Why do photographers keep asking me this question?

in my opinion it does not matter what camera you have or lens in some cases i have taken many good photos on a digital camera some are better than my dslr and some on that are better than others for me it depends on what im taking and where im going
if for example im going to photograph butterflies in macro during the sumnmer months which i enjoy doing i will use my fujifilm s6500
if im going to do long shots or wildlife such as birds etc i will use my panasonic w570 or even sometimes my phone you can see some of my work om my flickr which i have uploaded over 700 photos of various subjects macro b and w etc
so it does just depend on how good you are not the camera
https://www.flickr.com/photos/128978858@N02/with/26391640601/
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
They are viewing my images. In fact it's probably my images which give most credibility to my tutorials.
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If there are certain things about your equipment that made those images convenient to produce, then your chosen equipment is absolutely relevant, whether you want it to be or not.
 
hobsonschoicephotosessex said:
makes me laugh when people stand there and put the camera at arms length thats the point of zoom and a view finder lol
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There are times when holding a camera (with a viewfinder) at arm's length will improve your shot, whatever length zoom you have.
 
I don't ask people but I do enjoy watching the "what's in my camera bag" videos on YouTube... Sometimes people have a good reason and that is enough of an excuse for you to get one and sometimes it introduces you to new things you've never heard of.

I never knew about the manfrotto pixi until I watched a video showing one and it is perfect for my Ricoh theta to handhold and not get my thumb in...
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
Hi guys,

I have a YouTube channel and photography tutorials website which has its fair number of subscribers etc. On a daily basis, the question I get asked most from them is "what camera do you use?".

This really frustrates me, as I see it having little relevance. Is it a belief that if they use the same camera, they will be able to replicate the same quality of work?
If there is a photographer whose work I admire, my questions to them would be regarding their lenses, lighting technique, method of composition, retouching process etc.
The camera model, to me, is completely irrelevant.

What's your take on this?
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Most likely to be too lazy to do their own homework, like finding out pros and cons of this camera vs that camera. Rather than compare Nikon v Canon, or compare a Nikon D7100 v a Nikon D7200, they figure you know which camera is best, hence you bought it, so if they ask what camera you use, they'll assume that camera you use must be better, otherwise why else did you buy it. So they go and buy the same model as you have, save them the bother of having to review the different cameras to make up their minds.

It would be a bit like the Luftwaffe asking the British "What aircraft you fly?", when the British replied "Spitfires", the Luftwaffe would then dare to ask Hitler "Give us squadrons of Spitfires, we don't want the Messerschmitts. The Spitfires must be the best aircraft, why else would the British not buy Messerschmitts or Mustangs or Mitsubishis!" (In case you're wondering, Mitsubishi makes the Japanese fighter called Zero.)
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
Hi guys,

I have a YouTube channel and photography tutorials website which has its fair number of subscribers etc. On a daily basis, the question I get asked most from them is "what camera do you use?".

This really frustrates me, as I see it having little relevance. Is it a belief that if they use the same camera, they will be able to replicate the same quality of work?
If there is a photographer whose work I admire, my questions to them would be regarding their lenses, lighting technique, method of composition, retouching process etc.
The camera model, to me, is completely irrelevant.

What's your take on this?
Click to expand...

I saw a TV programme some years ago where they took a beginner and an expert to a zoo and gave them both low end and high end "consumer" cameras. The pictures from the expert varied very little between the cheap and the expensive kit and were uniformly good. The quality of the pictures from the beginner was much better with the expensive kit.

The message I took from this is that once you have mastered your craft the camera doesn't really matter that much. While you're still learning a good camera makes a big difference as it is stuffed full of hardware and software trying to compensate for your deficiencies.

I am hoping that one day, my skills will be adequate to meet my budget ;).
 
To be fair, you have to realise that all camera manufacturers spend considerable amounts of marketing money telling the public that their camera/lens/gadget will make people take better photos. It's not surprising to learn that marketing works.
 
Easy answer is

They are impressed with your photos and would like the same so ask " What camera do you use " ?
 
If I was a mugger the question wluld be 'what camera do you have in your bag and what pro lens etc?"

A 5Ds and 5 grand + of L glass and lut comes the cosh..... which is why my bag has a RC anti personnel mine in the laptop section of my bag.....

Note to self.... do not mix up the remote switches.....

ITRW - A 70D and EF-S 15-85 is still over £1K to replace!

View: https://youtu.be/Jmg86CRBBtw
 
Ah... the age old question!

This is pre-dated by the same question you will still find over on the Film and Conventional photography forum.... "What film/developer are using?"

Nothing much has changed except nowadays some of us spend a fortune chasing after the latest sensor etc. Back about 35 years ago it was simply "I see Ilford have brought out a new version of FP4 - how are you finding it for grain?" "I don't use Ilford, never got on with it, much prefer kodak's Tri-X" ---- rinse and repeat!
 
chuckles said:
Ah... the age old question!

