How much technology do you need?

Episode 169 - How much Tech do you need?

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Transcript

Welcome to episode 169, I’m Andy Jones.

This week, I’ll walk you through the technologies available to you and help you determine whether you really need them.

Okay, let’s start with …

DSLR or Mirrorless Camera Bodies
The main and obvious difference between them is the mirror in the DSLR. It is used to reflect the view from the lens to the viewfinder. 

In mirrorless bodies, the view from the lens is a video feed. The early EVFs, Electronic ViewFinders, were not that good. But, over the last few years, the EVF image has improved to the point that it isn’t considered a problem.

Because of the EVF, mirrorless cameras use much more battery power, although batteries constantly improve. You just need to have some extra batteries on hand.

Another difference between DSLRs and Mirrorless bodies is the available focus points.

The entry-level Canon T7 DSLR from 6 years ago had 9 Autofocus points. That same year, Canon released the mirrorless EOS R, which had 5,655 AF points. There is a slight difference there.

But there is a way to use an older DSLR, use the main center focus point, and compose the image with your subject in any part of the frame. That is by using back button focus. It’s perfect for portraits.

Changing the composition doesn’t work if you are shooting sports. But you would be using the center focus point anyway.
The technology is …
Autofocus
Now, this is where the latest bodies excel. They focus on the subject at an incredible speed. But you have to compare apples to apples.

The top-of-the-range models have the best technology. Entry-level bodies do not.

I would rather buy a used 5-year-old professional body instead of a brand-new entry-level body because the autofocus will be superior to any entry-level body.

If you want to shoot sports, you will need a fast autofocusing camera. I still have a 15-year-old Canon 1D mk4, which was Canon’s flagship body in 2009.

It has a fast autofocusing system designed for sports photography. Used dealers are selling them for around $500 right now, which is a bargain compared to a new entry-level camera with a useless kit lens. 

If you want to shoot sports and money is no object, then the latest bodies are perfect. Eye detection is just incredible. It doesn’t matter where your subject is in the frame. The autofocus system latches onto an eye and keeps it in focus.

Even if you are looking to do weddings or portraits, it allows you to take perfectly focused photos every time.

Canon just released the R1 and R5 mk2. They both have “Intelligent Subject Recognition.” So, if you are shooting basketball, the autofocus system keeps the subject's eye in focus. But when they pass the ball, the focus point moves to the eye of the player who is about to receive it. 

It is a huge step forward for sports shooters. But the latest technology costs a lot of money, and if you are a landscape photographer, you don’t need it.

You just need a body that has …
Live View
The later DSLR models and all the mirrorless bodies have Live View, which shows your composition on the rear LCD screen. The newer versions have touch screens, which allow you to pick your focus points.

This is a great thing for landscape photographers when composing an image.

The next thing to consider is …
Image Stabilization - Vibration Reduction
There are two types of stabilization, in the lens and in-body.

Image stabilization was added to the lenses to help the photographer take sharper photos. It reduces blurring associated with camera shake, allowing you to use slower shutter speeds when hand-holding. 

Most of the newer pro bodies now have in-body stabilization. My R6 mk2 body has it. All of my old lenses don’t have stabilization, but now mounted on the R6, I can hand-hold at incredibly slow shutter speeds and still get great results.

Do you need it? Well, I didn’t have it until a year ago, and it wasn’t a problem. It’s built into most pro lenses. 

If you have it, it’s a bonus. If not, don’t worry about it.

Next is …
Off-Camera Flash
If you are new to flash photography, you might think that the flash can only be triggered wirelessly.

Well, back in the day, we used Sync Cables. They were plugged into your camera and the flash, and you were only restricted by the length of the cable. 

You could also use the Master/Slave option if your flash had one. This allowed you to use as many flashes as needed. You just set one flash to master and the rest to slave. When the flash set to master fires, the light would instantly trigger the ones set to slave.

If your flash didn’t have that option, you could buy an optical slave trigger. This is a small glass dome that plugs into your flash. It triggers the flash when it sees the light from another flash.

In desperate moments when a sync cable failed, I used the popup flash on my old Canon 30Ds to trigger my off-camera flashes.

After lots of sync cable failures, I splashed out on some eBay triggers. They changed my life. I upgraded to Pocket Wizard triggers, and I still have them today, although I don’t use them very often.

You can use Pocket Wizards to trigger a remote camera, too. 

Now that Godox sells inexpensive flashes and triggers, it’s easier than ever to start shooting off-camera flash. The added bonus with the Godox system is you can control the flash power output from the camera-mounted trigger. That saves you walking out to the flash to make changes.

Last but definitely not least is …

Lenses
Lenses give you the best bang for your buck of all the technology you can spend your money on.

Wedding and portrait photographers need lenses with f/1.4, 1.8, 2, and 2.8 apertures. An f/4 zoom is acceptable, but for the best results, you would want to add flash.

I don’t think you can shoot professionally using your 18-55mm variable aperture kit lens. You need professional lenses. Get yourself a nifty fifty, a 50mm f/1.8 lens, and see the difference in your photos.

When you decide to upgrade, the first thing you should buy is lenses. A good quality body with a hobbyist lens won’t change your photos, but an entry-level body with a pro lens will produce professional-quality images.

If you shoot landscapes, the need to use lenses that are f/1.4 and f/2.8 isn’t necessary. Even variable aperture lenses can be used. When most of your photos are taken using f/11 or f/9, the need for a lens that opens to f/2.8 isn’t there.

Okay, so do you need all the bells and whistles? No, you don’t.

But it does make your life easier. 

If your camera and lenses were all 15 years old, you would still be able to produce professional work. So, don’t think you need to spend a small fortune to shoot professionally. 

Buy what you need to do the job, and start with your lenses. 

Right, that’s it for episode 169. I’ll be back next week. Talk to you soon. Bye.