Well said. Everyone has their own preferences and priorities and using whatever gets each person what makes them happy is what counts. It’s not a pissing contest. My competition is with myself to get a better result every time I shoot. I’m much less concerned about what my image looks like compared to someone else’s, only that what I can shoot today is better than what I shot yesterday because that is directly within my control.
I agree. It’s much easier to talk about gear ( given the amount of G.A.S. Gear acquisition syndrome that affects many photographers), rather than discussing aesthetics because the artistic side varies so much according to taste, style, trends, etc. I understand it because I have also been focused on color science/ color rendition for the past 10 years. Digital has made that focus much more easily accessible than it was 35 years ago via chemical processes. I experimented with that a lot. One of the more interesting technologies I worked with was the Sigma SD Quattro and its Foveon sensor but many color issues are now addressable as LUTs or Fuji film simulations.
I love this video. Love language/ final image. YES. This is absolutely right. I must confess that I am a bit of a techie and gear nerd. But I am at a stage now where I am focusing more on the final images (and oh boy do I need to make progress there) ❤
100% Accurate. The camera industry wants to create the stress you are talking about here, because that will feed their ecosystem. If everyone just sat down and took the time to realize that the camera they own today is infinitely more capable than what the "masters" of photography used in days gone by, then the market for cameras would dry up because people would buy "upgrades" far less often. So, the industry foments a marketplace-driven FOMO and the GAS overwhelms most of the photographers that are active social media consumers.
Tactile experience and image color science. Been down every rabbit hole. Been way down the red dot path, GM path, and A1, Sigma you name it I’ve practically been there got the teeshirt (overdraft. Settled on Q for pick up and walk around and XT5 for extra ordinary options simulations and control. Deeply in love with both.
I've been thinking about the question for an hour now, English is not my first language, but I think I would ask the question differently: What is your photography love language. Because if I know what I love to photograph, then over time I learn what equipment I really need and what I don't need. This is by nature a buy/try and error process. The promise of technical progress has always tempted me to buy something new over the last forty years. As I get older (I'm over sixty now), this is turning into the opposite and I hate complex camera menus, for example, where I end up forgetting what I was looking for at the beginning. The most important things for me now are simplicity, portability, the tactile pleasure of picking up the camera and being proud of the finished image that I have created. In my opinion, the biggest advance in camera technology is the immense light sensitivity and qualitiy of modern sensors. I always use the automatic ISO to get the correct exposure, you don´t have to worry about. In digital times shutter speed and aperture became free creativ elements that should not be left to a machine. The same applies to the focus, I use autofocus (lenses) as rarely as possible. I´m happy with what I have: Pleasure in photography!
You are so right with what you say - I use a 10 year old Leica T (701) with only one lens, a sigma 30mm F1.4 dc dn. Imho the pictures I get out of it look exactly the way I have seen or remember the scenery and that is what I like (love) about it though the gear I‘m using is old and no good according to today's standards.
I sold all my newer cameras and regressed to using my Sony apsc over 10 year old cameras with vintage lenses. I recently bought into Olympus mirrorless ecosystem as I like the colour science and the look of the images. Finally I am happy!
Mine is black and white. I have a Leica M11M, but with other cameras I use, I'll convert everything to B&W. I love color, and appreciate looking at a nice color palette in a photo, but it doesn't do much for me emotionally. Gear comes and goes.
One big driver in photography today is the equipment manufacturers. I saw an example of the agreement a brand ambassador has to sign, what they're allowed to say and do etc. (no different from what any employer expects). We're being played for suckers, which is one reason why there are so many "like new" cameras for sale. I have a couple of cameras I like, based on what my needs are, and (despite the temptation) I'm sticking with them. If I can't make good images with the equipment I've got, then I'm pretty sure it's me that's the problem, not the equipment. I'm not claiming I don't like buying stuff, but I'm not fooling myself either.
I agree with you. I have owned many camera brands over the past 40 years. Many have come from pawn shops and others have been purchased new. For me it’s not about the brand but about the quality of the photo. In my experience the best camera is the one that you have in your hands now. I regularly use everything from a Nikon F to F5. And a digital camera. There’s also the Canon EOS -1 to 1V which are beautiful. And the Canon digital 70D. But I like to be versatile and prepared for anything. It’s that simple.
Great video. For me there are 3 things: 1. A camera and lens that feel comfortable with good grip and natural to use. 2. A camera and lens that enable me to get the image I want. 3. A light weight system I can take with me wherever I go. After some experimenting I've found that the best for me is a mixture of 2 different systems. It's the usage and final image that count.
