View single post by jk
 Posted: Sun Sep 1st, 2019 07:06
jk



Joined: Mon Apr 2nd, 2012
Location: Carthew, Cornwall, United Kingdom
Posts: 6880
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Eric wrote:
Oh, I have always followed your reasoning Jonathan and acknowledge the principal of 'the best tool for the job'. 

My problem is twofold (the wife thinks it's three fold 😆).

Firstly, I abhor expensive equipment sitting idol. Not only is it a waste of good brass (depreciating asset = poison for a Yorkshireman) but, albeit for a moment, when I come to use it after weeks? of non use, there is a frustrating refamilarisation that gets in the way which can demotivate me.

Yes I agree but I am very careful with my purchase of equipment and my purchase criteria are very tight around design layout, battery use and other factors.  Small things such as 10 pin interface versus usb-like interface are big things to me as the usb-like connector is less than ideal.
For this and other reasons I have never considered the Df or D4, D5 and instead got the D850 and Z7 even though they have too many pixels.  The D800 is IMHO a better camera than the D5 but that is for my use.  I think it also provides a better balance of pixel count.  The D810 is technically better but there are more improvements in handling in the D850.


Secondly, although there is no doubt a 'best tool for the job', there are countless exceptional photographers using the equipment they HAVE AVAILABLE and getting outstanding results. For example, I've seen superb bif photos taken on D850s, a host of lesser D bodies and even Z bodies, that imho couldn't/wouldn't be improved by using the D500. I am sure Jeff won't mind me pointing out non of his exceptional results were taken on a D500. 

That's a long winded way of saying I still believe I should be able to take the photos I want on one camera, without needing the extra help of a specific ADDITIONAL camera.

I think that may be an impractical ideal but I very much agree with it as a concept.  Unless you can replicate all the functionality advantage of a FX in a DX body and all the advantages of a mirrorless in a DSLR and vice versa.
Adeptness and other skills can provide most of this but there are always compromises.  I have recently found this with some of my recent shoots and am glad that I have the Z7 and the D850.




OK..Thirdly, (as my good lady points out) after 25years as a professional photographer, there is an element of photography burn out in me. Deadlines, end products, customers all push at you, requiring you to push back to make a living. When they stop, there's nothing to push against...it's then just your basic enthusiasm to take a photograph. I don't want equipment choice to further diminish that enthusiasm.

The third point is very important and I find this is also a key driver for me.  I find it difficult to self start unless I make a project for myself but I can be distracted by other things!
Maybe we all need to discuss this in more detail in a separate thread as we all seem to suffer from this in differing amounts.



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