This is pre-dated by the same question you will still find over on the Film and Conventional photography forum.... "What film/developer are using?"

Nothing much has changed except nowadays some of us spend a fortune chasing after the latest sensor etc. Back about 35 years ago it was simply "I see Ilford have brought out a new version of FP4 - how are you finding it for grain?" "I don't use Ilford, never got on with it, much prefer kodak's Tri-X" ---- rinse and repeat!
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(Except that the like-for-like would be HP-5 and Tri-X!!!) :p
 
chris malcolm said:
I bought a second hand Sony R1 bridge camera to give me a year or two to learn the digital ropes and make up my mind which system to go for. Some photographers took an interest in my photographs until they found out I was using a toy camera made by a TV manufacturer.
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At the time, the R1 was pretty much the best bang for the buck on offer, especially when the last few units were reduced from £999 to £399 (which was when I bought mine). Its one big failing was the dynamic range, blown highlights being the default response to brightly lit surfaces. Still, as pretty well every review at the time pointed out, you were buying the best mid-range zoom lens on the market for a very good price and getting a free APS-C body thrown in.

The one thing I really miss about my R1 is the waist level finder and silent shutter. Just a little discretion meant that your subjects had little or no idea that you were capturing their likeness...

26525302515_aeef173039_b.jpg
 
Hugh Jarse said:
If I was a mugger the question wluld be 'what camera do you have in your bag and what pro lens etc?"

A 5Ds and 5 grand + of L glass and lut comes the cosh..... which is why my bag has a RC anti personnel mine in the laptop section of my bag.....

Note to self.... do not mix up the remote switches.....

ITRW - A 70D and EF-S 15-85 is still over £1K to replace!

View: https://youtu.be/Jmg86CRBBtw
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A mugger once demanded i give him my mamiya 645 - he didnt specify that i shouldnt swing it on its strap like a mace and give it to him in the b*****ks and then again in the face (oddly after that he didnt seem to want it any more) .... you wouldnt want to that with these namby pamby composite shelled cameras we have these days
 
So what is the difference between asking 'what camera' and asking 'what lens'? They are both relevant to the image taken.
 
As a beginner I think the question is completely relevant, but granted more so with lenses - I'm learning about prime lenses and the different results they produce and their restrictions/pros/cons..

Not always, and this is a separate thread in itself, but peeps equate, in most walks of life, quality with money.. Same applies to cameras.
 
big soft moose said:
A mugger once demanded i give him my mamiya 645 - he didnt specify that i shouldnt swing it on its strap like a mace and give it to him in the b*****ks and then again in the face (oddly after that he didnt seem to want it any more) .... you wouldnt want to that with these namby pamby composite shelled cameras we have these days
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The EOS 10/20/30/40/50D range is up to the job though not sure which lens would be.... [emoji1]
 
Nod said:
(Except that the like-for-like would be HP-5 and Tri-X!!!) :p
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Cheers Nod. Yeah, I know..... I was trying to illustrate the absolute disparity of people's opinions. Failed! Should've done Tri-X, HP5, T-Max and Agfa APX ;)
 
I always liked XP1 souped in B&W chems too. Much less hassle than the proprietary stuff!
 
chuckles said:
This is pre-dated by the same question you will still find over on the Film and Conventional photography forum.... "What film/developer are using?"
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That DOES make a difference though. A shot on a 5DMkII will look pretty much like every other shot from every other camera. Sure.. one may be a little warmer, or colder etc.. but you just twiddle a bit in LR and job done. I can take two identical shots on the same stock from the same camera and give you two radically different negatives by processing them differently. This is NOT the same as "what camera/lens you are using" at all... it's actually akin more to "How do you process your raw files".
 
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Question 1: "What camera do you use?"

Answer 1: "A Leicanikon m3D6-1D"

Question 2: "How much did that cost you?"

Answer 2: "If you need to ask, far more than you can afford."

Question 3: "Why are you such a smartarse?"

Answer 3: "Because I was frightened by someone with a Box Brownie, when I was a kid."

:coat: :exit:
 
Pookeyhead said:
This is NOT the same as "what camera/lens you are using" at all... it's actually akin more to "How do you process your raw files".
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Whilst I'm not disagreeing with you it's not vastly different.

Years ago I used to help out in a local camera shop on a Saturday (before the Internet shopping community took over) and there was very little Digital stuff around. We used to play a game - when all the prints came in from the Processing house we would see if we could guess what camera/system was used. 85% of the time you could tell whether a Canon was used as opposed to a Nikon.... the Canon stuff had far more contrast and less tonal range - not much different to today! (Before you ask - we used to ask the Punters what camera they used)

Anyway, I digressed and ended up down memory lane.
 
I get a hell of a lot of questions about my Fuji X Motorsport photography via Flick and my blog, there always seems to be a sense that I must have great access and the best gear to stand a chance at what I'm producing.

