2023 - What did you learn?

[peterob]

If we can squeeze today into scope I learned the blindingly obvious (in hindsight).

When looking for a reference point to guide the joining part of a panorama merge then don't pick a bloody big tree at the edge of the frame to serve the purpose 'cos it ends up in the middle.

DSCF0932-Pano.jpg by Pete, on Flickr

[Ivor E Tower]

.. that it's better to spend money on a trip somewhere and take photographs with your existing gear than to spend the money on new gear.
(Not so much learned this in 2023 as was reminded of it);
...that there are still used bargains to be had out there if you look long enough and hard enough;
...that some used gear i;s worth somewhat more than you think it's worth;
...that extreme cold can make you fail to take photos because it's simply too perishing to get your hands out of gloves, open a bag and get a camera out

Attachments:

[geoffr]

Jan 18, 2024 20:24:45 GMT Ivor E Tower said:

.. that it's better to spend money on a trip somewhere and take photographs with your existing gear than to spend the money on new gear.
(Not so much learned this in 2023 as was reminded of it);
...that there are still used bargains to be had out there if you look long enough and hard enough;
...that some used gear i;s worth somewhat more than you think it's worth;
...that extreme cold can make you fail to take photos because it's simply too perishing to get your hands out of gloves, open a bag and get a camera out

When out and about your camera doesn't belong in a bag. you, and others, may think me odd because I carry two cameras but, having dispensed with a bag years ago, I use what I carry and I can keep my gloves on.

[Chester PB]

I've learned to be content with the hardware I already own, since after replacing eight windows and repairing the car's corroded suspension in 2023, and anticipating retiling the roof in 2024, I have no choice.

However, even if I had the funds, I believe I've long outgrown the desire to 'upgrade' just because everybody else does, or at least fantasises about doing. I know that spending thousands of pounds on a new camera body and the lenses I would want to use with it will not magically make my pictures improve, and probably also cost a fortune to insure.

In the past I have suggested to people desperate to spend money upgrading, when they already own decent stuff, to instead spend the money travelling to places that might inspire them to make more use of what they already have. 

[JohnY]

I've learnt that I use kit with which I am familiar far more than new very expensive mirror-less.

[Chester PB]

Jan 18, 2024 23:13:05 GMT JohnY said:

I've learnt that I use kit with which I am familiar far more than new very expensive mirror-less.

I'm curious - so why did you buy it?

[skyehammer]

Jan 18, 2024 12:45:54 GMT zou said:

Jan 18, 2024 11:26:58 GMT skyehammer said:

I learnt I'm VERY indecisive [ when it comes to buying a new camera ] .

Did you finally make a decision?

           I narrowed it down to 6 DSLRS -

           D810 - D800E -  D750 - D500 - D4s - D7200

           
          I included the D850 initially but thought my Lightroom 6 might not be compatible and also...those big files put me off .


         So , I thought I'd buy a D7200 or a D500 AND a full frame camera ...a D810 , D800E , D750 or D4s .

          Then one day last September I found a D7200 with just 1000 clicks on Wex for £410 and pressed the Buy It Now button .

         The cancer diagnosis was scary to begin with , I thought ' What if I spend loads of money on a camera I might not own for long ? '..seemed like a waste of money .

         I love the D7200 - not sure if I'm imagining it but I feel it gives me deeper colours than the D7000 [ does that make sense ? ] . It's probably all the camera I'll ever need .

         I'd read [ or watched ] a few Youtube videos by a very nice Danish lad , Frederik Boving who fell in love with a D4 and espoused its virtues in a couple of videos , he says the D4's sensor produces these gorgeous colours etc etc - his enthusiasm for the camera got me thinking whether I'd like one ...but I'm old , have mobility problems and have small hands [ I'm small all over ! ] so sensibly I held back .

       I'd only taken up Photography for a year or so when the D4s came out but at around £6000 it was way out of my reach - , it's been my Fantasy Camera for 10 years ,  now you can buy them for between £1500 - £850 for a reasonably good one it's almost tempting ...almost .

       For the same money I could buy a D850 , a Z6ii or even a D5  - I held a D4s in my hands last year [ paid a visit to Ffordes , Beauly ] - it was a chunky old thing with a price-tag of £1700 - they had a D850 for sale too . I said I'd think about it but then the diagnosis came and I had other things to think about .

      So , for the time being I'm using a Nikon D7200 and I'm happy I went with it , it was more than half the price of a D500  - I'm going to add a couple of lenses to the collection soon - can't decide whether to invest in a 16-80mm or a Nikon / Tamron 24-70mm along with a Nikon/Tamron 70-200mm [ f4 or f2.8 ] . That would give me insurance if I decided to add a Nikon FF . The sensible thing to do would be to put all thoughts of buying a FF and get on with enjoying my D7200 but I've never been the sensible kind !!

[don]

For me it’s actually getting the camera out. I’m not mobile and being in my wheelchair 🦼 is difficult enough I have to often ask Heather to get a shot I want and the end result is her interpretation of my thoughts

[zou]

Jan 25, 2024 15:27:35 GMT don said:

For me it’s actually getting the camera out. I’m not mobile and being in my wheelchair 🦼 is difficult enough I have to often ask Heather to get a shot I want and the end result is her interpretation of my thoughts

So a bit like 'AI' - the quality of your prompts impacts on the output?

[don]

Jan 13, 2024 19:01:50 GMT peterba said:

Jan 13, 2024 14:10:45 GMT zou said:

what was your key takeaway from 2023 with regard to your photography?

I learned that  - despite deciding to sell my MF Bronica - actually making myself sell it is far harder than I thought it would be.

I can’t use my DSLR or my film cameras but getting round to selling them is a complete disaster I justify it by saying I can’t wrap them safely so I wouldn’t be able to post them. Works for me 🤔🤣👍