"Gear isn't a replacement for skill " should be the saying. I think that's what "Gear doesn't matter" is trying to get at

With all the languages he could speak, he chose to speak facts

"Gear doesn't matter" (usually said while holding an expensive Leica). Great and spot on video!

“After a while we realise our photos are actually quite shit” 😂 I remember that moment so well, and it returns quite often!

I would add one more category, “enthusiast”. There are non-professionals for which photography is a hobby but they are really into it and enjoy using professional level gear. This category would fit just under your professional category since enthusiasts wouldn’t need all the redundancies that you described and perhaps would likely make some equipment compromises that a pro wouldn’t. A cellphone or small compact camera wouldn’t cut for such enthusiasts. I know because I am one. If one can afford it they should do what they enjoy.

"Gear doesn't matter" "Is the EOS R still worth it in 2021?"

If gear didn't matter, more expensive gear wouldn't exist. Gear absolutely matters, it just requires skill to use.

I am a photo enthusiast. I like photography for three (3) main reasons: 1) I enjoy the process of taking the photo, concentrating on the subject, and being in the moment. 2) I enjoy sharing the photo and hopefully receiving praise and acknowledgement for my skill from the viewer. 3) I like playing with the equipment. I like the gagits. I enjoy equipping myself with the tools to possible get the photo. And that is okay.

This is the truth. I wouldn’t hire a wedding photographer that only uses a phone.

reddit photographers hate this guy

'gear doesn't matter' says the guy with 50k of gear behind him, who started with gear bought by his parents and became famous presenting gear

My dad dabbled in wedding photography when he was in college and worked at a camera shop. He was a photography student and had all the technical skill he needed to get the job done, but had relatively humble gear (Nikkormat 35mm as opposed to a Nikon F camera or medium format). After being hassled by a few Uncle So-and-so's about having the same camera as him, he upgraded to a Mamiya TLR (which no one other than pros shot with) the hassling stopped and he could shoot in relative peace. The pictures were close to the same, but people perceived him as a pro and left him alone about it. sometimes gear exactly matters.

Photographers often want only talent to matter, but clients want to feel they are paying for exotic equipment too- otherwise they feel like you don't bear financial risk and $5000 for their wedding photos sounds very steep. For video gigs, just adding a $50 cage and $200 matte box is easier then explaining why you shoot with "just a little dslr" or just the "small RED" when you're changing them $10000 - they see you making $1000/hour for labor alone otherwise.

“iS tHe a7s3 sTiLl w0rTh iT aFtEr 3 dayz oF uSe?”

I shoot the British motocross championship and GP’s,the gear is sooo important. I carry 2x Nikon D4s with a 70-200 f2.8 on one body and a 300mm f2.8 on the other.Them things are built to last and take a beating.

Gear doesn’t automatically equate to quality. You could give someone a $5000 DSLR but if they don’t know how to use it to it’s potential, it’s worthless. Reason all the successful photographers have expensive gear is because they already have expert skill/knowledge & now they want the top gear to complement that

This was gold bought an a7 I found it very hard to get good photos with the kit lens bought zeiss 55 1.8mm - improvement friend buys a7 3 - my photos looks terrible compared to his Now debating whether to buy a73 Interestingly enough after 2 years I tried the kit lens again - my photos were significantly better, because i had got better in the time... it wasnt the lens, i had just got better.

I’m actually crying of laughter the way you said it so casually 🤣

I like the approach with this. You’re not contradicting the narrative just to be contradicting, you’re adding that context that makes it so important. The phrase is meant to, I think, comfort newer photographers and filmmakers because yeah, if the subject/story is shit it doesn’t matter if you shot it on an iPhone or a Hasselblad. But if you turn up to a clients wedding with that same iPhone and say “I swear that $2000-$10,000 you paid me is going to good use” you’re at best not going to be working there again, and at worst might get kicked out. Great video, great explanation.

when I went from my Canon 250d to the 6D it was actually a pretty big Jump, most importantly I can now shoot at ISO 8000 instead of maxing out at 1600 without the image looking like dogshit, so Fullframe actually mattered to me

“Everyone wanks over full frame cameras” 😂😂🤣🤣 that just earned you a new subscriber, mate. Amazing!