I just want my camera to have simple basic controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and white balance, and otherwise just get out of the way. Nothing irks me more than a camera festooned with buttons, knobs, and dials. Just give me the basic bare minimum controls and I'm happy. I tend towards basic entry level models that don't have a lot of features for that exact reason. For the first 10 years that I shot, I literally used a camera that barely qualified as a prosumer camera. It had manual control, it had a single pin hot shoe, it had a dedicated shutter speed dial and it had a way to change the ISO and aperture, and I could change the lens on it. I literally have a decade plus of work with that camera. The camera I do paid work with now, I just can't see changing from any time soon, for the same exact reasons. I have ended up needing a little more than what I started out with, but not much. The flash hot shoe can now do TTL and high speed sync, and I now have dedicated dials for shutter, aperture, ISO, and WB. I've had my newer camera for a couple years now, and I can totally see putting at least a decade of images on it. For the type of work I do, it's everything I need and then some. Maybe I just lucked out and my camera of choice just clicks with me, but I've gone down to my local camera shop and tried out other cameras (from the same and different manufacturers), and just couldn't stand them.
I guess I still did not figure :D few days ago I shot some pics with the Pocket 3 in the subway. Great photos :) I think every camera can create good images, for me it is the handling of the camera more than the IQ. All new cameras are on a high level for IQ. ZF did not make it, Q3 did not make it, SL2 neither :) for now Sony A7Cr as EDC
I'm happy with my ZV-E10 & A6700... Loved the Canon FF before that, but needed to go lighter as I'm ancient! Essentiall, whatever works for you is best... Another enjoyable video, thanks.
Glad that there are people that keep trying different gear and they don't know for sure what they want/need; thats why I found a second hand Olympus EM1 Mark2 like new with only 280 shutter count and later an EM1 Mark 3, also like new with only 460 shutter count 😊 Both at half the price.
I started with a Nikon D3100. It was a gift from my Father. At the time he got it the only options available were Canon or Nikon. I liked the way the Nikon felt in my hands. So, I'm now in the Nikon ecosystem. If I move to mirrorless, what brand I use will be based primarily how it feels in my hand. Color science is important but for me, how it feels in my hand is still most important. If it feels uncomfortable I'm not going to want to hold it so I wont take pictures with it.
When I was in college, my classmates asked quite often why I had both M4/3 and a MF camera, why not just buy the new Sony for the same price I spent on my Hasseblad and ditch the Olympus. My reason is because these bodies fit in my hands so well and the button layouts just make sense for me, which meant I spent more time engaging with my subject or looking through the viewfinder than trying to figure out where my fingers were. I find myself attracted to 'older' cameras for this reason too, less buttons that I guarantee I'll accidentally hit (the good ol' "oh sh*t, what did I do?" moment) I'm sure I'd get used to other bodies, but why bother, right? My Camera love language? I suppose it's more about the subject matter than anything else... oh and pretty pictures, that doesn't hurt either.
I have friends that see You with another camera,, And they want to change...... Nikon, Fuji, OM System, Leica..... Oh Yeah ,, Lighting Systems...... HMMMMMM
Even knowing exactly what your own preferences are and what gear you need to produce the images that you want to see... that doesn't mean the gear even exists, or is obtainable. The Hasselblad X2D was an eerily near-perfect match for all my preferences, it's got everything I want and all its flaws (doesn't do video, it's very slow, etc) aren't things that bother me. But when I tried to get into the system (by purchasing the lenses first, since I know they're freakishly hard to get), the Hasselblad store decided to screw me over, and now I can't reasonably get into the system anymore. Not without encouraging some outrageously bad business practices. So that system is not available to me anymore. I don't particularly like my Sony, but it's what I got, and there isn't really something else out there that I want and can get. So it's just going to have to be good enough for me. Maybe I'll end up giving up on photography entirely, that's sad but it's just the way things go sometimes. You want things and the world simply doesn't cooperate.
@@johnyoung1606 It was the online store. I had to camp it for months to get a chance at the lens I wanted, because Hasselblad has awful lens availability. When one finally became available, I immediately bought it. But they didn't send it. They put the tracking number for another item into my order status, to make it look like it'd been fulfilled, but it wasn't. Took two weeks before I realized the tracking number was fake, and then two months of asking the store what was going on. They would never tell me anything, it was truly bizarre. In the end they canceled my order, after I told them multiple times that I didn't want my order cancelled because I'd lose all those months of camping the store and a lot of money in currency conversion fees. But they did it anyway. Now the question is, do I really have so little self-respect that I'd be willing to re-camp the store for months for a shot at the lens after what they did the first time? The answer is, definitely not. The lens availability problem was already ridiculous, but with their awful customer service policies I can't in good conscience encourage Hasselblad. They have a good product... but apparently they just don't want people to buy that product.
