In the last few years I could notice a growth in DSLR usage and a boom of so called "professional photographer" market, actually for each DSLR that is sold a new "professional" is appearing out of nowhere.
To set things clear I am not a self called "professional photographer" and I don't do weddings, funerals and other life events (I did few times for my friends, for free, so I am not into "professional" side). I like to call myself a "hobby photographer" even if sometimes I have to use the camera for my job and in university I had to learn to use it (studio photography, filming techniques, green-screen filming, sound recording, post production etc.). I started with film cameras (not the point and shoot ones) from the analog era, without auto-focus, without any electronic help like in film SLR's, continued with compact cameras and compact digital cameras, then my first DSLR I bought just 6 months ago and three lenses, I agree I need more than one lens, one prime and two zoom lenses and I am happily using my old lenses from the analog cameras without any problem nor electronic support from the camera. I still I keep myself humble not throwing the name of "professional photographer" even if I am full of bad acquaintances that are in the "professional" league since they have an DSLR, and as a end note of my photographic activity I am not an old grumpy guy that can be in the league of gadget haters, I love gadgets but only when they relay worth the investment and I love cameras all types of them because I know how to use them to fulfill my task.
If you go somewhere as a tourist or is an interesting event in your city you will have two main categories of photographers, one depicted by the Japanese tourist - making quick photos with light-weight cameras (point and shoot or smartphones), snap and go style (actually many times this style of pictures are more personal and more expressive than a one-hour-setup-image); the other main group is depicted by the wanna-be-professionals - very expensive last generation DSLR, at least Manfrotto tripods (they say that they are the best - I don't know, maybe yes, maybe not, for sure two times more expensive than a similar quality product or even better), huge and more than very expensive lenses (especially the white ones from Canon, the L series) and always more than one lens pro body, usually standing in the way, disturbing other guys who are trying to take a shot (because they are the ones who can take the better image so f*** the others) and more posing than really taking pictures. I have seen them in very strange positions, just to show how professional they can be, and others around them taking notes of how it should be done and trying to mimic. Then, after those two categories you see in some corners or very distant, almost blending with the tourist, the real photographers. How I know they are the real? With that piece of crap camera? Just with one lens and many times a prime lens? Well, I am here to tell you in your face that those guys are the real photographers, because not the camera makes the photograph and they know where they are going, what they want and what they need for this.
DSLR fuzz
Well, everyone feels a bit artist inside and we are learned that professionals are doing great jobs because of professional equipment and as the equipment gets more expensive also the professionalism of the owner grows (not true, if you ask me). Beside this financial aspect and professionalism earned through supporting the economy, the female part of the population always feels that is more on the artistic side so they buy expensive gear to prove their professionalism while the male part can get more girls naked in front of the camera and hopefully in bed when they have a very expensive camera.
When you DON'T need a DSLR camera.
From my work experience and other stuff I did I can tell that you DON'T need an DSLR when:
1. Pay a lot just to use always the AUTO mode;
2. You have no idea or don't want to really learn f stops, exposure, iso and other mathematical expressions that help you to call yourself a "professional";
3. You know how to use at full potential a point and shoot or a compact camera;
4. The pictures you take are just to keep them as a memory on a hard drive (For this you really don't need a 22 MP camera and somewhere around more than few thousands in equipment);
5. You post your images on internet with a maximum size of 1024 x 768 - really!?!? for this you need 22MP?;
6. You call yourself a filmmaker but the target is only youtube;
7. When you want to do your passion and not to be a hipster.
When you NEED a DSLR camera:
1. Prints larger than A3 paper;
2. Using extreme focal length lenses;
3. Need to cut details of an image and still keep a good resolution.
DSLR myths:
Better image and colors - please let me remind you that the image quality is fully dependent on the sensor and more important on the image processor integrated in the camera, usually color, sharpness, and automatic white balance are a task of the processor. Ok, the sensor is also a bit responsible but a good sensor with a crap processor is worse than a crap sensor with a good processor. From my own experience I can tell that we all see different the same color, really, we interpret a bit different the colors so what for me is a perfect green fro you can be too green or not so perfect green. So what is the fuzz with the perfect color only the DSLR gives? Actually I have seen many point and shoot giving far better color than EOS 450D.
