Cameras DO NOT MATTER 

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I'm a retired pro, and have shot using many different cameras and lenses over many years. My first camera was a Kodak Brownie which will suggest how old I am. I agree entirely that knowing how to shoot good shots on a variety of different types of equipment is the mark of a photographer. It requires adapting your vision to the equipment and situation. The first and most important lesson any aspiring photographer can learn is to how to see in images. This naturally differs from natural sight in that it requires a kind of mental adjustment. Seeing like a photographer requires a unique kind of artistic kind of vision which involves both an understanding of the technology in use, but also composition and the essential elements of any visual medium. It is the interplay between light, form, subject, composition and intention which create the image. The camera then is something like a canvas and paint for painters. In both cases, the vision of the image to be captured comes first. However, once has acquired a photographer's eye, certain cameras may well be needed to capture what is held in the mind's eye. The simple example I have occurred to me last winter and proves the point. Driving along in a rural area I spotted a snowy owl on a roadside fence post. Getting a picture of the owl required working from a distance. Walking up with a camera phone was not an option. The camera I had with me at that time did not have a long enough lens. The owl continued to move away making it increasingly difficult to capture any usable image. Anyone with a desire to photograph birds in the wild will relate to this point. However, even with the best camera and a long lens, I could still have muffed the shot if I had no understanding of composition, lighting, subject, and all the technical understanding needed to get the correct exposure etc. Mastering the camera, any camera requires first mastering yourself.

Amateurs talk about gear, Pros talk about money, Masters talk about the light!

Sometimes limitations can force you to be more creative.

It seems so odd to me. I'm new to photography, but have been a musician for over 30 yrs. a pro musician can still create incredible music on a student line instrument. A student can sound slightly better on pro gear, but it does not make them professional. Art is art. It doesn't matter the format. The simple truths are the same

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are."- Theodore Roosevelt

When you understand lighting, shadows, composition, depth of field and focus, it applies to all types of cameras. What makes me a better photographer on a DSLR also makes me take great shots with my phone.

I've often noticed that the people who say the gear doesn't matter are the people with really good gear lol. I do agree the camera doesn't make the photographer, but the better gear, especially the lenses, can take them to another level.

This reminds me of my college days where I participated in a class called History of Documentary photography. It was my first contact with the old important figures of photography. It is where I fell in love with the works of Joel Meyerowitz, Cartier-Bresso, Cindy Sherman and the likes. For our final exam we were given the names of four classical photographers and we had to shoot one image per name. No matter how the teacher (he was wonderful) explained to not copy these works, the more people did it. In the end images made from phones (and this was a while ago, so far inferior pictures to what a modern iPhone can do) made the cut more often than the ones made from top shelf DSLRs. The thing is, he was not looking for image quality or photoshop skills, he was not looking for a copy of original work. He was looking for the atmosphere, the story. You do not need a big camera for that or a vintage look to the images. It sometimes helps, but you don’t need it. :)

Yes gear does not matter if you can get the shots that speaks to you with the equipment that you have. Yes I could get good shots on my Iphone 6s but then I would be pulling my hair out when I get frustrated trying to create a long exposure shot with a wide angle perspective. Then trying to edit a jpeg file to bring out the shadows and it creates too much artefacts. Buy only the gear that you need that makes it a pleasure to use that gear and to get the shots that you want.

Just came across this. The best video I have seen on photography. Thanks. I am a 53 yesr old real amateur. I did a short evening course to better understand my new Sony A37. Almost at once I wished I had bought I better camera like those the other students had. It took me a while to "get just the message" you pass here. I decided to learn all I could about my own camera and the three lenses I had (2 second hand because it is all I can afford ). I stopped wrapping it in cotton wool (metaphorically) and began carrying it everywhere I could. I took hundreds, if not thousands of pictures and from those I got a few that I am really proud of. The rest weren't wasted. I realised they were bad because I had failed to remember composition, light or depth (I always shoot in manual ). Each time I learned something. I had to remember that my entry level Sony is still 1000s of times more capable than the cameras that took many of the photographs that stop me dead in my tracks when I see them. Thanks for addressing this issue. Keep up the good work.

I do agree that most of the time around 80%, the gear does not matter, yet on the other hand, sometimes gear is what matters. It all depends what are you trying to produce. Around 6 years ago I needed a beauty dish but none of the shops I have in my country had one, so I built it myself from a huge plastic deep bowl.. I had used it ever since.. didn't buy BD and since it is a deep parabolic it had somehow grown on me. The client at the time was amazed with the light quality I got from a contraption that costed around 10 usd.. But on the other hand I do use professional Elinchrom strobes and many of their modifiers..

Ted! Just recently discovered your channel, and I love it. The reason I often don't like the use of cell phones for photography is, just like you covered in your "no one cares about your photography" video, their accessibility makes taking photos so easy that no thought or effort is often put into it. I suppose it kind of relates to what you said, with the specifications of your camera not mattering (i totally agree), but rather in this case, how well a smartphone sells is often reliant on how good the camera is. And let's admit it, the vast majority of pictures taken on smartphones aren't heartfelt or planned out. They're momentary. Great video.

I think an experienced photographer can do more with less in terms of a beginner. However, location, timing and composition rein supreme. Any thoughts?

