldn't make any better images.
Getting better at photography is not driven by gear. It is learning to see and understand composition amongst other techniques. Improving these skills will have a far greater inpact on your photography than the next latest and greatest piece of gear. That was the point I was trying to make. Gear can get in your way (and thus hold you back) but it won’t improve your photography.
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Pascal Hibon
Flickr: https://www.flickr.com/photos/phibon/
Website: https://pascalhibon.net/
A beautifi#ul landscape is enough gear for me. That said you can take simply wonderful pictures with the gear you have.
https://www.allmondo.com
@ineluki True enough for many things, and certainly if you have the ability and the motivation to make beautiful pictures, you will do what you can with whatever you have. You can make a landscape that would grace any calendar with a dollar store disposable if you know exactly when and where to aim it. But you won't get a bird in flight.
@formerly bruto: It all depends what Kind of photography you like. Where I live beautiful landscapes are rare as water in a desert so I do really take birds in flight but my heart doesn´t fly.
https://www.allmondo.com
Getting better at photography is not driven by gear. It is learning to see and understand composition amongst other techniques.
Let's take this over to DPReview, so we can bicker properly....😝
I agree with you, but "getting better" involves practice...and using equipment you don't get on with, or find frustrating isn't conducive to getting out there and practicing. I get out and use the R5 a lot more than I did the XT-30. (I didn't care for the ergonomics either). So the odds of me getting better - though they are still long -are better with the R5 than the Fuji.
I won't stand here and try to tell anyone that you need the newest, most expensive gear, winner of all the YouTube shootouts, but "good" gear (which is subjective) that suits you and what you do can remove hindrances to getting better.
a new Tele-lens 5.6/500mm for mFt with not more than 1500g and not bigger than the Oly 4.0/300 - focus limit under 1.4m (a lens like the Nikon 5.6/500 PF)
The lens would not make me a better photographer, but I would have more possibilties
regards Reinhard
Spencer's recent article, Do you need a flagship Camera? got me thinking: is there a piece of gear that would significantly improve your photography?
If the Z's had X-Type AF points, that would significantly improve the low-light AF sensitivity and thus keeper rates when I'm shooting jobs in darker environments, or stopped down with strobes, in the studio.
Outside of that, at this point in my career, not really. The rest is just camera operator upgrades lol
I love that most of the posts here are saying it's not about the equipment! I don't think that sentiment would be shared on most photography forums :)
My answer does have some gear involved. For a lot of my large format film photography, I'm using decades-old equipment that is no longer easy to find. There's one ultra-large format lens that has eluded me for a couple of years. I also wouldn't say no to some decent film processing equipment for the same 12x20" size film. (Right now, I'm developing in trays as I haven't found a suitable alternative yet.)
They're nothing I can't live without. But if they ever appear on eBay, I'll be clicking "Buy" faster than my wallet can object. If I squint, I can convince myself that they'll improve my photos at least some of the time!