This statement should be reframed as "Skill matters more than gear." With the clarification that skill doesn't mean knowing what all the buttons do, it is understanding what makes a good image.

Nearly 2 years ago I took a couple of photos of a friend while he was performing at an event with my phone. He liked them so it became a regular thing. 6 months later I irresponsibly maxed out a credit card on an a7iii & kit lens. More camera than I knew what to do with. Having a f3.5 - 6.3 was hard work in a night clubs but I was really enjoying it and started pulling in a little bit of money from it. Then the desire for a 1.8 prime kicked in so six months later I picked one up. Mind blown by the difference I got sucked into the need for more. Borrowed more money, picked up another 3 started doing a bit of street photography and loved it then COVID happens. Now I’m broke but the pleasure I’m getting from the journey of learning and discovery of my creative side is priceless to me and has kept me in a positive place. Not the smartest way of doing things but I’m happy and I know the kit I’ve built will be great once night clubs are open again. I think if you’re buying with a purpose and investing in yourself then who can tell you what’s the right way to do it

When I went to buy my first camera a couple of years ago, I asked the guy of the shop what were the differences between a 300€ camera body and a 700 or 1000€ one. He said that: "there isn't really that big of a difference. You can take the same amazing/ shitty photos with both of them, but the expensive one has some features that would make that a little bit easier or faster" I think that's just the case: you can take amazing photos with the cheapest gear in the world, but in some cases you need your gear to perform perfectly no matter what happens or how are the circumstances. Then, gear really does matter. Loved the video! Such a sensible opinion

"You need to know the rules in order to break the rules." And part of those rules are using the right gear/tools for the job, so gear does matter.

I think the last point is the most important one: get something that makes you want to go out and shoot! For me it is a Leica, for some it is a Rolleiflex film camera and for some it is a Fuji: just find what you like and go out and shoot! Stop worrying about specs and autofocus modes and get whatever suits you best.

If I was a professional whose cleints happiness would depend on my results - my images... Then my approach to photography would be very different. But I chose ptohography as my hobby so yes, the result, the final photo is important to me, but so is the act of taking that photo. Thats why I chose Fuji. Its simply pleasure to use. So I kinda disagree with thesis "phone is more than enough for hobby" because you may loose some of the joy from the process of photography.

You've put into words so many thoughts that I've had on this topic over the years. Cheers mate.

At the end of the day it really does always come back to having the right tools for the job. Sure you could use a fisherprice toy hammer to build a house, but a nice steel workman's hammer would definitely make the job WAY easier haha

I made the mistake to spend a lot of money on a camera and then I couldn’t afford a laptop to process the new files properly. I spent this time learning new things and finding the right feeling with the new camera but I’m still using the old gears most of the time because I find it easy to edit. Can’t wait to be able to purchase a new laptop. Good content.

"There is nothing worse than a sharp photograph of a fuzzy concept". Ansel Adams.

I couldn't agree with this video more. Unfortunately, I find myself in the realm of client work mostly, so I fall under the most expensive category. However I DO appreciate the call-out in saying you should basically only have what you can comfortably afford, since it's useless if you can't get around with it. I found myself in heaps of credit card debt trying to dig my way out due to my trigger finger when it came to buying gear. I ended up buying: 25, 35, (2) 50's, and 85 prime lenses. All of which being almost exclusively Zeiss glass on an A7 III Body. I've now found myself downsizing to the X-T2, the 56mm f/1.2, and the 16 - 55 f/2.8. Cutting down to the bare essentials helped me gain the clarity and peace of mind to get back into the swing of things and also deliver kick ass images to clients. Definitely only buy what you can comfortably afford or you'll regret it, and don't just buy certain gear because it's cool to have. Figure out what YOUR exact needs are and pull the trigger from there!

Gear only matters to an extent. It’s important to have high quality tools as a professional. However, once you actually buy that Leica camera you’ll realize that you can no longer make excuses.

