@Adam Bonn in his most recent X-Pro blog made some great points about gear. If you're not reading it, you should. And our friend MikeG made the following reply which got me to thinking about what we want out of our gear.......
Mike nailed one of the things I look for these days. Nuances of feel and design. If I don't like how the camera feels in hand and the controls, I will avoid using it.
The next thing I look at these days, I was just discussing with my father this week. Subtle nuances in the images from the combination of sensor and lens. These are the things photographers see, but clients or people who are not at least enthusiasts never notice. Rendering, color, microcontrast, etc. Having recently made the switch from primes back to the 16-55 for working needs, I also noticed the differences in all these areas. But the people who I photographed just saw photos they like.
Because I do working shoots; behind the scenes, events, portrait/headshots, and hopefully off-road driving again soon. Plus all of the personal stuff I shoot; like family, landscapes, urban exploring, and so on. I need the right tool for the right job. Which is why, depending on which combination of things I am shooting, you guys see me swapping back and forth between different gear. A very hard lesson I had to learn is that the gear I love is not always the gear I need. And trying to force the gear I love to work, usually yields less than great results.
For the last several months, I have had the mindset of being a minimalist with my gear. Which aside from a love which has developed over the last few years, is the reason I stay with Fuji. The Fuji system is so well developed at this point, that whatever my needs are, they can be met. Plus, Fuji upgrades bodies and lenses several times after release.
I can go on FredMiranda right now and grab a X-T1 with battery grip in excellent condition for a few hundred dollars. Which goes back to Adam's point about gear. While now three generations old, the X-T1 is still a very capable camera.
If you're still with me at this point, tell us what it is that you look for in your gear decisions.
I think Adam you are spot on thinking that almost any modern/new camera will give acceptable results!
So it comes down to nuances of feel and design that will be what will make your mind up!
Mike nailed one of the things I look for these days. Nuances of feel and design. If I don't like how the camera feels in hand and the controls, I will avoid using it.
The next thing I look at these days, I was just discussing with my father this week. Subtle nuances in the images from the combination of sensor and lens. These are the things photographers see, but clients or people who are not at least enthusiasts never notice. Rendering, color, microcontrast, etc. Having recently made the switch from primes back to the 16-55 for working needs, I also noticed the differences in all these areas. But the people who I photographed just saw photos they like.
Because I do working shoots; behind the scenes, events, portrait/headshots, and hopefully off-road driving again soon. Plus all of the personal stuff I shoot; like family, landscapes, urban exploring, and so on. I need the right tool for the right job. Which is why, depending on which combination of things I am shooting, you guys see me swapping back and forth between different gear. A very hard lesson I had to learn is that the gear I love is not always the gear I need. And trying to force the gear I love to work, usually yields less than great results.
For the last several months, I have had the mindset of being a minimalist with my gear. Which aside from a love which has developed over the last few years, is the reason I stay with Fuji. The Fuji system is so well developed at this point, that whatever my needs are, they can be met. Plus, Fuji upgrades bodies and lenses several times after release.
I can go on FredMiranda right now and grab a X-T1 with battery grip in excellent condition for a few hundred dollars. Which goes back to Adam's point about gear. While now three generations old, the X-T1 is still a very capable camera.
If you're still with me at this point, tell us what it is that you look for in your gear decisions.