Better equipped than a compact camera - actually my first compact camera was bought in 2005 and was very expensive and a dslr at that time was 3-4 times more, just the body. So at a 1/3 of the price I got the DIGIC II processor that was fitted on EOS 5D and EOS 30D. The sensor was smaller and a bit cheaper than on the EOS line, but then again it was complete with 12x optical zoom 6.0-72.0mm 1:2.7-3.5 USM, film mode, twist and swivel tilt display and a macro focus distance almost equal with 0 mm. What can you wish for more at 1/3 price!?!? not to mention all modes existing on DSLR - M, P, Av, Tv and some many others.
Makes better pictures - camera does not make them, you make them, for sure one point and shoot with a price of 100 compared with one DSLR with a price of 1000 is not a good starting point and when you compare both cameras in auto mode probably you will get a better result for DSLR, so you are right, but if you learn to use a point and shoot or a compact camera for sure you get far better pictures than the hipster on auto mode with the latest DSLR.
Compact camera vs DSLR camera
Some are saying that nothing is better than a DSLR but sometimes is like going with the most exclusive Bentley or Rolls Royce to buy bread at the corner of your street. Really, it is like this!
For example I had to take some images for some newspaper ads, small ads not full A4, for this job a 5MP camera was far more than enough. The same camera was used for an A4 print, well I have to recognize that an 8MP or 12MP camera would have been better but I had just a 5MP one and still did a good job.
When you are on budget and you have, let's say, 1000 EUR and you don't intend to do large prints A3 and larger you can get a compact camera that has 18 or 22MP eventually some mega zoom with 20x optical zoom, same processor as the biggest brothers in DSLR class, maybe same sensor and the lens that covers at least 2 DSLR lenses. You remain with money for a good tripod and accessories like filters and depending on the compact camera and manufacturer some fish-eye and 2x tele converter and you will still have some money for a beer after. While for an DSLR you get stuck with a middle-low range one, maybe 2 lenses (the cheapest ones, for sure with a worse f stop than on the compact camera) and you don't remain with too much for a tripod, filters and other accessories, mainly you will have just the body and 2 of the cheapest lenses.
Meeting DSLR hipsters
I can't say or comment how an DSLR "professional photographer" looks at you when you appear with an 2005 compact camera with 5MP. I mean the guy with an iPhone near me was more professional, because his phone was newer than my camera. I really got some f**** off looks ... but who cares.
My biggest surprise was when I bought my DSLR, I felt that the world is mine, finally I will not be treated like shit by fellow hobbyists and maybe I can learn more. I had money just for an EOS 550D, was at offer with 2 lenses 18-55 and 75-300mm both the cheapest ones, and on top I said I still need a prime lens so I took the old nifty fifty 2.8, cheapest one. I can say that in my first day I was like ... ok, I got better lenses on my S2IS but I learned the limits of this lenses so is ok now even if I still complain about the quality. One day was a nice outdoor light exposition so I said is a must to test my camera but I decided to take just the good old 50mm, is bright enough so I don't need to take the tripod. I can just say that I felt worse than with my old camera. Was full of professionals there with cameras 3 times more expensive than mine and lenses 10 times more expensive. They all were studying first the camera model ... ok 550D sucks, oh my god he has just a 50mm!?!?!? F***** noob! and just putting their asses in front of my lens because they were professionals on the job .... I had to wait one to move and take a quick image until the next one was doing the same. They were all chatting with each other trying to find out if it worth to move from mkI to mkII or to replace his 1000EUR lens with the 2000EUR lens .... full of hipsters.
I have seen all from remote controls to the most expensive tripods, when the light was more than enough for a decent ISO and exposure time to permit handheld but since I am not a professional photographer, maybe I can't understand photography and the need of having the most expensive and useless equipment.
Still, I was amazed how they used only the display, never looking through the eye piece, I have problems taking pictures iPhone style, I need to have the camera at eye level and only through the eye sight, the display is for me only for the menu or in film mode. I was also amazed by the body positions I have seen, I mean I can see what I will have into the frame just looking at my lens, not by millimeter but I still know what I will have as result (maybe because I am not a Sunday photographer).
Conclusions?
Don't buy an DSLR just because is cool, buy it because you really need it, otherwise save money and buy an upper level compact or point and shoot will save you money and get almost the same results, learn to use the manual mode on it and you will have far better results than the guys with DSLR on auto.
And don't forget that you are the ones who are taking the picture, not the camera, if you know your camera you would be surprised of the quality you can get out of a small 150EUR point and shoot camera.
For holidays!?!? For sure 2 lenses and a big body are more attractive to thieves and harder to carry around than a small one. Only the big photo bag is a magnet for the opportunistic thief.
Have fun while taking pictures!
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