I therefore will always stress that all my photos are taken from public positions and with the cheap and cheerful X-T10 model. At the moment I'm even intentionally covering events with the cheapest telephoto available, just so there is no doubt that it's practice, not equipment and money that will get you to that level.

I think it's reassuring for people when they know the camera is no better than theirs and that I'm not shooting from anywhere 'special' compared to them, it means it's achievable by anyone. It's also another way to drive home the 'throwing money at photography doesn't necessarily improve it' point that I'm quite passionate about.
 
ukaskew said:
I think it's reassuring for people when they know the camera is no better than theirs and that I'm not shooting from anywhere 'special' compared to them, it means it's achievable by anyone. It's also another way to drive home the 'throwing money at photography doesn't necessarily improve it' point that I'm quite passionate about.
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Although there are quite a lot who would rather know it was taken with something far more exotic and expensive than they possess because that would mean it is only money that stands in the way of them achieving the same quality.

;)
 
Pookeyhead said:
Top bloke. Known him for years. A genuine guy and a great architectural photographer. He does use very specific gear for very specific purposes though, and architectural imagery needs the movements, so it's important he gets that across. You would find it difficult to do what Sean does with a DSLR.

Having said that... ANY camera that allowed movements to correct perspective would be just as good.
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Or a lens that did that.........

I get the same question as well, sometimes, it seems to me, from someone who probably wouldn't know what a Canon 5d3 was anyway. It just seems like a automatic response to someone who is known to be a photographer.
 
I read a quote many years ago along the lines of "Asking a photographer what brand of camera he uses is like asking a novelist what brand of typewriter he used to write his book."
 
jerry12953 said:
They say the same thing about painters and paint brushes.......
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Yet painters can have animated debates over the merits of different types and brands of brush. As can bricklayers over trowels. People just like discussing the tools of their trades.
 
Ed Sutton said:
Yet painters can have animated debates over the merits of different types and brands of brush. As can bricklayers over trowels. People just like discussing the tools of their trades.
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And in the days of 'proper' typewriters, writers thought some models had magical properties.

Of course, we all love our tools, they probably add a couple of percent to our images. And of course the reality of that is the last couple of percent can make a big difference.

And that from a bloke who really isn't a gear head
 
Sejanus Aelianus said:
Question 1: "What camera do you use?"

Answer 1: "A Leicanikon m3D6-1D"

Question 2: "How much did that cost you?"

Answer 2: "If you need to ask, far more than you can afford."

Question 3: "Why are you such a smartarse?"

Answer 3: "Because I was frightened by someone with a Box Brownie, when I was a kid."

:coat: :exit:
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There may actually be someone or two, who if asked you what camera you used, and you replied "Leicanikon m3D6-1D"

Would most likely to actually go and look for one, they'll Google for one, they may even go into a shop and ask for one.
 
Oliver Pohlmann said:
Hi guys,

I have a YouTube channel and photography tutorials website which has its fair number of subscribers etc. On a daily basis, the question I get asked most from them is "what camera do you use?".

This really frustrates me, as I see it having little relevance. Is it a belief that if they use the same camera, they will be able to replicate the same quality of work?
If there is a photographer whose work I admire, my questions to them would be regarding their lenses, lighting technique, method of composition, retouching process etc.
The camera model, to me, is completely irrelevant.

What's your take on this?
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I'm curious now.....what camera do you use? ;)
 
A guy asked "Excuse me Master Obi-Wan, but what kind of weapon do you use?"

"A Lightsaber."

"Great. I'll get one."

Next thing you know is that the poor guy dies. He thought having a better lightsaber makes him a better Jedi like Obi-Wan, but he overlooked the fact that it is understanding the Force that makes you a Jedi, not the lightsaber. He died because he was Force choked by Vader before he could get close enough to use the lightsaber.

Experience not equipment.

Experience like understanding the Force, not equipment like having a lighsaber.
Experience like understanding how to take photos, not equipment like what camera do you use.

:)
 
Ed Sutton said:
Yet painters can have animated debates over the merits of different types and brands of brush. As can bricklayers over trowels. People just like discussing the tools of their trades.
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A certain kind of painter perhaps. I'm sure there is the painterly equivalent of the camera club... and I bet it's that lot that would sit there talking about brushes.
 
Pookeyhead said:
A certain kind of painter perhaps. I'm sure there is the painterly equivalent of the camera club... and I bet it's that lot that would sit there talking about brushes.
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Sure Sunday painters might sit around discussing brushes instead of painting, but all artists discuss their tools even when they know the specific brands are not important. Even 'serious' painters will talk about brushes, paints, painting surfaces. Guitarists talk about guitars, even about picks. Anglers talk about rods and reels. Golfers discuss their bats. It's part of what people do even when they are fully aware of the fact they could perform just as well using alternatives.
 
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