Tuesdays with Nate | 7D and a Controversial Topic
[Editors warning note for non-photographer readers: This post goes into a lot of photo geek speak. Proceed with caution.]
I am a nerd. There is no question about it. I memorize random useless numbers, I play video games, I study, and I LOVE new camera toys. You’re probably expecting me to write something technical by now, especially considering we’ve gotten a ton of new toys lately (We love the car by the way!!!! Thanks for all the congratulations. We had two road trips this weekend and it was fantastic!), but today is not the day for that. In fact, today I will NOT be doing the following:
-technical breakdowns of our new gear
-comprehensive reviews of the 7D
-an exhaustive point/counterpoint discussion of healthcare reform
-facting
Today will be an opinion day. I will give my first impressions of the new Canon 7D after one week, and I will answer a very common photographer question: “How important is equipment anyways Nate?” and you will probably be surprised by my answer.
OK, so, my first impression of the 7D. After one week, I can conclusively say that if Chuck Norris and Steve Jobs collaboratively designed a camera, this would be it. It sounds like a machine gun. It’s smarter than Stephen Hawking. The screen is bright and sharp, there is a built in 360 degree level, and you can fire external speedlites with the pop up flash (one of many first for Canon in this design). I love the gadgets built into this camera, but they can be a little tricky to access. you can customize every single button on the camera. There are 5 different methods of selecting your autofocus points. The viewfinder will tell you more than Kanye West on an awards show.The color straight out of the camera is stunning, and the new autofocus system is sharp and deadly fast (approx. two thirds the speed of a ninja).
The down side: it’s an incredibly complex camera
On the flip side: it’s an incredibly complex camera
What does that translate to? Leads me to the next question. “How important is your camera body?”
Becka and I shot our first wedding in May of 2008. We had a Rebel Xti, a 20d that was rickety to say the least, and 3 lenses. In total, all of our gear was worth about $1500. But we had an eye and a passion and a dream. People told us we needed better stuff the beginning, but we simply could not afford it. So we saved, we bought used, we bought old friends’ gear, and we saved more to get to where we are at today with our lineup of “toys”.
It is my opionion that you DO NOT need L lenses, the highest-end bodies, UDMA memory cards, MacPro towers and cinema displays, etc…. to be a photographer.
Your equipment is simply your tools. When Salvador Dali drew on a napkin, it was still amazing art. The better I get at the art of photography, the easier it is to take consistent and unique images. There is nothing more frustrating than seeing something in your mind and not being able to translate it to your camera because of limitations. Having nice gear makes it easier, but learning to use what you have does too. All the gadgets in the world will not make a bad photographer a good one. Having an SLR does NOT qualify you to be a wedding photographer. Nor does having a good eye without the understanding of how a camera works. (Of course, the bar is raised once you start selling yourself as a “professional”. If you are charging people for your services and running a business you need to be able to create consistently professional images.)
What I’m trying to say is this: Don’t be discouraged if you don’t have the best gear yet, but don’t be reckless and promise what you can’t deliver. You get what you pay for with your gear, but you can learn to work within your means and with what you have. That is exactly what made Becka and I an amazing team right from the get-go. we learned, we tried, we failed, and succeeded all over and over.
Stay tuned for a melt-your-face-off review of our 7D, 5DmkII, and our 50 f/1.2, as well as the post about OnOne Camera DSLR remote APP.
Enjoy these straight out of the camera (sootc= no editing) pics from the 7d, while second shooting with Shem from Blue Lane Photography this past weekend. And by the way, just to be ironic, I took the frame at the top of the post of the 7D on “JPG small” on my original 20d that I got for $200.
I leave you with two questions:
-If you could have only one lens and one camera, what would they be?
-Would you rather have a great eye and a point and shoot, or no eye for composition and the new Hasselblad 50 Megapixel 6×4.5 digital medium format (about $50k)?
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I’ll take a P&S and a great eye any day of the week and twice on Sundays…especially if it’s a Canon G10!
To pick one camera and lens, I’d have to say a 5D MkII and a 24-70/2.8L. I’m from the old school of film and prime lenses and will take the shorter zoom with the 2.8 over the 24-105/4.0L IS as I grew up zooming with my feet.
This post makes me really happy because it doesn’t matter what gear you have. If you don’t have an eye and a passion, what use is a fancy pants camera?
I’d much rather have a point and shoot and an eye than a new Hasselblad and no composition. Though I’d probably try to steal a friends camera every once in a while…
OK- somehow I missed this post yesterday. I had to read this a few times to get past the first paragraphs humor… Chuck Norris… Oh you guys… Thats too funny. Aside from the humor, I think you wrote a great post and hit the nail on the head! And now I want to go buy a 7D :)
Great eye + P&S of course!
Lens: 50mm f/1.8
Body: 450D (I only have one so far… sadface)
I would much prefer a great eye and a point and shoot. In fact we just got the new Canon G11, perfect for what we want to do with it, amateury stuff and mostly pictures of our new baby when it decides to make an appearance to the world!
Great post Nate! I would rather have a great eye and a point and shoot. Oh, and a decent computer so I could get my images up online to share. My most favorite lens is the 85 1.2 hands down.
As someone who has the dream to become a professional photographer but is stuck with a lower end model of an SLR this struck hard and home. I am constantly intimidated by others at weddings who may have a better camera than me but I can guarantee I have more knowledge about it and about photography in general because I wouldn’t let myself be there without knowing everything I can. It is a double edged sword, I can’t make money without a nice big camera, but I can’t buy one without money! So I am starting small, charging small, giving away free shoots here and there to keep my portfolio growing. It seems to work because people are coming back and wanting more, referring their friends. Still I’m frightened by the fact that I don’t have the best top of the line camera ever, and by the limitations a low end camera does have (for instance, freezing mid wedding because it’s getting too hot!). Oh for the day I can spend all that money on a d700 and lens! (Yes, I’m a Nikon girl, sorry! :P) I wouldn’t give this eye up for anything. I know a professional who started with a point and shoot and rigged his own flash because he was in demand due to the images he captured with that point and shoot.
Thanks for the boost of confidence!
These are great points Nate! The tools are there to make it easier for you to achieve your vision, but cannot make you a better photographer… That comes from hard work and dedication! I miss being able to learn next to you guys! In the meantime, I’m enjoying trying to get the most from my used gear and still there’s untapped potential in my used 5d!
Can I just tell you how amazing this was for me to read?! As someone that has a Canon Rebel XT and a 50 f/1.8 I got for $90, I’ve struggled with whether or not to buy better gear and decided that i’ll learn everything I possibly can with what I have now and then move up, but only after i’ve mastered what I have now.
I’d rather have a great eye and a point and shoot… hands down.