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Lens or Skill ????
è£å°‘ says:
To all the DSLR user , do u think a nice picture it depends on a good LENS or good SKILL , or do you have other opinion about this please share....thanks
Posted at 6:01PM, 11 October 2007 PDT ( permalink )
gaeger2 
says:
As Lance Armstrong said, "It's not about the bike." What you do with what you see is most important. You can take an interesting photo with a pinhole camera made out of a shoebox. Having a fine lens can make things a lot easier. But it's not necessary.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
WintrHawk says:
The best quality glass in the world is going to deliver the same image as the worst quality glass in the world when the photographer has forgotten to remove the lenscap. A great photographer can compensate and play up the strength of poor equipment while playing down the weaknesses. The same cannot be said of the other way around.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
photoguyinmo says:
Like Gaeger2 said, it's not about the equipment but about the operator of the equipment. Good equipment can make the work easier, but not necessarily better. I have seen photographers taking great photos with disposable cameras, or a point and shoot. By the contrary I have seen "snapshot" photos taken by people using great stuff.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
Chiefey says:
I agree. it's not the equipment, but what the photographer aims it at, and how he aims it.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
christopher m. bautista says:
ive seen better pictures with point and shoots than slr's. you have have to have the "eye" for photography.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
ric_hammond says:
It's not the quality of the arrows but the skill of the Indian.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
è£å°‘ says:
i got my D40x about a month...before i start shooting i have read so much of books, forum and magazine...ya most of you are right..taking picture not just depend on lens but it is your skill your experience and the composition...without all this i believe even i get the best tools standing in the same place as other pro stand..i can't shot a good picture without skill...i believe there is much more i need to learn from you guys~~anyway thanks for all the replys..
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
3dchris89 says:
I must agree with artoris on this one. There's a lot of "the camera doesn't matter, and the lens doesn't matter" people all over the net. And sure you can also make very beautifull photos with crappy cameras. But a good camera, and a good lens, can certainly make a difference (notice the "A" and not "THE").
Seriously everybody thinking it's only the photographer that takes the photo should stop photography and stop being so egocentric, they just forget the scene, the subject(s), the camera and the lens.
(In my opinion that is :) but of course everybody has their own).
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
wanderingphoto says:
It takes both skill and a good lens to make a great picture.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
carpe icthus says:
Skill. Lenses are tools, they are only useful when a photographer knows what he wants to achieve, and needs a certain type of tool to achieve that vision. To borrow from the NRA, lenses don't take pictures, people do. Heck, you don't need a lens at all.
Originally posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
carpe icthus edited this topic 7 months ago.
gaeger2 says:
3dchris89: My point is not that one should completely discount equipment. As I said, good gear can be a very big help. But I also find that if I take multiple lenses out to shoot, I spend a lot of time thinking about the lenses rather than about the image that's in front of me. It's also possible to get caught up in the Great Lens Race ("if only I had THAT lens, THEN I would be a great photographer"). I think that I learn more in pushing the boundaries of just a single lens.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
3dchris89 says:
You are definitely right gaeger2, people have that issue. I guess that's where the skill part kicks in, the skill of self control.
I'm still standing for my statement (though i might have put it a bit harsh).
Originally posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
3dchris89 edited this topic 7 months ago.
Monkey Pirate says:
Much of it also has to do with how well you know your camera.
I have had my little Canon A710IS about 6-8 months longer than my Nikon D70s, and I have to say that my pictures are consistently better with my little A710 than my Nikon. Of course, the A710 is an amazing little guy with a quality lens; but simply the fact that I haven't used my Nikon as much as my Canon makes all the difference in how well my pictures come out.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
photoguyinmo says:
Not that I am saying good equipment can't make a difference, but if you "ain't got the skill" it doesn't matter how much your stuff cost. Good stuff makes it easier for a photographer who has the skills. You have to have the skills before the stuff makes a difference.
Many of the master photographers of the past have used equipment that would not even get close to the standard of the consumer priced stuff today (glass wise with the enhanced glass polishing, coatings, etc, etc).
And just to add a new dimension to this topic you also have to get into what is your definition of a "good" photo.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
photoguyinmo says:
I think it is absolutely subjective. The "eye of the beholder".
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
ralatalo says:
I'll have to second or third the don't discount the equipment but it really takes a photographer to know what they want. I used to not worry about a fast lens as much as I really want a faster lens not for the speed but for the larger aperture and the shallower depth of view. It took me a while to figure it out but with the crop factor I'm shooting at shorter focal length which gives a wider depth of view. So, when I have a nice shoot with a back ground that would look so much nicer if it were just a tad more out of focus you can blame both me and the lens. I'll let you decide the proportions.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
blogrodent says:
Skill, in my opinion, comes first. As your skill improves, your ability to use your tool improves as well. I recommend starting with simple and utilitarian tools to develop your skill first then advance to more expensive tools as your skills and sophistication improve.
