Top flight DSLRs in novice hands

Rich wrote:
I often hear people (likely motivated more by envy than anything else)
criticize novices who sport expensive DSLRs. I figure it's the same kind
of people who dine on steak and feed their kids hotdogs because "the kids
can't appreciate the steak fully."
Friend is attending photo school. Guy shows up toting a new D3...with a
$150 Sigma zoom attached. Disgusting, I know. Shows a lack of something
on that person's part. But ultimately, even a novice or a complete hack
will do somewhat better with a better camera, it's inevitable. The person
with the D300 coupled to a 300mm f2.8 is likely going to do a little better
than the guy with the old D50 and the basic, slow 70-300mm G lens, if you
were to average the results across a couple hundred shots.
So, the old question, is a $5000 camera in a novice's hands(lets assume a
novice who is clueless and won't bother learning)a complete waste? No.
Because even though they'll never exploit its full potential, they will do
slightly better with it than with a lesser machine.

Story I
A few years ago at a trade show I saw some fellow in his 50's with a
high end Canon and flash attempting to photograph his company's large
booth. He looked puzzled, confused, frustrated and borderline angry. I
could have stopped and suggested he shoot available light with a tripod,
but I doubted that he had a tripod. From his shooting posture and his
puzzled look at the controls, he was looking for the camera to fix the
problem. I walked on by...

Story II
Last summer at the Lincoln Memorial a young fellow had a high end Canon
and a wide angle zoom. He was doing a back sunlit shot of someone with
fill flash. As I walked by he appeared puzzled at what was shown in the
monitor. Without seeing his monitor I knew immediately what the problem
was, I bent down, pointed at the petal shade and said: "Remove this."
He immediately caught on and said, "Oh! of course! Thanks!"

The difference between these novices was one who really expected the
camera to do the work without thought and the other who had the correct
approach but was making one little mistake... and one he instantly
understood once pointed out.

It's not about how novice someone is, it's about their attitude and
willingness to learn despite mistakes that come up. And as usual this
has nothing to do with the equipment.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

LOL
In Story 1 and Story II you seem to find a lot of puzzled people taking
pictures - Oh I now understand these as just Stories, Fiction, both high end
Canon Cameras & flash and you were able to figure out their problems without
looking sounds like a lot of BS.



"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...
Rich wrote:
I often hear people (likely motivated more by envy than anything else)
criticize novices who sport expensive DSLRs. I figure it's the same kind
of people who dine on steak and feed their kids hotdogs because "the kids
can't appreciate the steak fully."
Friend is attending photo school. Guy shows up toting a new D3...with a
$150 Sigma zoom attached. Disgusting, I know. Shows a lack of something
on that person's part. But ultimately, even a novice or a complete hack
will do somewhat better with a better camera, it's inevitable. The person
with the D300 coupled to a 300mm f2.8 is likely going to do a little
better
than the guy with the old D50 and the basic, slow 70-300mm G lens, if you
were to average the results across a couple hundred shots.
So, the old question, is a $5000 camera in a novice's hands(lets assume a
novice who is clueless and won't bother learning)a complete waste? No.
Because even though they'll never exploit its full potential, they will do
slightly better with it than with a lesser machine.

Story I
A few years ago at a trade show I saw some fellow in his 50's with a
high end Canon and flash attempting to photograph his company's large
booth. He looked puzzled, confused, frustrated and borderline angry. I
could have stopped and suggested he shoot available light with a tripod,
but I doubted that he had a tripod. From his shooting posture and his
puzzled look at the controls, he was looking for the camera to fix the
problem. I walked on by...

Story II
Last summer at the Lincoln Memorial a young fellow had a high end Canon
and a wide angle zoom. He was doing a back sunlit shot of someone with
fill flash. As I walked by he appeared puzzled at what was shown in the
monitor. Without seeing his monitor I knew immediately what the problem
was, I bent down, pointed at the petal shade and said: "Remove this."
He immediately caught on and said, "Oh! of course! Thanks!"

The difference between these novices was one who really expected the
camera to do the work without thought and the other who had the correct
approach but was making one little mistake... and one he instantly
understood once pointed out.

It's not about how novice someone is, it's about their attitude and
willingness to learn despite mistakes that come up. And as usual this
has nothing to do with the equipment.

