Top 5 DSLR Myths

Combating DSLR myths is an ongoing challenge, as marketing and misguided perceptions have created illusions so powerful most hobbyists don't even see them. With perspective on what some of the worst myths are and what it really takes to get better photos, you can not only save money on gear you don't need but advance with the gear you have and make better images to show your friends and family. #5. Auto-everything is best. This approach represents the problem with the amateur view of photography, which puts equipment first. The problem is equipment has no sense -- of anything. It's a machine. Without thought, feeling or understanding, it does what you tell it to, and if you tell it nothing, it makes an algorithmic guess. There's nothing wrong with automatic features if you understand how they work and their limitations, but they don't guarantee you any better results. There's no auto-art. #4. You need to buy it new. New gear has its appeal -- the mint condition, the pride of first ownership and the protection of the warranty. It's not exactly as if people blatantly perpetuate the myth that you need new equipment, but at the same time most people probably gravitate toward the new without contemplating what real benefits they're gaining, which I say are few. Also, people who make money on gear, mostly manufacturers, have a huge vested interest in convincing you to buy new stuff. However, when you get past the perceived benefits, you'll realize the used stuff has the same practical benefits as the new stuff when it comes to getting the same job, at a fraction of the cost. You take some risk without the warranty, but there's no reason a camera that with reasonable scrutiny appears to be in good condition will need repair within the period the warranty would've covered, and if it does, it'll likely cost less than the extra you would've paid for the new gear. Scour the used market carefully, and look at the previous generation. You can get older pro bodies cheaper than new entry-level ones. That doesn't mean you'll get better pictures. It just means you'll get a feel for pro tools. Also, having an older model may just give you the incentive you need to step up your skill instead of relying on equipment. It's not about the gear. It's about the story you can tell with it. #3. Start with more camera so you can grow into it. Actually the opposite is true. The more skills you have, the better images you can get out of the same camera. The time to upgrade is after you've mastered the fundamentals and have developed the ability to use them in consistently and predictably making good negatives. Until you can do that, you're just paying for a slot machine with more ways to play. It's OK to want and get better stuff and cool features. This can be just a hobby and I realize not everyone is interested in learning more, but understand that none of the "stuff" makes you a better photographer. #2. You need more megapixels: This myth is as much a sales pitch as a product of misunderstanding. It takes just 1.8 megapixels to make a billboard (1.8, not 18). If you're not making prints, a long edge of 1,080 pixels (1.08MP) is enough to display HD quality on a screen. If you are making prints, 12MP is enough for a 20x30 print at minimum photo resolution from viewing distances of 4 to 5 feet. Realistically most hobbyists never make prints that large, not only because they're expensive and take up space but magnify the flaws of imperfect captures. If you want more megapixels so you can crop out a portion of the frame, that makes no sense as it wastes the potential of the sensor. Focus on making better negatives, and crop in camera through the viewfinder. #1. The gear you have isn't good enough. This is perhaps the No. 1 fallacy of understanding. No equipment makes you a better photographer because equipment isn't the thing making the pictures. The manufacturers, marketing VPs and hobbyists work diligently to convince you that spending more is the answer, but professionals aren't fooled. The only result a camera produces is a conversion of photons to electrons (with the addition of audio to electrons in HDSLRs), and whether it's a good picture or not is up to you. But what about all the advertisements and promises from manufacturers? All marketing. No camera can do the job of a trained and experienced professional. If they're showing amazing images in an ad, someone who understood photography took those pictures, not a random new photographer who just bought the camera. If they're showing amazing images from a pocket camera, understand that a master of light probably took those pictures. People complain about their cameras as if they were slot machines; well, if all you do is pull the lever, you shouldn't expect much from it. It will act like a slot machine until you learn to control it. So is the equipment preventing you from getting the images you want, or are you preventing it from recording the images it's capable of? You absolutely can get good, predictable results every time, with any DSLR, if you know how. Learn photography and discover what amazing gear you already have. So what do you need? Perhaps the best advice I could give anyone is that better pictures start with better decisions. You have to accept that great photography is work. You must stand on the rules before you make your own creative decisions. It starts with putting good stuff in front of the lens. There's no equipment that converts crap to art. Then it's a hundred little steps: not ignoring composition, not leaving color and exposure to chance, telling a story, using the tools properly, visualizing the result, developing. Good photographers not only learn how to make good pictures but they do the things that good pictures require. I wish I'd had someone telling me these things 20 years ago. If I'd have learned more from the beginning about the fundamentals and practiced it, I'd be 20 years ahead. Instead, I spent a lot of time and money hoping better equipment would do it for me. It doesn't work that way. You may not have the tools to create every pro image the way the pros do, but unless you have the skill, having those tools won't get you any closer. Maybe you know you should be getting more out of your gear but don't know how. Contact me for paid instruction or take a class. Learning is different for everyone, but go out and do it, and then practice what you learn. You'll be a happier photographer.