Rockwell knocks one out of the park (no kidding)!

[Patrick]

Here's my 2c worth...

Good gear plus creative vision = good/great images
Good gear plus limited creativity = limited images/snapshots
Limited gear plus creative vision = limited/good/great images.
and, for completeness...
Limited gear plus limited creative vision = snapshots

You can buy your way out of snapshots but you cannot buy your way to great images because great images require creativity and luck.

 

[rocketdesigner]

When technology is involved in any creation, the quality of the required tool(s) do matter.

Thats not to say lesser tools cannot produce a quality product. You might be able to build a decent birdhouse with a hammer that has a broken handle and a saw with half its teeth missing ... but using a new hammer and saw probably would have resulted in a better birdhouse.

 

[motorhead]

If the equipment made one iota of a difference then we would all be producing masterpieces daily. Clearly we are not, as the real artists show us constantly.

So I don't believe the amazing equipment we have these days makes any difference. The vision (or lack of it) is in us, not the kit we use.

 

[sanj]

Here's my 2c worth...

Good gear plus creative vision = good/great images
Good gear plus limited creativity = limited images/snapshots
Limited gear plus creative vision = limited/good/great images.
and, for completeness...
Limited gear plus limited creative vision = snapshots

You can buy your way out of snapshots but you cannot buy your way to great images because great images require creativity and luck.

Agree!

 

[TW]

When technology is involved in any creation, the quality of the required tool(s) do matter.

Thats not to say lesser tools cannot produce a quality product. You might be able to build a decent birdhouse with a hammer that has a broken handle and a saw with half its teeth missing ... but using a new hammer and saw probably would have resulted in a better birdhouse.

But perhaps what Ken is saying is that a man with a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted, solid platinum hammer and saw, but no idea what he is doing is not likely to outperform or even equal or come close to a thoughtful, experienced man with a plan using standard toolkit, eh?

 

[verysimplejason]

When technology is involved in any creation, the quality of the required tool(s) do matter.

Thats not to say lesser tools cannot produce a quality product. You might be able to build a decent birdhouse with a hammer that has a broken handle and a saw with half its teeth missing ... but using a new hammer and saw probably would have resulted in a better birdhouse.

But perhaps what Ken is saying is that a man with a gold-plated, diamond-encrusted, solid platinum hammer and saw, but no idea what he is doing is not likely to outperform or even equal or come close to a thoughtful, experienced man with a plan using standard toolkit, eh?

+1. When enough is enough.

 

[bdunbar79]

All I'm saying is that Ken makes a blanket statement that the camera and/or gear, doesn't matter. He puts no stipulations on the comment. I've agreed with all the posts on here, but still not my point. I guess I should rephrase that, for me it does matter. I am getting shots today I couldn't 2 years ago, and the ONLY reason is my camera.

I agree with the content and artistic arguments don't get me wrong, but that wasn't really my problem with Ken's comment. Again, I do like Ken and his website too, I just don't agree entirely with that blanket statement he says. The only reason I am getting some night sports shots that I am today is not because of anything at all other than my camera.

 

[crasher8]

It doesn't matter what camera you have. I have taken and produced much better work from my Elan 7 and my darkroom skills than I ever have with my 7D and L lenses.

 

[bdunbar79]

It doesn't matter what camera you have. I have taken and produced much better work from my Elan 7 and my darkroom skills than I ever have with my 7D and L lenses.

Then take your Elan 7 out and shoot 1/2000s, ISO 25,600, f/2.8 on a 300 f/2.8L, get a rapid fire shot of an interception and print out 8 x 10's. The camera will suddenly and mysteriously matter. By the way, there is a camera today that will do that easily. A CAMERA.

 

[RLPhoto]

It doesn't matter what camera you have. I have taken and produced much better work from my Elan 7 and my darkroom skills than I ever have with my 7D and L lenses.

Then take your Elan 7 out and shoot 1/2000s, ISO 25,600, f/2.8 on a 300 f/2.8L, get a rapid fire shot of an interception and print out 8 x 10's. The camera will suddenly and mysteriously matter. By the way, there is a camera today that will do that easily. A CAMERA.

Oh yeah, I could do that on my 4x5 camera because i'm awesome. (if I still had my 4x5 gear.) ;D

http://gizmodo.com/5932550/the-single-most-awesome-photographer-at-the-olympics

 

[crasher8]

It doesn't matter what camera you have. I have taken and produced much better work from my Elan 7 and my darkroom skills than I ever have with my 7D and L lenses.

Then take your Elan 7 out and shoot 1/2000s, ISO 25,600, f/2.8 on a 300 f/2.8L, get a rapid fire shot of an interception and print out 8 x 10's. The camera will suddenly and mysteriously matter. By the way, there is a camera today that will do that easily. A CAMERA.

Sorry this is about art not an assignment some smartass gives me. Your response is whacked on so many levels.

 

[Act444]

I've said this in the past - you can get great results out of any camera, as long as you stay within the camera's limitations. The more advanced the camera, the fewer limitations it will tend to have, which could expand creative freedom. For flowers, buildings, etc. that stay still, one can do that (quite amazingly, I may add) with an iPhone. But for anything that is moving, particularly in low-light? Much, much tougher. Again, the photographer works within the limits of whatever he/she has.

I think it just comes down to whatever you like to shoot. As a hobbyist, I'm not looking to create masterpieces or professional work- having said that, I still want to use the best tools I can afford so I can have as much freedom as possible with the highest IQ I can get. Hardly think that makes me any sort of "artist" or whatever you call it. I bet I'm not alone in this thinking, either.

P.S. Some of my favorite shots didn't come out of my DSLR, but from my P&S, iPhone, even old film camera I threw out a long time ago. You just kinda have to be at the right place at the right time sometimes

 

[bdunbar79]

It doesn't matter what camera you have. I have taken and produced much better work from my Elan 7 and my darkroom skills than I ever have with my 7D and L lenses.

Then take your Elan 7 out and shoot 1/2000s, ISO 25,600, f/2.8 on a 300 f/2.8L, get a rapid fire shot of an interception and print out 8 x 10's. The camera will suddenly and mysteriously matter. By the way, there is a camera today that will do that easily. A CAMERA.

Sorry this is about art not an assignment some smartass gives me. Your response is whacked on so many levels.

It's not a smartass comment. I'm sick of people saying the camera doesn't matter, when in certain cases, it certainly does. Depending on the situation, the camera matters. It is so stupid to say otherwise and I don't understand it.

 

[Daniel Flather]

I've said it before....content is king.
-PW

Yes, the proof are the many visually appealing videos on youtube shot with zero Dof and zero content.