I'd say it's a super broad subject that most people compress down to the price point in order to make their decision which in turn removes all the other factors from the table and it seems like most people push that on others, like the pocket 6K for instance amazing quality with an equally amazing price there's no question about it but if you want to shoot a feature and pitch it to Netflix it's a write off because it's not a Netflix approved camera, another factor is that flashy gear has the potential to draw in clients, when I was starting out I got the canon L-Series 70-200 right off the bat and it got me work because the clients were naive to think this guys got nice looking gear so he must be a pro when in reality I was just beginning so I landed some jobs that I was unqualified for at the time but I miraculously pulled them off and grew so much from those experiences somewhat cutting the learning curve and having a nice jump start to my career! In a business sense the gear pays for itself I never think "screw that it's too expensive therefore it's not good" but instead I think "that could be an asset to my cinematography so I'll do a few camera jobs and use that income to get it" then time will tell it just depends whether or not it was a good investment! Storytelling is king but that doesn't make gear any less important everything should collectively compliment one another without having to sacrifice one of them! I'm totally opinionated on this subject so excuse the massive paragraph but my closing statement would be based on the science behind cameras, people see 4K and lots of megapixels and think that's all they need to know which is a major misconception, a 50 megapixel phone camera with a puny sensor that shoots 4K will absolutely crumble in the editing room because it lacks so many more fundamentals, if that wasn't the case then sure they can say their iphone with more megapixels is better than an $80.000 Arri with an 8 megapixel sensor, there's the pixel pitch as well, dynamic range of course, low light capabilities etc so for sure when people start asking if gear matters too many of them let the price point cloud their judgment opposed to thinking of the bigger picture! We've barely even scratched the surface on the topic but overall i'd say we need to be more open minded on the subject because it seems to have got to a point where people are afraid to say gear matters, it just depends on how much it matters to the individual!

Finally someone that decides to say what I have been thinking the whole time! It´s actually insane how many people (hobbyists) seem to think that a full frame camera will solve everything & make them good instantly as soon as they spend more than 5000$ on camera gear instead of actually practicing with a cheap camera from the get go to understand the whole process of photography. In my opinion one of the most important parts to learn is post processing after you know how to use you camera, that will boost your work more than getting a new camera & take the same photo without any specific touch or feeling of post processing work. Good video man!

Speaking the truth. Anytime people tell me that gear doesn't matter my response is, "I shoot concerts. It definitely does matter." upgrading to f2.8 glass and getting a Canon R6 was such a game changer it wasn't even funny. With that said, I definitely spent a lot of time struggling on a crop sensor with some less-than-stellar lenses, but that was okay. It forced me to focus on the other things like composition and lighting, but the amount of shots I missed with my old setup was through the roof.

The problem with KZfaq-photographers is, that their endless gear-reviews … are simply irrelevant to 99% of even their subscribers. How many “of us” are professional photographers? For most people, a humble µ¾ or APS-C digital camera would suffice, an eco-system, where a lot of good and cheap lenses are available, and what I always point people to is to _get a remote flash, dammit!,_ because lighting is the most important aspect of the whole endeavor. In an ideal world, people would talk 80% of the time about lighting and composition. We do not live in an ideal world.

The meaning behind "gear doesn't matter" is two fold. 1) You can capture great photos with nothing more than your phone. There are professionals that make a living doing just that. 2) Anyone can get into photography. The only barrier of entry is having something to capture an image no matter what that is. Having gear you are comfortable with is more important than having the latest and greatest. Sensor size doesn't matter as you can capture great images with m43 as well as FF. (There are small use cases where you NEED a full frame). IMHO, nothing helped my photography more than moving to film for awhile. I used older gear like my OM-1 with no internal meter or program modes. It forced me to slow down, learn the exposure triangle, and develop an understanding of my focus points. Plus working with limited frames is a great way to get you thinking about the key elements of a shot.

The phrase you get what you pay for, runs totally counter to the idea that gear doesn't matter. Fact is we all want an easy answer so if we can throw cash at it then we will rather than strive and struggle to improve ourself.

Hi Roman, that's a perfect point. Completely agree. In the non-professional area I would add: -a camera let's you focus more on photos and forget about calls/text/social (relax) .. That's impossible when you're holding your phone in your hands all the time. -a camera gives you the confidence to do something that you wouldn't do with your phone (like laying on the ground next to a muddy puddle to catch a reflection haha).. Because you feel like you look more professional to people(hope this makes sense?! ). Of course it doesn't have to be necessarily a sony alpha 999 with a 12-500 f1.

Untill the day we can beam images from our mind directly into computers gear matters. Gear is what sets our limits. There's a reason why noone is doing sports photography with a pinhole camera. Also the more fun / easy to use gear is the more you can focus purely on being creative.

Gear does matter, but sometimes in the opposite way. I’ve got two full frame cameras but for a long time I have almost only been shooting with a used Fujifilm X100 (the first model).

Yes! I'm glad you mentioned your last point about gear inspiring you to go out and take photos being a reason. We seem to always get caught up in the technical reasons to upgrade gear, but there is also something important about investing in gear that inspires you to go out and take photos otherwise it just sits on your shelf!

Definitely gear matters at least for me buying me first prime changed everything since I could finally get the results I had in mind.. I would say that whenever you feel your gear is limiting you, you should definitely consider upgrading, but before that you should find out what you really need. For me as a m4/3 user I regret not having bought a APS-C sensor body as the lenses are just ridiculously expensive for the value IMO. For me the most important factors would be -weather sealing (at first I thought I wouldn't need it, but lets face it..we all do) -cost of lenses for the camera

On point. Great Video.

The story you described from the beginning of the video until 2:24 is MY STORY to the LETTER. In 2016, I started with my phone, moved to a Sony A6300, got a Sigma F1.8 lens, and ended with an EOS R in late 2020. Now, along the way, my ability DID dramatically improve, but you're right; in a sense, the GEAR itself doesn't necessarily matter if you have talent to back up the tools you've been given.

Well stated. Been a photographer for nearly 30 years, have run the gamut of disposable film (our equivalent to phones in 1992) to 50mp full-frame and pro lenses. In the past, I've had client expectations that demanded certain gear to achieve expected outputs. That's one case for spending big, and I've been there. But as I got older, I got tired of playing that game; constantly buying new gear to satisfy every possible client need. So I stopped. I decided to step back and buy smaller, cheaper gear that allowed me to be more flexible and creative. It means I can't accomodate every client. And I'm OK with that. I don't need to be a jack-of-all-trades, I don't need to be there for everyone. I just need to be able to do what I want and not lose sight of why I take photos in the first place. And if a client comes along who really likes my work but wants me to produce images my gear isn't capable of, I can always rent gear.

I rly think “Gear doesn’t matter” applies for KZfaq videos, not for photography and professional video making.

Finally someone said this - I think gears matters. I always wanted a camera which is weather sealed. So I am not so afraid to go out. Gear is stronger than you think - but that feeling about weather sealing is great. .....Greetz from 🇩🇪

Absolutely bang on mate! Sharing this to my Facebook as I always get comments saying “I wish I had a good camera to get pics like yours!” Such an insult to us long time experienced photographers lol....people think of you stick a 10 grand combo in their hands their pictures automatically come out ‘pro’ looking!!! Quite the opposite as it’s the also editing skills that bring them to where they are.....for snapshooters you cannot beat today’s phones.....

I shoot for my family to capture the moments I can look back on. I’ve only been if shooting for 3 yr and the amount of time and money you can invest in this form of art is infinite. I want to make money into my hobby but just cause you have a good camera set up doesn’t mean 1) have the ability to make good photos 2) have connections to make good photos (weeding or portraits) 3) how you sell your self to make it in anything 4) just make images that you like, be your own creator I don’t have to drive to but myself out there so I just ended up shooting for myself and of my family moments. Sometimes you just need to hear what your heart is telling you and don’t consume media that deals with your interest. I love what I do regardless of what other people think, it’s your images your passion.

This lad knows what's up 🔥🔥🔥

great video, the day I brought my R5 home I wasn't even in a rush to "try it out" I still use my Fuji XT4 10 times more.

Saw the title on this vid and thought, oh, not my thing but I’ll watch it anyway. Really enjoyed it dude. Like your presentation and you put over a good argument. Gear doesn’t matter when you’re just firing up your interest, then it matters when you start taking pics and need to learn, then it doesn’t when you’ve become more competent and can rely on technique and then it does again when you turn pro and need top quality. Yeah, I’ll go with that. Nice one.

