NEW ISN’T ALWAYS BETTER (sorry Barney Stinson)
Why a more expensive or newer camera does not make you the best photographer!
This question never gets old:
Which camera do you use; which drone do you recommend or what kind of equipment do you use in general?
I wrote an extra article about my gear and how my workflow looks like:
IF YOU WANT TO REVIEW MY GEAR OR HOW I WORK - CHECK THIS ARTICLE
On this page I would like to explain why I'm convinced that -sorry Barney Stinson- new (gear) is not always better!
During the last 10 years, the famous camera brands have released more than 100 new camera models. From highly expensive DSLRs to affordable compact-cameras. It's like an addiction - we all want to update our camera and gear as often as possible in order be literally up-to-date. But does it make any sense? Will you take better photos with newer gear? No, you won’t! At least not as a beginner or intermediate. Let me briefly tell you why:
It's not the camera which makes a good photo, it's you! You may have heard that once or twice already… but it’s true. Before buying a super-expensive camera try to make better photos with your old one. Instead of permanently upgrading your equipment, you should upgrade your own skills and figure out how to handle your existing system properly --> Follow the 10.000-hour rule (you need ~10.000h to be world-class in what you do - it doesn’t matter if it's photography, chess or tennis).
You don't need 50 megapixels to set-up a good-looking Instagram account! What new gear has in common is that it combines the best settings and technical features from older generations. But be honest with yourself - how often do you really need 50MP, 4k video-resolution or 180 frames per second? As long as you don't run a photo-print studio or your clients want you to shoot in ultra-high-res you will be more than fine with your (let's say) 12MP camera. (--> Don't believe me? Have a look at this photo-series from Joshua Paul, who captured a F1-Race with his over 100 year old camera!)
Basically, every camera makes the same picture. For sure, some will make sharper photos, others will produce less noise, but do you want to produce "perfect" photos or do you want to affect; to excite somebody and to rouse your customers (followers)? All this is possibly with your current system! By the way: Noise can be very interesting - create your own style!
From my point of view, it is more important to have a solid basis you are really able to work with (see above) to fulfill the requirements of the majority of your costumers. Thus you create footage you can process afterwards with Lightroom, PremierePro etc.. If one of my clients would ask for something extraordinaire - like a 50megapixel photo for a mega sized print - I would have to rent the equipment as well - that’s not a shame!