@@johnyoung1606 It was the Hasselblad online store. All I did was order a lens, after months of camping the store for it (Hasselblad has really bad lens availability). They didn't send it to me. They put a fake tracking number into my order status page to make it look like it had been fulfilled. When I realized and asked them what was going on, they became extremely evasive. After two months of refusing to tell me anything, they canceled my order even though I'd told them multiple times I didn't want that because I would lose months of camping the store and a lot of money in currency conversion fees. But they did it anyway. They never gave me any explanation either, about anything. I don't have so little self-respect that I'd spend months camping the store again just for a chance at a lens. Not after seeing how they treat customers. Hasselblad has good products, but... they clearly don't want people to buy those products.
@@johnyoung1606 After months of camping the Hasselblad online store, the lens I wanted finally became available, and I ordered it. They didn't send it to me. They put a fake tracking number in it to make it look like my order had been fulfilled. They refused to tell me what was going on for two months, after which they canceled my order even though I told them multiple times not to do that because I'd lose all those months and a lot of money from the currency conversion fees. Between the lens availability problems and customer policies, I don't think people should buy from Hasselblad. I don't even think Hasselblad wants people buying from them.
@@johnyoung1606 After months of camping the Hasselblad online store for the lens I wanted, one became available and I ordered it. They didn't send it to me, edited the order status to make it look like my order had been fulfilled, and jerked me around for months without telling me anything before canceling my order (after I told them I didn't want them to do that because I'd lose all those months and lots of money).
Well said. Everyone has their own preferences and priorities and using whatever gets each person what makes them happy is what counts. It’s not a pissing contest. My competition is with myself to get a better result every time I shoot. I’m much less concerned about what my image looks like compared to someone else’s, only that what I can shoot today is better than what I shot yesterday because that is directly within my control.
What ever floats your boat!
Reminds me of my new favorite saying: "anyone can buy a hammer, it doesn't mean they can build a house"
I agree. It’s much easier to talk about gear ( given the amount of G.A.S. Gear acquisition syndrome that affects many photographers), rather than discussing aesthetics because the artistic side varies so much according to taste, style, trends, etc. I understand it because I have also been focused on color science/ color rendition for the past 10 years. Digital has made that focus much more easily accessible than it was 35 years ago via chemical processes. I experimented with that a lot. One of the more interesting technologies I worked with was the Sigma SD Quattro and its Foveon sensor but many color issues are now addressable as LUTs or Fuji film simulations.
I love this video. Love language/ final image. YES. This is absolutely right. I must confess that I am a bit of a techie and gear nerd. But I am at a stage now where I am focusing more on the final images (and oh boy do I need to make progress there) ❤
100% Accurate. The camera industry wants to create the stress you are talking about here, because that will feed their ecosystem. If everyone just sat down and took the time to realize that the camera they own today is infinitely more capable than what the "masters" of photography used in days gone by, then the market for cameras would dry up because people would buy "upgrades" far less often. So, the industry foments a marketplace-driven FOMO and the GAS overwhelms most of the photographers that are active social media consumers.
Tactile experience and image color science. Been down every rabbit hole. Been way down the red dot path, GM path, and A1, Sigma you name it I’ve practically been there got the teeshirt (overdraft. Settled on Q for pick up and walk around and XT5 for extra ordinary options simulations and control. Deeply in love with both.
I've been thinking about the question for an hour now, English is not my first language, but I think I would ask the question differently:
What is your photography love language.
Because if I know what I love to photograph, then over time I learn what equipment I really need and what I don't need. This is by nature a buy/try and error process.
The promise of technical progress has always tempted me to buy something new over the last forty years. As I get older (I'm over sixty now), this is turning into the opposite and I hate complex camera menus, for example, where I end up forgetting what I was looking for at the beginning. The most important things for me now are simplicity, portability, the tactile pleasure of picking up the camera and being proud of the finished image that I have created. In my opinion, the biggest advance in camera technology is the immense light sensitivity and qualitiy of modern sensors. I always use the automatic ISO to get the correct exposure, you don´t have to worry about. In digital times shutter speed and aperture became free creativ elements that should not be left to a machine. The same applies to the focus, I use autofocus (lenses) as rarely as possible. I´m happy with what I have: Pleasure in photography!
You are so right with what you say - I use a 10 year old Leica T (701) with only one lens, a sigma 30mm F1.4 dc dn. Imho the pictures I get out of it look exactly the way I have seen or remember the scenery and that is what I like (love) about it though the gear I‘m using is old and no good according to today's standards.
I’ve had some bad cameras however they inspired me so I got great pics
I sold all my newer cameras and regressed to using my Sony apsc over 10 year old cameras with vintage lenses. I recently bought into Olympus mirrorless ecosystem as I like the colour science and the look of the images. Finally I am happy!
Mine is black and white. I have a Leica M11M, but with other cameras I use, I'll convert everything to B&W. I love color, and appreciate looking at a nice color palette in a photo, but it doesn't do much for me emotionally. Gear comes and goes.
Olympus: my camera love language
Great Video!!
I like your videos. I’m not sure why but I like them.
😂😂 you sound like my daughter.
One big driver in photography today is the equipment manufacturers. I saw an example of the agreement a brand ambassador has to sign, what they're allowed to say and do etc. (no different from what any employer expects). We're being played for suckers, which is one reason why there are so many "like new" cameras for sale. I have a couple of cameras I like, based on what my needs are, and (despite the temptation) I'm sticking with them. If I can't make good images with the equipment I've got, then I'm pretty sure it's me that's the problem, not the equipment. I'm not claiming I don't like buying stuff, but I'm not fooling myself either.
Just take photographs with what you have.
I agree with you.
I have owned many camera brands over the past 40 years. Many have come from pawn shops and others have been purchased new.
For me it’s not about the brand but about the quality of the photo. In my experience the best camera is the one that you have in your hands now.
I regularly use everything from a Nikon F to F5. And a digital camera.
There’s also the Canon EOS -1 to 1V which are beautiful.
And the Canon digital 70D.
But I like to be versatile and prepared for anything.
It’s that simple.
Great topic. Love is everywhere. So, choose your love :-) Thank you
Great video. For me there are 3 things:
1. A camera and lens that feel comfortable with good grip and natural to use.
2. A camera and lens that enable me to get the image I want.
3. A light weight system I can take with me wherever I go.
After some experimenting I've found that the best for me is a mixture of 2 different systems. It's the usage and final image that count.
Pentax Spotmatic with broken light meter and a roll of Tri-x 💕
I just want my camera to have simple basic controls for shutter speed, aperture, ISO, and white balance, and otherwise just get out of the way. Nothing irks me more than a camera festooned with buttons, knobs, and dials. Just give me the basic bare minimum controls and I'm happy. I tend towards basic entry level models that don't have a lot of features for that exact reason. For the first 10 years that I shot, I literally used a camera that barely qualified as a prosumer camera. It had manual control, it had a single pin hot shoe, it had a dedicated shutter speed dial and it had a way to change the ISO and aperture, and I could change the lens on it. I literally have a decade plus of work with that camera. The camera I do paid work with now, I just can't see changing from any time soon, for the same exact reasons. I have ended up needing a little more than what I started out with, but not much. The flash hot shoe can now do TTL and high speed sync, and I now have dedicated dials for shutter, aperture, ISO, and WB. I've had my newer camera for a couple years now, and I can totally see putting at least a decade of images on it. For the type of work I do, it's everything I need and then some. Maybe I just lucked out and my camera of choice just clicks with me, but I've gone down to my local camera shop and tried out other cameras (from the same and different manufacturers), and just couldn't stand them.
I guess I still did not figure :D few days ago I shot some pics with the Pocket 3 in the subway. Great photos :) I think every camera can create good images, for me it is the handling of the camera more than the IQ. All new cameras are on a high level for IQ. ZF did not make it, Q3 did not make it, SL2 neither :) for now Sony A7Cr as EDC
I'm happy with my ZV-E10 & A6700... Loved the Canon FF before that, but needed to go lighter as I'm ancient! Essentiall, whatever works for you is best... Another enjoyable video, thanks.
Glad that there are people that keep trying different gear and they don't know for sure what they want/need; thats why I found a second hand Olympus EM1 Mark2 like new with only 280 shutter count and later an EM1 Mark 3, also like new with only 460 shutter count 😊
Both at half the price.
Exactly! It’s about the IMAGE!
Thanks for sharing.
I started with a Nikon D3100. It was a gift from my Father. At the time he got it the only options available were Canon or Nikon. I liked the way the Nikon felt in my hands. So, I'm now in the Nikon ecosystem. If I move to mirrorless, what brand I use will be based primarily how it feels in my hand.
Color science is important but for me, how it feels in my hand is still most important. If it feels uncomfortable I'm not going to want to hold it so I wont take pictures with it.
No bad cameras any more. Om for me.
When I was in college, my classmates asked quite often why I had both M4/3 and a MF camera, why not just buy the new Sony for the same price I spent on my Hasseblad and ditch the Olympus. My reason is because these bodies fit in my hands so well and the button layouts just make sense for me, which meant I spent more time engaging with my subject or looking through the viewfinder than trying to figure out where my fingers were. I find myself attracted to 'older' cameras for this reason too, less buttons that I guarantee I'll accidentally hit (the good ol' "oh sh*t, what did I do?" moment) I'm sure I'd get used to other bodies, but why bother, right? My Camera love language? I suppose it's more about the subject matter than anything else... oh and pretty pictures, that doesn't hurt either.
Camera love language? Swedish 😎😉
I have friends that see You with another camera,, And they want to change...... Nikon, Fuji, OM System, Leica..... Oh Yeah ,, Lighting Systems...... HMMMMMM
Well hopefully this channel shows the benefit of each one I use.
Even knowing exactly what your own preferences are and what gear you need to produce the images that you want to see... that doesn't mean the gear even exists, or is obtainable.
The Hasselblad X2D was an eerily near-perfect match for all my preferences, it's got everything I want and all its flaws (doesn't do video, it's very slow, etc) aren't things that bother me. But when I tried to get into the system (by purchasing the lenses first, since I know they're freakishly hard to get), the Hasselblad store decided to screw me over, and now I can't reasonably get into the system anymore. Not without encouraging some outrageously bad business practices. So that system is not available to me anymore.
I don't particularly like my Sony, but it's what I got, and there isn't really something else out there that I want and can get. So it's just going to have to be good enough for me. Maybe I'll end up giving up on photography entirely, that's sad but it's just the way things go sometimes. You want things and the world simply doesn't cooperate.
What did You do at the Camera store ????
@@johnyoung1606 It was the online store. I had to camp it for months to get a chance at the lens I wanted, because Hasselblad has awful lens availability. When one finally became available, I immediately bought it. But they didn't send it. They put the tracking number for another item into my order status, to make it look like it'd been fulfilled, but it wasn't. Took two weeks before I realized the tracking number was fake, and then two months of asking the store what was going on. They would never tell me anything, it was truly bizarre. In the end they canceled my order, after I told them multiple times that I didn't want my order cancelled because I'd lose all those months of camping the store and a lot of money in currency conversion fees. But they did it anyway. Now the question is, do I really have so little self-respect that I'd be willing to re-camp the store for months for a shot at the lens after what they did the first time? The answer is, definitely not. The lens availability problem was already ridiculous, but with their awful customer service policies I can't in good conscience encourage Hasselblad. They have a good product... but apparently they just don't want people to buy that product.
@@johnyoung1606 It was the Hasselblad online store. All I did was order a lens, after months of camping the store for it (Hasselblad has really bad lens availability).
They didn't send it to me. They put a fake tracking number into my order status page to make it look like it had been fulfilled. When I realized and asked them what was going on, they became extremely evasive. After two months of refusing to tell me anything, they canceled my order even though I'd told them multiple times I didn't want that because I would lose months of camping the store and a lot of money in currency conversion fees. But they did it anyway. They never gave me any explanation either, about anything.
I don't have so little self-respect that I'd spend months camping the store again just for a chance at a lens. Not after seeing how they treat customers. Hasselblad has good products, but... they clearly don't want people to buy those products.
@@johnyoung1606 After months of camping the Hasselblad online store, the lens I wanted finally became available, and I ordered it.
They didn't send it to me. They put a fake tracking number in it to make it look like my order had been fulfilled. They refused to tell me what was going on for two months, after which they canceled my order even though I told them multiple times not to do that because I'd lose all those months and a lot of money from the currency conversion fees.
Between the lens availability problems and customer policies, I don't think people should buy from Hasselblad. I don't even think Hasselblad wants people buying from them.
@@johnyoung1606 After months of camping the Hasselblad online store for the lens I wanted, one became available and I ordered it. They didn't send it to me, edited the order status to make it look like my order had been fulfilled, and jerked me around for months without telling me anything before canceling my order (after I told them I didn't want them to do that because I'd lose all those months and lots of money).