I'm shooting film.This phrase first came out from a landscape film shooter.He had on his back at the moment a Pentax k-1 with a tele photo and a Nikon F3. When someone told him that "I would say the same if i had these high end cameras".Next day he came with a Pentax K-1000 with only M-42 lenses,really cheap lenses and no digital camera for backup.He had some bangers,some failed and some that were alright.His point was that if you can't shoot good photos with the bare minimum gear you shouldn't go for anything more.

Gear matters massively when you try to sell yourself like a pro. People LOVE to see expensive gear.

super insightful video. I wish this kind of discussion was around years ago when I first adventured to photography. I remember the frustration about not having THE 70-200 2.8 for my Canon. with a grain of salt, you are spot on on the 'full frame fashion' - just look how Fujifilm deals with it on their product line for digital

Ive treated it the same as buying cheap tools. When it no longer works, you know where to invest. Push whatever camera/phone you have to the limits of what you want to do. When it can't keep up with you, it's time to upgrade to something that can. No point just going and buying the biggest and best if you don't know why you want it.

Very well said. I have seen it expressed as "gear doesn't matter until it does". Here, you rightly point out that gear does not impact your skill/knowledge, but the operation in which you can effectively apply it. Gear does not make one better, study and practice do. Gear enables you to do some things that you were not previously able to do. To wit, fast primes for bokeh and T/S lenses for advanced optical control. But the basics of image-making can be handled by an entry-level camera and kit lens. And you final point about loving to just operate the camera to get images is a very good one.

I have these questions all the time in my head, because since 10 years I’m doing this Hobby thing. Even if you buy the priciest full frame camera the biggest problem is that you haven’t got so much time for the hobby and the patient to do it all the time. At the end image Quality is so hyped that everyone gets blind

Bravo that’s why I so like your channel : straight to the main things. I do make photography, more these days than videography now to learn in a different way’ the right way how to relearn composition, light story telling with images so I sold my gimbal my dji pro drone and many things just to go to the main and bought recently an xt3 ( not the xt4 on purpose) a 35 mm f2 and the 16-80 f4 with a Ricoh GR 3 to concentrate to what I really need right now and perhaps come back with videography, sound and my so love Final Cut Pro . To make it short comeback to the source to become better with the right tools in the right moment and the right place. Thanks again for your inspirating video. Thumb up from france .

This is perhaps one of the most practical presentation on the topic of "gear doesn't matter". Well done!

Very well said . . .and beautiful explained. And also Popular KZfaqrs forget that not all of the people watching them are rich. Many stay in under-developed countries where a pro camera is a 10 year old DSLR.

I think the sentence "Gear Doesn't Matter" is both true and false at the same time. You may have the skills but let's say that comes out a camera that has a function which improves your workflow. You have the same skills, but that other camera for you makes a difference, so in this case gear does matter becase this function will improve your workflow, so the sentence "Gear Doesn't Matter" is false. I was on holiday and I had with me a full frame digital camera and an old folding medium format 6x6. I've taken a photo on a beach with the old folding 6x6 that became one of my most appreciated images on several exhibitions, so finally in this case the sentence "Gear Doesn't Matter" is really true.

All I can think about is, "How can he have so little crap in that room?"

This is really eye opening! I was just thinking about this the other day and I’m glad someone is talking about it!

Mango Street just made a video on this, and they made the point that there are 2 different camps: people who are production value focused, and people who are art focused. But I like how you broke it down into a broader spectrum of gear needed. I think both approaches are good ways of approaching the conversation.

I have everything I want at this point, my photos are still shit. XD

"gear" is a tool and if you don't know how to use it effectively or creatively it def doesn't matter. In a way it is a similar argument about presentation...or what was presentation back in the day. Before I became a full time photographer (back in 2000) I was a director of photography at magazines. We would see a ton of portfolios. Some would be in super expensive, leather, embossed portfolios and some would be prints inside a film paper box. In the end we'd see great things in completely simple and humble presentations and sh*t work in expensive presentations (or vice-versa too). Gear matters depending on your purpose. If you are shooting in a studio, with an ad agency crew and client behind you sometimes gear is part of the show. The client often has no idea what the lights or camera or Digital tech is doing but they feel more confident with all those things humming and purring on the set. If you are out on the street shooting for yourself, a simple and inexpensive camera might just do the job.

