LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello how the hell are you and if this is your first time here thanks for stopping by.  I know it has been a long time since I have posted anything but life has had me to the point that I was not able to mentally take the time to sit down and write.  I am back and here is the first blog post going over the topic of does gear really matter.  There is a phrase that is in the photographic community about whether or not gear matters.  This question is something that I have been researching for the last four years and to those that now me can say that I change my camera body too much.  The reason for that is simple I was on the search for the perfect body to shoot with.  

You see I am picky on what I want out of a camera.  The AF has to be what I want out of it to get the shot that I am after. The weight of the body has to be light enough for me to walk around all day with it.  The lenses have to be sharp enough for how I shoot.  I have had many mirrorless bodies and many DSLR style bodies.  I was looking for the perfect balance between function and portability for my needs.  I thought that I had that with the Sony a6400 and while I loved that body it fell short in the function department.  So I though why not Nikon but to me that fell short in the function department.  I was hating the fact that I could not use live view for my focusing like I was used to.  

I had the Canon 5D Mark iii which was good but dang it all it was so heavy for all the hiking that I was going to be doing.  I really wanted something that was not reachable at lease in my eyes. I wanted a camera that was light enough to carry around with all the hiking I was going to be doing yet still good enough in the auto focus department.  I then bought a Canon 80d and it was like the world just said kid here is your candy.  I know the 80d is not the newest body out there but it gives me the battery life that the Sony could not.  It lacks the eye auto focusing of the Sony and it lacks the pro level features of the 5D Mark iii but it gives me that balance that I was looking for.  

The 80d has the best grip that I have ever felt in my hand and the buttons are perfectly placed.  I mean this body is the one that I was looking for this whole time but I didn’t know it until I used it.  The reason that I am telling you all this is because for me I was wanting something that was going to function the way that I wanted.  I also wanted that balance of form and function that it offers me.  I wanted a body that was going to give me that fast frames when I needed it and that pro feel that I wanted as well.  The 80d is the perfect camera for me.  

With that being said why did it take that long for me to realize what was the best camera for me.  The simple answer is I got drawn into the hype of you have to have a newer body with all the newest features to get those great images.  I have noticed that my style of photos has changes since I bought the 80d.  I am less worried about being spot on with the settings when out shooting.  I am out shooting more for the fun of just shooting. I have used my tripod less to get those different shots.  I have that love for just shooting again.  This was something that I was missing in my images for a while now.  The pure joy of having my camera in my hand just shooting.  

To answer the question at the start of this blog post does gear matter yes and no is the answer.  Yes, because it truly only matters to you the photographer on how you want to shoot and what you are looking for in a camera.  No because if you are a good photographer you will be able to get the image with any camera body.  It took me about two years to decide that I was chasing something that was already in me.  I knew what I wanted out of a camera and I had to find that it took me buying and selling gear to understand that the only person that gear matters to is you the photographer.  Find the gear that makes you happy and stay with it.  I finally found the gear that will get me to that happy place for shooting.  

For me that perfect setup of gear is the Canon 80d paired with two lenses.  I walk around with the 17-40 f4 on it all the time.  My favorite lens though is the 24-105 for street photography.  It offers me so much for getting the longer shot and a wide shot as well.  What is your setup and why leave your answer in the comments.  Enjoy from Casper y’all