Ultimately, the best tools in the world will only produce photos equal to the skill of the photographer. In other words, without skill, you can still shoot very bad photos no matter the tool. But with skill, you can shoot interesting, compelling, striking, and beautiful photos despite lousy equipment.
Regards,
Rich
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
Daniel E Bruce says:
My thoughts, I believe you have to have passion/Skill-Then choose the right Equipment to get the job done right.. I Myself love photography I cant stop reading about it, Thinking about it, Studying my camera, trying different settings, Looking at others comps to get ideas..I have thousands of pictures and it seems like there getting better and better ... So umm Develop your skills guided by ur passion.. Read the reviews on the most affordable equipment and go out and start your taking hundreds if not thousands of pictures...
Well atleast thats what I started doing and I've only been doing photography Seriously for about 7 months now..
I'm glad to be apart of this community to learn from the vets...
Thank you all...
Danny
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
![[image]](http://mowser.com/img?url=http%3A%2F%2Fl.yimg.com%2Fwww.flickr.com%2Fimages%2Fbuddyicon.jpg)
sharaff (hachhooo) [deleted] says:
I agree with ![[image]](http://mowser.com/img?url=http%3A%2F%2Ffarm2.static.flickr.com%2F1088%2Fbuddyicons%2F8661653%40N02.jpg%3F1192763226)
It indeed is both. Skill and the equipments rather. There are people who have so much better cameras but they do not know how to bring a better photograph out of it. Whats in their mind to be composed, present how see it in the viewfinder, essential in photography. I'd say both skill and equipments!
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
3dchris89 says:
The 1st reply to this thread already nailed it :)
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
CapnRob97 says:
Skill first, then the equipment to really unleash the skill.
No skill for me, just luck sometimes and trying to learn as I go.
Originally posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
CapnRob97 edited this topic 7 months ago.
Gene Hsu says:
The interesting thing is that there would be fewer questions about this if it were a different discipline, such as playing a musical instrument such as a guitar or a violin.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
IMASA says:
I'd say that's due to technological advancement. You can argue that cameras today are a lot more advanced than say 5, 10, 20 years ago. Anyone who doesn't know jack about photography can still stick it in auto mode and still take good pics. However, musical instruments have been pretty much the same for years, in fact, the older ones are probably better made than the new ones. There is no auto mode. It's all up the human skill factor.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
Shiro Ang Yeong Hui says:
Definitely both.
Like shooting for soccer, I don't think you can use a 70-300mm f/4-5.6 to shoot.
Most will use f/2.8 or f/4 for longer tele lens.
But skills is more important, if you do not have the skills, giving you top end lens, won't help much.
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
Eye4Beauty says:
Tons of skill.....AND....deep pockets really help you gain some advantage. :)
Posted 7 months ago. ( permalink )
blogrodent says:
I am a firm proponent of learning the craft before investing in the tools. Ignorance turns the best equipment into fancy accessories but skill turns the cheapest tool into a creative forge.
I would love to have a good $10-15K to spend on professional quality equipment. But for now I'm stuck with an inexpensive Nikon 3200 that is about four years old. By now the lens is fogged by scratches (thanks to my children) and I'm continually frustrated by my inability to manually focus, control the aperture, or control the shutter speed. But with patience, perspective, and a few minutes in post-processing, I am quite happy with many of my images. Take a look at my photo-stream, you might like some of them, too.
Would I generate higher-quality images with better glass? I hope! But, then, if I'd waited until I could afford it I wouldn't have had any images at all. Meanwhile, I shoot. And someday, I'll spend.
Regards,
Rich
Posted 3 months ago. ( permalink )
Queen Tonks says:
luck, skill, equipment, glass. that's it falls in for me anyway. :)
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )
Get Closer! says:
While I agree that of the two components--skill and lens--I would give higher importance to skill, but you can't discount the importance of good tools. Even the cheapest camera gear, used with skill and an understanding of its limitations, can produce fine art, but not in every situation. Some kinds of photographs require certain kinds of tools. And the quality of tools and the growth of skills go hand in hand. You can't develop a level of understanding about quality and the performance you can expect until you have equipment that can perform to a quality level. The ideal situation would be to always have gear that is at least a little better than your skill so you have room to grow into it.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )
basegrinder says:
Don't totally discount the equipment. Lance Armstrong wouldn't win anything on a carbon steel Huffy.
I upgraded to a $1,200+ bike from a $300 bike... forget about it. And $1,200 isn't even midgrade.
The "capture" depends heavily on skill. But you're not going to get Richard Avedon photos with a Kodak disk camera.
Posted 2 months ago. ( permalink )
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