Ansel Adams' (who I look up to quite a bit) photos are mostly notable because of their extreme clarity, contrast and his mastership of print making.  That man could make a print.  Much of his magic was done in the dark room (for modern photographers, you really must learn your way around Photoshop).  The clarity was largely due to nice optics, the fact he was shooting on large format film, and the extremely small apeture's he shot at (f/64).  The contrast is mostly a product of being a master of the dark room, but optics affect clarity as well as color.  

And in my opinion, photographs today really are better than they were even a decade ago, at least in a technical sense.  They're sharper, crisper, have better colors.  The photographers may be no better, but the photos definitely are.  This is largely due to film technology, though, I think, as well as the advent of digital photography and digital editing tools.  Pretty much anything that can be done in a darkroom can be done in digital better, faster, cheaper.  

The technology behind camera optics hasn't gotten that much better, though.  An old Leica, for example, will still kick pretty much any modern camera's butt.  You have to spend a lot of money in lenses to even get on that playing field.  

Spending more money on a camera will get you a bigger sensor, area, too, and that counts for a lot.  Just like shooting on larger format film will give you a huge boost over 35 mm.

I guess my point is, having a better camera won't make you an any more artistic photographer.  Composition and the basics of exposure are think you have to figure out for yourself.  But better equipment will really help out on the technical side, which is where a lot of "pretty good" photographers need help.

Quote from: JetSwingyou probably could not tell the difference between pictures from my $1200 and $2200 cameras...

This is true.  But I'll bet everyone could tell the difference between your $1200 camera and a $300 consumer camera.

Quote from: aaronstj

Quote from: JetSwingyou probably could not tell the difference between pictures from my $1200 and $2200 cameras...

This is true.  But I'll bet everyone could tell the difference between your $1200 camera and a $300 consumer camera.

my $1200 camera is now worth about $500 as used camera. i've seen my friends take some crappy pictures with my camera. yes, i can take better pictures with a $300 camera.

A good photographer with a lousy camera will take better pics than a lousy photographer with a better camera, but a good photographer with a better camera will take better pics than a good photographer with a lousy camera.

More expensive =! better.  But they are often correlative.

first , you can not compare medium or large format with 35mm. that like comparing a ferrari with a fighter jet...which is faster?  :dunno:

what is the only difference between a great photographer and a good photographer, it certainly isn't the equipment. everybody's on the same playing field as far as the equipments goes.

technically perfect shot doesn't make a great photo.

yes, the equipment makes difference. there's no doubt about that. but the overwhelming difference maker is the photographer.

that my last bit on this subject.

I'm not exactly sure what you two are arguing about.  I thought I distilled what both of you were saying, and it came to two sides of the same viewpoint.

The only spot where I see you two disagreeing is that equipment today allows for better photographs at the high end, and I do side with the noodist on that.  Track times keep going down, and photos keep getting better.  I think the equipment is still limiting over the human potential at the moment.

Quote from: RoadstergalA good photographer with a lousy camera will take better pics than a lousy photographer with a better camera, but a good photographer with a better camera will take better pics than a good photographer with a lousy camera.

Yeah, that's about my position.  And I maintain that the main difference between a lousy photographer and a good photographer is a lot of photos.

Quote from: RoadstergalMore expensive =! better.  But they are often correlative.

better what? pictures?

you can also look at it this way:
better equipments are usually used by better photographers which result in better photographs.

know the baiscs, know your camera, take lots of pictures, buy a better camera.

repeat.

:mrgreen: