Home · Register · Join Upload & Sell

Moderated by: Fred Miranda
Username  

  New fredmiranda.com Mobile Site
  New Feature: SMS Notification alert
  New Feature: Buy & Sell Watchlist
  

FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
  

Archive 2013 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?

  
 
anthonygh
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #1 · p.1 #1 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Much of the debate on FM forums is based on throwing cash at photography and so reaping a benefit...are there alternatives?

If so....let us know!!

For my part....I have Just spent a couple of days at a UK costal town with a cheap Canon rangefinder... http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Canon_Canonet_QL_17_GIII

Film was Pan F.......scanned via an Epson V700 and processed in CS6..then printed with an Epson R2880.

Results.....stunning. A local gallery wants me to mount an exhibition based on the sample A3 pics I have printed up...so not bad from a two film outing....but the fact I had just two films ( so 2 X 36 exposures) made me think about every shot..as did the fixed view point (40mm lens)..but what a lens.....reputed to be the test bed for the glass used in Canons L series pro lenses.

So ....does photography depend on money to achieve results??



Oct 16, 2013 at 06:45 PM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #2 · p.1 #2 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
So ....does photography depend on money to achieve results??


I guess that depends on what you're trying to photograph, and what results you expect to achieve.



Oct 16, 2013 at 06:49 PM
Imagemaster
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #3 · p.1 #3 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
Results.....stunning. A local gallery wants me to mount an exhibition based on the sample A3 pics I have printed up...so not bad from a two film outing....but the fact I had just two films ( so 2 X 36 exposures) made me think about every shot..as did the fixed view point (40mm lens)..but what a lens.....reputed to be the test bed for the glass used in Canons L series pro lenses.



And what makes you think you can't do the same with a digital P&S



Oct 16, 2013 at 07:50 PM
EB-1
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #4 · p.1 #4 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Some people can, but I couldn't.

EBH



Oct 16, 2013 at 07:51 PM
UCSB
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #5 · p.1 #5 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


I think people can enjoy photography on a budget ... for sure. Many just use their camera phones. With the glut of cameras on the market, there are real bargains to be found. Most recently the Canon EOS M kit at $299. But, I don't think someone could hang out around the Canon forum every day without any money and have a great time. That might be asking to much. For me, I think could get by with less equipment. But, going really cheap may significantly reduce my interest level ... maybe to zero.


Oct 16, 2013 at 08:07 PM
Gochugogi
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #6 · p.1 #6 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
Much of the debate on FM forums is based on throwing cash at photography and so reaping a benefit...are there alternatives?

If so....let us know!!

For my part....I have Just spent a couple of days at a UK costal town with a cheap Canon rangefinder... http://camerapedia.wikia.com/wiki/Canon_Canonet_QL_17_GIII

Film was Pan F.......scanned via an Epson V700 and processed in CS6..then printed with an Epson R2880.

Results.....stunning. A local gallery wants me to mount an exhibition based on the sample A3 pics I have printed up...so not bad from a two film outing....but the fact I had just two films ( so 2 X 36 exposures) made
...Show more

Yes, sorta, maybe and you just proved money is helpful. I always wanted a V700 but it's pretty dad burn pricy. Toss in CS6 (wish I had that too), the R2880 (ditto) and you too have thrown serious cash at photography. Consider fees or chemicals, paper, ink, etc., on top of that and you right up there with the serious gear geeks. A new EOS is looking darn right affordable compared to your flashy kit! Most serious hobbyist limp along with LR, Elements and Costco photo lab. The masses are happy with their iPhone and FB galleries...



Oct 16, 2013 at 08:08 PM
davinyc
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #7 · p.1 #7 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Sometimes people need to spend thousands of Dollars or Pounds to realize that with the right composition and lighting they can get the same results with something costing much less.


Oct 16, 2013 at 08:42 PM
StillFingerz
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #8 · p.1 #8 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Yes, many do this already with their phones, low and high end point-n-shoots...the experience of just shooting, seeing life through a viewfinder changes how we feel, see, interact with our world and it's beauty, variety, ever changing nature.

For under $200 you can get a nice rangefinder with a fixed lens, even an SLR and a few lenses to a lowly DSLR and manage FL's from 28-300mm.

Yes it's possible, and if it was all you could afford, nothing more, would you not still shoot, create, express your vision?

Photography is for me a passion, having faced the loss of not being able to shoot at all; once paralyzed completely, no movement from neck down, I'll shoot, continue to shoot with most anything I can physically manage

Give me an old XT body and I'll grab my 28-90 and 75-300 and go for it with a smile...

Cheers,
Jerry



Oct 16, 2013 at 08:56 PM
gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #9 · p.1 #9 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
So ....does photography depend on money to achieve results??


Well, money doesn't produce results... but if you shoot film you are simply spending the money in a different way since you eventually spend as much or more on film, processing, and scanning as you would spend on digital. :-)

Dan



Oct 16, 2013 at 09:21 PM
BluesWest
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #10 · p.1 #10 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Results.....stunning.

Since the OP hasn't actually posted the images he claims are "stunning", I think we should withhold judgement on what he was able to accomplish with the gear he listed.

I guess that depends on what you're trying to photograph, and what results you expect to achieve.

But as far as his question about budget gear is concerned, I would say this is the correct answer.

John



Oct 16, 2013 at 09:40 PM
Greg Campbell
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #11 · p.1 #11 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
So ....does photography depend on money to achieve results??


Of course it doesn't. You get results by going out and shooting as much as possible.

Despite the efforts of the manufacturer's marketing monkeys to imply otherwise, I'd be surprised if as many as 5% of all photographers are in any way gear limited.



Oct 16, 2013 at 09:57 PM
jcolwell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: On
p.1 #12 · p.1 #12 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


"Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget? "

Yes. Can you?



Oct 16, 2013 at 10:00 PM
jason.alabama
Offline
• •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #13 · p.1 #13 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


I will say that spending money to buy a Digital SLR helped me LEARN. Without the technological advances that the Rebel XT provided, I never would have shot enough to go through the trial and error to "get it". And I'm not talking about stunning photography - just learning the basics. I had tried photography in the film days, but the immediate feedback of digital is irreplaceable.

That said, I think the OP is getting at quality photography once you already know what you are doing. In that case the person behind the camera obviously is the deciding factor in the end quality. Then spending more money can do two things:

1. It allows you shots that you couldn't get with lesser gear (larger aperture, tilt-shift, etc.)
2. It gets you the same shots more comfortably (autofocus vs manual, lighter telephotos to haul around, etc.)



Oct 16, 2013 at 10:01 PM
Gochugogi
Offline
• • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #14 · p.1 #14 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


jason.alabama wrote:
I will say that spending money to buy a Digital SLR helped me LEARN. Without the technological advances that the Rebel XT provided, I never would have shot enough to go through the trial and error to "get it". And I'm not talking about stunning photography - just learning the basics. I had tried photography in the film days, but the immediate feedback of digital is irreplaceable.


I had the opposite experience with film. In fact, shooting and results from the lab were pretty immediate. Heck, I don't normally edit my digital images until that evening or the next day. Back in the day I mainly shot B&W negative film--Tri-X and Pan-X--and that very evening was developing it in my bathroom or the high school lab. I studied the negs/contacts, decided how to print and tweaked print expose/development times for best results. If it didn't look right, I tried it again with burn or dodge or a different grade of paper. I learned more about the technical side of shooting in a few months than all of my digital life. Now if you had someone else develop/print, you wouldn't have learned much. But most serious photogs took wet photography classes in HS and college so a foundation could be laid. And these classes were packed. It's a shame most of these types of classes have become extinct.



Oct 16, 2013 at 10:17 PM
Dark Slider
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #15 · p.1 #15 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Why yes, because my budget is large.