You make some good points generally (especially about lighting) - however - as a professional with 30 years experience one thing I realised early on is that the moment you cross the line and start charging money for your services, you actually don't need to (and shouldn't) own ANY kit at all. As of today I own a pretty good "point and shoot" digital compact for "happy snaps" and location scouting, a serious tripod and very good light / flash meter. Once you go Pro the ideal kit for each job is different and no one could own it all. For one job you might want something that will shoot 20 frames a second, for the next you might want something with a waist level finder, then you might want a ton of studio flash, then you might simply want something "big" to provide a focus for your portrait subject, your next job might need to be shot on film - the trick is to RENT IT and pass the cost on to the client. This way, you always have the perfect kit for any job, someone else is insuring it and if it gets scratched / broken / stolen it's not your problem.

Agree with everything you’ve said. Videographers use this line all the time too and it cracks me up. “Gear doesn’t matter, story matters” - filmed on a C200 in cinema raw, XLR condenser mic, 2 c-stands and a partridge in a pear tree”

"Gear doesn't matter" said the new photographer about to shoot a grizzly with his 35mm prime.

Shoot on film and you'll be more conscious on the composition and everything else.

Great presentation, no gimmics....all killer, no filler!

I think it became a ‘blanket term’ because people in general need to feel better about themselves instead of worrying about what other people have. I started on a 400D, I got a 500D and used it for 3 years. And now. I have a XPro1. I tell people that gear doesn’t matter for a different reason, your reason. Get good first and then if you feel like you need a better camera for what your doing (be honest with yourself) then get it. I felt like I needed an upgrade but not much of one, just to appease my tastes.

"Everyone wanks over a full frame" "Your lens is rolling down the hill" LOLOL I think you can pull off street photography with a phone with something like an Adonit Photogrip Qi. Other than that, spot on.

"Gear doesn't matter" says those who are well equipped with lastest gears / or able to afford any new gears

Man that opening was so spot on for me. It's really interesting because smart phones can take great photos these days, but they look like a smart phone photo. Up until recently a smart phone pic was pretty much guaranteed to be 35mm@ff and no background separation. These days some of the most expensive phones have zoom, but we are still only talking about 50-60mm, and the background blur is fake. (though it can look pretty good at times) Even so, the very sharpened HDR cell phone photos appear generic even if you don't know what to look for. To say it can't be a crutch is also a lie. A fast lens on a FF sensor is going to do a hell of a lot better in low light than a cell phone will, even if you don't know how to use it to it's best. Or give someone an 85mm F2 and have them shoot portraits, then give them a cell phone. Guarantee the camera looks more professional. BUT give an experienced photographer a cell phone and they probably do better than the random person with the sweet gear. It won't look like a cell phone pic because people with cell phones usually don't take great compositions. So maybe what we should be saying is that you CAN buy better photos, but your time an energy is probably better spent on becoming a better photographer.

Upgraded my camera (for video) and got booked for gigs I would've never had prior. People commented that my work looked a lot "better" and I had my highest paying job (by nearly 20k) within 4 months. Gear absolutely matters

Dammit, I was writing a video script for this exact topic. Now Imma scrap it because it'll look unoriginal. But props for being one of the first to bring up this conversation. I've always been of the same mindset. A good photographer can take a good image with anything. But to get the best work out of the photographer, he or she needs the best gear.

I have discovered the disadvantage of too much gear. I still have more than I need but I only take out what I need. All second hand gear so I haven't broken the bank.

This is so true. I bought an EOS R, then sold it and bought an RP and buy better glass, then I sold that and bought an M50, and now I feel like I take better photos with my M50 or even my Sony NEX 5n than I ever did with my EOS R.

I was very skeptical reading the title and clicking on this video. But after watching it, you really make a lot of sense and I don't think the title does this commentary justice. You have a very practical advice that everyone should hear and you should really change that title to make it sound more practical rather than clickbait. I particularly liked your thoughts in the beginning about the early process of becoming a good photographer. There are definitely phases in a photographer's journey to improve technical and artistic skill. Good job mate.

A really well put together piece of info for the novice to take on board. I bought a Fuji X100 9yrs ago fell in love with it ! 2 years ago I upgraded to the X100f and as the young man says with 24 mp I can crop the ( f**k ) out of it if I want to, I just got worn down by carrying around bags of gear of which I didn’t use most of the time. This camera goes in my pocket or a pouch on my belt and 90% of the time I can get the shot by altering position or cropping. I bought my 1st camera with paper round money in 1956 a Kodak Brownie 127 it was a good way to learn composition.

This entire video is so well thought out. Not gonna lie, you're my new favorite photography KZfaqr. The authentic style, impressive content without the showboating lol. Appreciate the work you do! It motivates me to really get my channel off the ground

this was awesome to watch in the beginning how you showed us the slow progress of better video quality with lighting etc while breaking down the information. well done!

You’re one of the few that I’ve heard that has ever mentioned properly backing up gear for client work. I have warned new paid shooters about this over and over again. I can’t tell you how many phone calls I’ve had over the years because of someone’s failed gear. A good point to mention could be that your backup body should of course be the same lens mount and as closely matched in operation as possible in order to make a smooth shooting transition. Also GREAT point about the finance aspect.

Honestly, this is the most balanced and honest advice I have heard and seen on KZfaq when it comes to photography and gear.

Spot on Roman. The other point that you scratched the surface of is emotional attachment to the camera you have. I’m almost married to my X-T2 and love it. I’m in no hurry for a midlife crisis and upgrade to something younger and sexier.

it's been long since I've seen someone speak so clearly and seriously about stuff i rly live for ! . Thank you for making this video , stay safe and I wish you all the best. peace !

I love it. My primary work is portraits (of haircuts) and I do a lot of coaching, I guess you could say, for barbers and stylists who want to improve their Instagram portfolios, so I’ve flip flopped between “gear doesn’t matter, you can use your phone” and “but if you want some compression and a shallow DOF or to use a proper fill flash you’ll want to get a real camera.” This breakdown with the little graph thing was such a huge lightbulb. Thanks for the video. Subscribed 🤘

Pretty much agree but in the end the most important thing to me is if your photo stands out above most because either the subject matter is compelling or the photo itself tells some story or asks questions. Sadly, most do not.

Makes absolutely perfect sense to me. In fact I get sick and tired of hearing the phrase 'Gear doesn't matter!' of course it does! You cannot shoot wildlife with a phone! It very much depends on what you are aiming to achieve.

Very nice and instructive video! I just bought the Sony a6000 with the standard kit lens plus an entry level 55-210mm zoom lens. I'm just starting out, and I would definitely put myself in the "street photography/travel photography" category in terms of my aspirations. So hearing that this particular "cheap" setup is perfect for that really reassured me and I'm looking forward to learning photography on my journey!

Listen to this guys. He is preaching the truth! I’ve been in the same spot of upgrading my camera and lens. Now that I’ve learned composition, subject, etc.. I take better photos with my old entry level camera versus my Sony a7III.

My favorite is „gear doesn‘t matter, can totally do this on an iPhone“, proceeds to make photos in a studio, with assistants and lighting gear etc. that‘s around 100k in total or more.

This is the gear you need as a beginner, a 35mm photography camera, and a 16mm film camera, when you realise how limited you are, you gonna start focusing on composition, getting your lighting correct, stop shooting 60 000 okayish pictures on a single trip when you could have shot 60 brilliant pictures. Limitation, is the greatest source of inspiration.

I think just like you said gear matters, but it doesn’t matter in the ways people think it does. It’s the whole “image quality vs lighting, composition, and story” kinda thing. And yeah people will say “gear doesn’t matter” in a misleading way, and make it seem like it never matters at all. I also completely agree that buying new gear sometimes is good because it will keep you inspired to keep going out and taking photos.

I'm new here, and just want to say that this guy is 1000000000000000% correct, I'm starting now photography and I really enjoy street photography, I'm taking photos with my smartphone. I'm happy with it but once I get better at composition, lighting and all of that stuff I want to get a compact camera. Man continue the good work and stay safe you all.

Three things to keep in mind when watching any youtube video about photography: 1. those making the videos are not working photographers. they are youtubers and there is a world of difference between the two. 2. if gear truly mattered, how on earth did we ever get by in the film days? seriously, almost everything worth doing in photography, was done long before the invention of digital and done well. 3. the most professionally used camera every year for the last 3 years was the canon 5dmkiii, a camera that is over 8 years old.