--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

Homer wrote:
LOL
In Story 1 and Story II you seem to find a lot of puzzled people taking
pictures - Oh I now understand these as just Stories, Fiction, both high end
Canon Cameras & flash and you were able to figure out their problems without
looking sounds like a lot of BS.

Both happen to be the absolute truth and I've written both here (or in
rpe35mm before).

Story I was at the AUSA show in Ft-Lauderdale, 2005 or 2006. Simple
fact, there is NO WAY with a single flash that you can evenly illuminate
a booth that measures 20 x 30 metres or so. Tripod and available light
is the right way to do it (or bring in a lot of strobes and time).

Story II was last summer. A petal shade with flash is a common enough
error. (Or flash with a long lens/hood). I've made this error myself
and I'll likely make it again. Happily with digital and a quick look at
the monitor we see it, realize it and correct it. [much worse when it
occurs with film]. The young fellow in DC was smart enough except
inexperienced and didn't recognize the specific reason for the flash
vignetting. And I wouldn't have noticed either except for his puzzled
examination of the monitor. (another fix would have been wireless
control of the flash and getting it off camera a little - but I left it
to him to solve from there - very sure he was able.

Don't top post.




"Alan Browne" wrote in message
...
Rich wrote:
I often hear people (likely motivated more by envy than anything else)
criticize novices who sport expensive DSLRs. I figure it's the same kind
of people who dine on steak and feed their kids hotdogs because "the kids
can't appreciate the steak fully."
Friend is attending photo school. Guy shows up toting a new D3...with a
$150 Sigma zoom attached. Disgusting, I know. Shows a lack of something
on that person's part. But ultimately, even a novice or a complete hack
will do somewhat better with a better camera, it's inevitable. The person
with the D300 coupled to a 300mm f2.8 is likely going to do a little
better
than the guy with the old D50 and the basic, slow 70-300mm G lens, if you
were to average the results across a couple hundred shots.
So, the old question, is a $5000 camera in a novice's hands(lets assume a
novice who is clueless and won't bother learning)a complete waste? No.
Because even though they'll never exploit its full potential, they will do
slightly better with it than with a lesser machine.

Story I
A few years ago at a trade show I saw some fellow in his 50's with a
high end Canon and flash attempting to photograph his company's large
booth. He looked puzzled, confused, frustrated and borderline angry. I
could have stopped and suggested he shoot available light with a tripod,
but I doubted that he had a tripod. From his shooting posture and his
puzzled look at the controls, he was looking for the camera to fix the
problem. I walked on by...

Story II
Last summer at the Lincoln Memorial a young fellow had a high end Canon
and a wide angle zoom. He was doing a back sunlit shot of someone with
fill flash. As I walked by he appeared puzzled at what was shown in the
monitor. Without seeing his monitor I knew immediately what the problem
was, I bent down, pointed at the petal shade and said: "Remove this."
He immediately caught on and said, "Oh! of course! Thanks!"

The difference between these novices was one who really expected the
camera to do the work without thought and the other who had the correct
approach but was making one little mistake... and one he instantly
understood once pointed out.

It's not about how novice someone is, it's about their attitude and
willingness to learn despite mistakes that come up. And as usual this
has nothing to do with the equipment.




--
-- r.p.e.35mm user resource: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpe35mmur.htm
-- r.p.d.slr-systems: http://www.aliasimages.com/rpdslrsysur.htm
-- [SI] gallery & rulz: http://www.pbase.com/shootin
-- e-meil: Remove FreeLunch.
-- usenet posts from gmail.com and googlemail.com are filtered out.

"Homer" wrote in :


LOL
In Story 1 and Story II you seem to find a lot of puzzled people
taking pictures - Oh I now understand these as just Stories, Fiction,
both high end Canon Cameras & flash and you were able to figure out
their problems without looking sounds like a lot of BS.

You'd be wrong. Last summer I helped a guy with a 1DsMkII set-up his
camera. He was just an urbanite trying to shoot some animals in local
park. He had no clue as to how to use the camera, it was his first DSLR
and he'd bought it the day before. There are many of examples of this
happening that I've seen. No one I know that knows how to use a camera
hasn't helped or been asked by a novice how to use a complex camera.