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i often see written on forum threads and in other places that it isn't the equipment that makes a good photograph it is the persons who takes the picture.
this is sort of true in as much as a person needs photographic talent to see a good shot but that is the only truth.
i personally cannot agree/believe that a 19.99 0.5mp keyring digital camera bought from a gadget shop catalogue for example can take as good quality photograph as a several thousand pound 8mp+ pro digital slr camera with top brand lenses or mamiya/hasselblad medium format camera because the photographer can take a good photograph.
when i personally say in posts that i want a new pro digital slr camera with lenses, filters etc, i don't say it because i'm a gullable simpleton that thinks this will make me guarenteed to take good photo's - i say it because i have been a photographer for around 12 years using many levels of photographic equipment from point & click to 35mm slr camera to digital cameras all of which i have really enjoyed using and taken good and bad shots with - just simply as time moves on I want to improve my gear and working tools to try and experience new things.
the quality of the equipment makes a big difference to the end result and it is a combination of skill/talent and this quality that makes the end result better.
a formula 1 pro racer wouldn't achieve the same 1st place results if he was in a pedal powered kids gokart instead of his multi-million pound 220mph racing car because he is a great driver.
i finish by saying this post isn't intended to come over as me sounding angry or moaning - i assure the thread readers i am just simply saying my personal opinion on the aforementioned topic.
peter "morpyre" turner
Peter your example of a key ring digital compared with a pro SLR is true. It would be impossible to get anywhere near a similar quality, but some of the pics taken on here, for example by answersonapostcard on a Fuji compact using window light and limited knowledge, are as good as many of the portraits I've seen taken by members using pro spec gear with a room full of studio lighting.
The truth is that they are both important. However, if you ignore the extremes I believe it is true that the photographer is more important than the equipment. For example, a good tog with a 2mp fixed lens digital has a chance of taking better pictures than a snapper with a x000 DSLR.
Ian
For what its worth, I've seen some excellent pictures on here taken with some really basic equipment. The only time the quality really makes a difference I think is if you have 2 photographers of equal abilty one using top spec equipment then you would maybe see a difference but only in image quality. Thats what I think anyway. Give me a 20D and my pictures wont improve, they may be slightly sharper but it'll do dothing for the compositon.
It gets difficult when comparing cheap digital toi expensive digital, but you can do it with film. I have got very good results with an Olympus XA camera which I bought for 10. With film cameras the image is always recorded on the highest quality medium.
And I am not getting into a film v digital argument.
Good point Luke, the difference is then down to the lens quality.
One thing people tend to overlook is that you often suffer a deterioration in photo quality when you get a better camera, while you learn it's particular characteristics.
Maybe that's just me. :0)
Ian
I suppose this is in response to a comment I made in another thread so here goes...
I know a guy recently who upgraded from a 1Ds to a 1Ds Mk2 because the 1Ds didnt give his pictures 'the punch' he required. He thought it would give him the edge in his local photo competitions over the rest of the folk.
I've also seen people 'upgrade' from compact digicams to pro spec DSLRs and struggle because of the lack of wee head symbols and the like, so upgrading doesnt necessarily mean better in that respect.
I also know a lot of photojournalists who carry around G5/G6s as point and shooters for shots that they wouldnt be able to get with all their other gear and who turn out better shots than most ordinary mortals with 10k+ gear.
Its not the equipment that takes the photograph - certainly not at 500 or 1000 pixels - the right equipment helps with the quality of the final image or the workflow. It doesnt help with the content, subject matter, lighting etc etc.
As for the karting analogy - do you know that Michael Schumacher is one of the best karters around (along with his brother) when racing standard karts (ones that have fixed standards and no tweaking).
At a local circuit the lap record belongs to a professional motocross rider and the next fastest lap time belongs to Eddie Irvine. Both in randomly picked, off the shelf karts that anyone else can use.
When you look at the photo's taken by the past masters with early 35mm equipment you think wow. A 50 second hand film SLR will at least equal that kit and films are better. So Luke, for today, I agree with you.
Malcom you just went over my head, but yes.
My sons greatest achievement in karting was keeping a steady 0.5 second gap ahead of the kid that won the race series he is in, in off the shelf Karts. His starts stink though. 
i wasn't just meaning extremes i meant both ends and the bit in the middle =) i will still happily use a 100 compact camera in addition to my dslr to take my photo's and am pleased with the result. and i appreciate the various great photographers on here can take really pleasing shots with whatever they are using =)
i can and will be taking the same sort of pictures as i do now because this is how i enjoy my style of doing photography - i have no intention of changing the way i do photography - all i simply want is to now own and experience a decent pro dslr for the comfort of use factor.
someone who has happily driven a good average car who decides after 10 years of driving that they fancy now owning and driving a porsche 911 arn't changing the driver skills of how they get from A to B and back - they are just simply changing what they use to get there and back.
i know that i will enjoy using a pro dslr because i have several years of photographic experience and i understand how to use a complex camera such as setting apertures, shutter speeds, using manual, semi or fully automatic etc - if i didn't understand these things i would never bother spending thousands of pounds on a camera, it would be pointless, i would just stick with a point and click.
peter "morpyre" turner
I agree with the general consensous that equipment to a certain level makes a difference.. then it doesn't, then it does again,
the comparisson between a keyfob camera and a DSLR is a good example of how other things such as the glass, size of sensor etc make a huge difference just in capture capabilty,
And yes there is a big diference between Pro DSLR'S and consumer DSLr's. I use a 1D2 because they hadn't released the 1DS2 when I was looking for an upgrade from my 300D. the diffence is enormous.. ( so is the weight!)
I recently bought a 20D for my wife who is busy snapping away and wants more control over what she produces and I would say the difference between that and the 1D2 is quite significant.
the 1D2 has a totally different feel to it, the way the buttons, wheel, menu, focusing etc work, even the sound the shutter makes, like the difference between a japanese car door slamming and a German car door shutting. its just a pleasure to use, The sensor has the same amount of pixels but they are smaller. slightly inferior. hence the different crop factor, But its the build quality that has such an impact when you pick them up. one after another
I'm awaiting delivery of my new tool an H1+ back... for a number of different reasons, I want to shoot MF for the ratio (I find 35mm frustrating), increased dynamic range, better colours, etc.. and from a personal point of view its a beautiful piece of equipment that will give me enormous pleasure to use... I await in anticipation
How it will effect my photography.. I have no idea.. I think that comes from a combination of the thoughts in your mind and experience... just keep pushing the button. Its a process not an event!
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