Oct 16, 2013 at 10:18 PM
dgdg
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #16 · p.1 #16 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Unless you want to do some extreme stuff (low light action, wildlife), you can do well with a limited budget.
Film processing can be expensive, depends on what you like to do.
You can get great results with a used 1.6x crop or micro 4/3 system that is one generation back. The Canon 5D classic can be had for a song. I think one of the best tips above is to get out and shoot, a lot.
Have fun and you will enjoy your images.



Oct 16, 2013 at 11:07 PM
Chris Fawkes
Offline
• • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #17 · p.1 #17 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


I won a big award a few years back in an international competition for an image that was shot on a Pentax SF7 and a 200mm lens a friend had picked up from KMart for $20 brand new. So expensive gear is not requisite for creating a good image on one hand.

But there are a variety of considerations when spending money on gear. For certain their is a mind set when the more money thrown at equipment will compensate for skill. As we know what is in your head is the most important part of the process.

But then depending what you shoot and how often can determine if a more expensive bit of kit might be more durable, or provide features that will make your life easier on a consistent basis.

And that is for each individual to conclude themselves. Clearly there are some who think what fits their needs should be the final answer for every other photographers needs.

Edited on Oct 16, 2013 at 11:14 PM · View previous versions



Oct 16, 2013 at 11:11 PM
mttran
Offline
• • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #18 · p.1 #18 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?

Yes, I am happy using Digic II cams, still. They are dirt cheap now. Beside the extremely hi-iso range, I won't miss anything compared to latest offers from canon.



Oct 16, 2013 at 11:12 PM
jctriguy
Offline
• • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #19 · p.1 #19 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


anthonygh wrote:
So ....does photography depend on money to achieve results??


Of course not. You already know the answer to that, and have posted numerous times over the last year or so to that effect.

A great photographer can take a phone or P&S and get some amazing results. You can buy a used Canon 1D for $300 and a 50 1.8 and get stunning results for less than the cost of any one of the items you mentioned in your 'budget' shooting weekend. You listed in excess of $4k in equipment (assuming you are using CS6 on a half decent computer). Not sure what is budget and low cost about that scenario.

Some people like acquiring gadgets and like gear. Some people have legitimate needs for the gear they have. Wildlife photography is certainly better with super-tele and high end supports. High ISO in the modern cameras has opened up new areas that previously weren't possible.

Some days I enjoy taking out my M645 and a roll of BW film. Other days it is the new gear with IS and high speed burst on. Whatever suits your desires and needs on a given day



Oct 16, 2013 at 11:30 PM
gdanmitchell
Offline
• • • • • • •
Upload & Sell: Off
p.1 #20 · p.1 #20 · Can you enjoy Canon gear on a budget?


Gochugogi wrote:
I had the opposite experience with film. In fact, shooting and results from the lab were pretty immediate. Heck, I don't normally edit my digital images until that evening or the next day. Back in the day I mainly shot B&W negative film--Tri-X and Pan-X--and that very evening was developing it in my bathroom or the high school lab. I studied the negs/contacts, decided how to print and tweaked print expose/development times for best results. If it didn't look right, I tried it again with burn or dodge or a different grade of paper. I learned more about the technical
...Show more

I've done it both ways - starting many years ago with developing film and darkroom printing, and more recently converting to entirely digital.

While your experience might seem different, most people are going have a more positive learning experience with digital photographic tools and processes. Starting with the camera, where you can check to see if your assumptions about exposure, depth of fuel, focus, composition, and more work out as you plan and then immediately apply what you see in the display to zero in on your goal... and continuing through the post processing stage where you not only have the ability to control aspects of the image that were difficult or impossible to control before, but you have the freedom to try many different ideas and learn from them... digital provides more rapid and richer feedback to the beginning photographer.

Film has the burden of history, but I've often thought that if film-based photographic technology and digital photographic technology had become available simultaneously, few if any photographers would have picked film.

Dan



Oct 16, 2013 at 11:48 PM
1
       2       end




FM Forums | Canon Forum | Join Upload & Sell

1
       2       end
    
 

You are not logged in. Login or Register

Username       Or Reset password



This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.