Is it the camera or the photographer that makes the biggest difference?
May 31, 2024
Alex Baker
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
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Yes, these old questions again: does camera equipment make such a huge difference in image quality? Or is it the eye of the person holding the camera? Can a budget camera ever hold a candle to an expensive professional-level camera and lens?
In this video from Vanessa Joy, experienced pro photographers are given entry-level or outdated gear to see what they can create with it. The results are certainly interesting.
Equipment
The cameras used are a Canon R10 with a “nifty fifty” 50mm f/1.8 lens, which in total costs around $1,000. The other is a Fujifilm X-H2S ($2499) with a 50mm lens on a crop sensor, which is equivalent to an 80mm lens. This isn’t what I’d call a super budget set-up; however, it’s a far cry beneath what photographer Caroline Tran normally shoots with.
The shoot
The photographers take turns photographing a model, giving their own directions, poses, and lighting. They then choose their best images and post-process them to their own individual taste. The general public is then asked to decide which ones they like the best.
Results
Well, the results are what you’d expect, really, given that it was not a particularly scientific experiment! The photographs shot by the photographers are pretty good despite using entry-level-grade cameras. I think we could have all answered this question without watching the video. Of course, professional photographers can still create wonderful photographs using budget equipment, duh!
Alex Baker
Alex Baker is a portrait and lifestyle driven photographer based in Valencia, Spain. She works on a range of projects from commercial to fine art and has had work featured in publications such as The Daily Mail, Conde Nast Traveller and El Mundo, and has exhibited work across Europe
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4 responses to “Is it the camera or the photographer that makes the biggest difference?”
It’s what we always suspected. Even a beginner with a Leica will do great shots because … it’s Leica or such. It will be even more better if he/he can afford a plane ticket to Iceland. Or take an 80-200mm lens to the streets of Mumbai. Grizzled faces await.
No surprises. Although I don’t think the images shown here were that good. The cheap camera good photographer debate was settled long ago when Kai Wong had top shooters turn in their expensive DSLRS and handed them a cheap $20 point & shoot. As I recall, one of the guys was given a Buzz Lightyear toy camera. The results? Some stunning work. Some of the old videos from when Kai did that when affiliated with the old Digital Rev can still be found on YouTube. I wonder if we could talk Kai into doing it again.
The stroboscopic intro aside (people prone to epileptic seizures and overprocessed footage beware!), having a Canon R10 with a Canon RF 50mm f/1.8 lens compete against a Fujifilm X-H2S with a Fuji XF 50mm f/1.0 and call that “on a budget” raises some serious questions about people’s mental health and especially their relationship towards money. Oh the hypocrisy!
For the records: The R10 (24MP) was introduced 2022, same with the X-H2S (26MP). If that’s your definition of “outdated”, I recommend, you shoot with a Nikon D70. Which – in the hands of somebody who knows what he/she is doing – would still produce better results than a Nikon Z9 if some spastic idiot uses it in full auto.
I totally second Libby recommending Kai Wong and his “Pro Photographer Cheap Camera Challenge”. Here are a couple links (unfortunately, DigitalRev TV seem to have taken down 29 episodes, shame on them):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0flHpWGrEng
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HLVBDX6Yqns
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q96LWJlSCO0
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b6psW0OJQjU
Watch and learn. Unlike your clip, this is even entertaining!
P.S.: For some background on the “DRTV Issue”, have a look at:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c6MBjDFJX_s
Quote Richard (DRTV producer): “Long story short, no one is monitoring the channel so things decay”. Yeah. Sure. Very plausible.
In forty+ years I’ve seen way to many crappy images by someone with expensive cameras; and fantastic work taken with lower end (few featured) cameras. 1. Cameras are tools, learn your tools. 2. Develope an artistic eye. 3. Take notes on what you did, record everything. Review notes with pictures after. See what you did yields the desired image. 4. Having learned from your notes, recreate your images. This is how it’s done when you know your tool. If you can’t recreate an image, then you’re not good, you’re just lucky. A good photographer can recreate his images (such as portraits of different people, but in the same place and pose.)