Skip to main content
added 9 characters in body
Source Link
Crazy Dino
  • 4.9k
  • 1
  • 26
  • 48

No you're not a bad photographer for questioning your equipment

But Yes you can outgrow your equipment. Granted Michael Clark's answer is correct about some of the greats not having some of the modern day capabilities we take for granted but you can genuingly get to a point where your kit is holding you back photographically. And this can be both what you produce and the difficulty.

There is a line between buying new gear because you need it and buying new gear because you want it (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

You should be able to justify what you want to purchase and why it would benefit, rather than having cash burning a hole in your pocket, examples:

  1. I shoot athletics. My camera shoots 3FPS. It's not quite enough to get a full runners stride or launching of a javelin at the point I want it. Next upgrade would be a camera with faster FPS.
  2. I shoot in a studio. I have a kit lens but my pictures just aren't as super sharp as I would like them. So get a prime.
  3. I shoot birds, with a 50mm f/1.8. My pictures aren't too noisy, but there not that much reach. I can crop but then you can't see anything. So buy a longer lens.
  4. Etc etc.

Now look at your images. Would new gear improve OR make it easier to shoot what you want? Again as Michael Clark's answer points out the 50mm f/1.2 is notoriously slow. But it's a killer lens (partly of the weight makes a great blunt force object. Sorry had to make a joke based on the pun).

But the combo with the M100 is a weird one. the 50mm is a top level lense... but bodywise I expect the AF etc won't be as fast as what you would find on one of Canon's top offerings. The sensor is currently rated 11th on DXOMark (I feel sick using the site..) so I presume the IQ's pretty good. Also for the street work I guess the size and weight is a massive factor.

I would suggest trying out another lens so your little zoom and see if that helps, then rather dropping straight in with a full frame, see if you can borrow or rent a few cameras and have a play.

No you're not a bad photographer for questioning your equipment

But Yes you can outgrow your equipment. Granted Michael Clark's answer is correct about some of the greats not having some of the modern day capabilities we take for granted but you can genuingly get to a point where your kit is holding you back photographically. And this can be both what you produce and the difficulty.

There is a line between buying new gear because you need it and buying new gear because you want it (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

You should be able to justify what you want to purchase and why it would benefit, rather than having cash burning a hole in your pocket, examples:

  1. I shoot athletics. My camera shoots 3FPS. It's not quite enough to get a full runners stride or launching of a javelin at the point I want it. Next upgrade would be a camera with faster FPS.
  2. I shoot in a studio. I have a kit lens but my pictures just aren't as super sharp as I would like them. So get a prime.
  3. I shoot birds, with a 50mm f/1.8. My pictures aren't too noisy, but there not that much reach. I can crop but then you can't see anything. So buy a longer lens.
  4. Etc etc.

Now look at your images. Would new gear improve OR make it easier to shoot what you want? Again as Michael Clark's answer points out the 50mm f/1.2 is notoriously slow. But it's a killer lens (partly of the weight makes a great blunt force object. Sorry had to make a joke based on the pun).

But the combo with the M100 is a weird one. the 50mm is a top level lense... but I expect the AF etc won't be as fast as what you would find on one of Canon's top offerings. The sensor is currently rated 11th on DXOMark (I feel sick using the site..) so I presume the IQ's pretty good. Also for the street work I guess the size and weight is a massive factor.

I would suggest trying out another lens so your little zoom and see if that helps, then rather dropping straight in with a full frame, see if you can borrow or rent a few cameras and have a play.

No you're not a bad photographer for questioning your equipment

But Yes you can outgrow your equipment. Granted Michael Clark's answer is correct about some of the greats not having some of the modern day capabilities we take for granted but you can genuingly get to a point where your kit is holding you back photographically. And this can be both what you produce and the difficulty.

There is a line between buying new gear because you need it and buying new gear because you want it (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

You should be able to justify what you want to purchase and why it would benefit, rather than having cash burning a hole in your pocket, examples:

  1. I shoot athletics. My camera shoots 3FPS. It's not quite enough to get a full runners stride or launching of a javelin at the point I want it. Next upgrade would be a camera with faster FPS.
  2. I shoot in a studio. I have a kit lens but my pictures just aren't as super sharp as I would like them. So get a prime.
  3. I shoot birds, with a 50mm f/1.8. My pictures aren't too noisy, but there not that much reach. I can crop but then you can't see anything. So buy a longer lens.
  4. Etc etc.

Now look at your images. Would new gear improve OR make it easier to shoot what you want? Again as Michael Clark's answer points out the 50mm f/1.2 is notoriously slow. But it's a killer lens (partly of the weight makes a great blunt force object. Sorry had to make a joke based on the pun).

But the combo with the M100 is a weird one. the 50mm is a top level lense... but bodywise I expect the AF etc won't be as fast as what you would find on one of Canon's top offerings. The sensor is currently rated 11th on DXOMark (I feel sick using the site..) so I presume the IQ's pretty good. Also for the street work I guess the size and weight is a massive factor.

I would suggest trying out another lens so your little zoom and see if that helps, then rather dropping straight in with a full frame, see if you can borrow or rent a few cameras and have a play.

Source Link
Crazy Dino
  • 4.9k
  • 1
  • 26
  • 48

No you're not a bad photographer for questioning your equipment

But Yes you can outgrow your equipment. Granted Michael Clark's answer is correct about some of the greats not having some of the modern day capabilities we take for granted but you can genuingly get to a point where your kit is holding you back photographically. And this can be both what you produce and the difficulty.

There is a line between buying new gear because you need it and buying new gear because you want it (Gear Acquisition Syndrome).

You should be able to justify what you want to purchase and why it would benefit, rather than having cash burning a hole in your pocket, examples:

  1. I shoot athletics. My camera shoots 3FPS. It's not quite enough to get a full runners stride or launching of a javelin at the point I want it. Next upgrade would be a camera with faster FPS.
  2. I shoot in a studio. I have a kit lens but my pictures just aren't as super sharp as I would like them. So get a prime.
  3. I shoot birds, with a 50mm f/1.8. My pictures aren't too noisy, but there not that much reach. I can crop but then you can't see anything. So buy a longer lens.
  4. Etc etc.

Now look at your images. Would new gear improve OR make it easier to shoot what you want? Again as Michael Clark's answer points out the 50mm f/1.2 is notoriously slow. But it's a killer lens (partly of the weight makes a great blunt force object. Sorry had to make a joke based on the pun).

But the combo with the M100 is a weird one. the 50mm is a top level lense... but I expect the AF etc won't be as fast as what you would find on one of Canon's top offerings. The sensor is currently rated 11th on DXOMark (I feel sick using the site..) so I presume the IQ's pretty good. Also for the street work I guess the size and weight is a massive factor.

I would suggest trying out another lens so your little zoom and see if that helps, then rather dropping straight in with a full frame, see if you can borrow or rent a few cameras and have a play.