LocalNavy433 Photography

Hello and how the hell are you?  If this is your first time here thanks for stopping by.  In this blog we are going to talk about value in the gear you have vs the features that you have in some gear.  As always I will get straight to the point right here.  This all depends on what you want out of your camera.  If you want to be able to get the most out of it when out shooting then you will want the features to make it easier on you.  If you want the value out of it knowing that if something happens you can replace it with ease then you have to look at the overall cost of shooting with it hence the value that you get from that piece of gear.  

When coming up with the idea for this blog I had to really look at the difference between the two and how they will either help or hurt you while out in the field.  The features of a camera I have talked about at length in previous blogs.  When you are just looking at features are you really getting the most out a camera when out shooting with it.  I mean at the end of the day the features just make it easier for you in the long run.  To me they are great and when I had them I found that I was barely using all the features that I had in my camera.  I was still just using the basic features of a camera.  

This lead me down the road of thinking do I really need those features our are they just getting in the way of me just shooting.  I loved the thought of being able to setup a timelapse with a click of a button instead of putting on more gear to the camera body.  I was also a fan of the Dual Pixel AF that was in the newer body it made shooting in live view so much better.  I mean it was so good that I felt like I was shooting with a mirrorless body.  So if the features make it easier to shoot why would you sell that body and go with one that has less of the features that make it easier you ask.  The short answer to that question is simple to answer.  It all comes down to budget and how am I going to afford the gear if something happens to it.  I was shooting with a body that at the time would have cost me double to cost of replacing the current setup.  

This lead me to think about the value of the item that I am shooting is it worth it to keep shooting with gear that I would not be able to replace if something happens.  This came down to available funds and being able to replace gear if I need to.  You see every piece of gear that I have can be bought again for around the same price.  That means if my favorite lens drops and breaks and I have to replace it 300 dollars is way easier to come up with than 1200 dollars.  I have to keep my gear on the cheap because I don’t make that much money so I am trying to live within my means.  I also wanted the most bang for my buck so to speak when it comes to image quality.  

This means that the images that are coming out the camera have to be good enough for all the genres that I am shooting now.  I wanted the best images out of the gear and the only way to do that on a budget was to shoot with gear that has less features but the IQ is going to be better.  At the end of the day in photography it always comes down to IQ.  The quality of your images matters more than any feature that you can get in a newer body or lens.  The fact that you can totally shoot at a professional level on a budget of only 1200 dollars is insane.  This also includes the lenses not just the body.  You see I have built a kit that is on the pro level for less than a pro level APSC body only.  The fact that you can totally get away with doing this is insane when you truly start looking at the price of getting the same level of gear brand new.  

You see Photography for me right now is not bringing in that much money so I have to be able to replace the gear that I have on the cheap and if I want the same level of gear I have to shoot with older gear all the way around which means if I want a new lens there has to be a way to justify it and if it is not in my budget of 300 dollars then I am not buying it.  Yes the newer and more expensive lens would be better but is it really that much better than what I am already shooting with.  The used camera market is full of gear that others have left behind as not worth it because of the newer gear that is making the job easier.  That means that the gear that I want is costing less as time goes on.  That 70-200 f2.8 lens is going to cost me less and I will be able to get it one day when it falls down in price and that will be soon with all the people making the move to mirrorless.  

The images that I am getting today with gear that is over 10 years old is still at the same level as the gear that is brand new today.  If anyone ever tells you that you need this or that new gear to get the shot is a fool in my book.  They are not willing to put in the work to get the images that are meaningful to the end viewer.  The gear is a tool and it really only matters to the end user.  Just like a car if it gets you from point A to point B then it is a great tool that will work with you.  The price of being in the group that has the latest and greatest gear is not worth only being able to use it for a short time. I am looking at the long road and I want my gear to not only last it has to be able to be replaced if it breaks and at 4000 dollars it is out of my reach so I will be just fine with my 300 dollar body.  Enjoy from St Johns Az y’all 

Every image that you see in this blog was shot with a Canon 5D Mark ii