A day after viewing this, I've actually bought a Mamiya C33 medium format camera at my local store. I'm feeling totally crazy for buying it, but at least I'm thinking, I'll try it, and if I ever get bored with it or I don't like it anymore, I can sell it in the future. It's a mid 1960's model, and yet it can be re-used and I find that incredible. Most recent digital cameras break within 5 to 10 years max. I've got a 1985 Contax camera as well and it's been my favourite so far. I love to explore film more because it helps me understand the features in detail, because with digital, I feel that we don't even need to think about anything, the camera does it all for us. Still, the best camera is the one you have with you. Looking forward to your new video, Ted! and thank you for your advice & feedback.

I think it all comes down to purpose, if you have the desire to tell stories and capture moments then gear doesn't matter as long as you have something,. However if your purpose is for a commercial gain, to make a product, then the gear can have a considerable impact on the quality of the work.

I used a superzoom for years and years, the artifacts and limitations in the image were very important for me to learn Photoshop. Bought a DSLR, got frustrated with the lenses limitations and prices, went back to superzooms. But I get what you mean, some youtubers became famous using very basic equipment, like a cheap cellphone, just because they had something interesting to say. Some people by equipment that cost ten times what I spent and I never see then uploading anything worthy.

"Yes it is possible to take a good picture with a camera phone, but your extremely limited in what you can do. It's like trying to win the Indy 500 driving a golf cart. It's theoretically possible to win, but realistically you won't." - (user: THX 1138.) This is exactly the issue every time a photographer says gear doesn't matter. Ted says in the end it only matters if the picture speaks to you. I argue, the picture has to be able to speak clearly to be able to understand it. Yes, to create content it doesn't matter what you use. To create quality content, it does; And, in todays world, having 4k or high megapixels and wide apertures means everything to producing quality content. I think many photographers are getting lost in the, "Direction vs Production" conversation. Those are two very different things. To say Gear doesn't matter is saying that quality doesn't matter. As we know, THAT is an untrue statement. Now, as gear becomes better in quality, we close the gap in what gear can achieve. Much like the 35mm Camera, it wasn't an immediate go to tool until 10 years after it's release. Even then it wasn't a fad until somewhere in the late 50s early 60s. AKA The Great Boom of Photography. Cartier-Bresson captured his images in, what? The thirties? The point being, the medium had been out for sometime. The quality of the 35mm camera had to become better before it was used by the many and the greats. Cell phone photography is becoming better and better every year. In this day in age you CAN achieve great images with your phone camera, just like a golf cart can go a lap on the speed track. However, you can't win the race. A Leica MP is going to out-perform the cell phone every time. There's no way around it. With interchangeable lenses, better build quality, Manual controls. It's just going to be better. "Though, most of us can run, we probably won't be able to outperform Olympians." - Me. Take a look at what it takes to make a short movie with a cell phone, rigs, and combinations of a tun of add-on gear. Stabilizers and more. WHY? For what? The answer is, BECAUSE, GEAR MATTERS! I think a better conversation overall would be is photography a competition? This, might get the ball rolling! But overall, to take a picture requires a camera, to take a quality picture you need production, to take a quality picture that tells a story, you need direction. So, should we Learn to Direct or Produce first? And; how do you win a subjective competition? (Fellow Art of Photography lovers, It has been awesome talking with you all. I hope you enjoy the conversation as much as I do.)

What you talk about in this video is so true! My personal experience is, that I just discovered photography the second time. I started with a digital compact back in 2010 and then got myself a used DSLR last year. The last year or so has been about discovering my own photographic style and finding the best gear for myself. I've been pursuing image quality so much, that sometimes I forgot about photography itself, which is kind of sad. I'm always on a budget, so expensive gear is out of the question, but I discovered vintage lenses and their magical characteristics. Then came out of the blue the need to get a split focusing screen. Which made using those lenses a breeze. Which made me realize... hey, I'm using my DSLR the way film cameras have been used and it just feels so natural. I might be able to handle a film SLR as well, perhaps... then I joined an analog photographic group on facebook, which made me fall in love with film and it's colors (or the lack of it), it's feeling... then came the need to finally have myself a film SLR... for which I already had a bunch of lens. (same mount as the DSLR) Then it happened! I just realized that it's the moment that matters, which I'm capturing. Shotting with a 70's film SLR made me realize that it's all the same as using a DSLR, except I can get magical looking images just with a small, cheap camera, which is far older than myself. Plus the thrill of waiting for it to be developed is just great! But it isn't even about analog photography, rather... the realization that no matter what kind of gear I have, the best camera's always the one with me and I have to use that one to capture the moment. That might even be a cellphone (although I like to keep photography separate from my phone), it doesn't really matter. Only the moment does.

Now watch someone make a pinhole camera out of a potato to prove a point.

It simply depends on what kind of shoot you are doing. For some (earnest emotional portraiture) it doesn't much matter, for others (high end product photography) it absolutely does. Not all photography is in the realm of Annie Liebowitz's more personal diary-like work or Henri Cartier Bresson. That's like saying all photography may as well be black and white. And yes, I have been to a gallery, and what struck me about a piece - what made its impact - was the visual effect of how it was printed, and how sharp and high res it was. That's not the only reason I've been impacted by something in a gallery, but photography is not just emotional photojournalism, it is many things, and some of those things greatly benefit from the best tech possible..

Gear doesn't matter. I learned a bit off of my phone and a bit about manual control, applied that to my Nikon d90 that I'm messing with. It's about composition of the photo and how you take it. I've taken some really nice shots on both my phone(oneplus 3) and my D90.

Ted, I agree with all the points that you made. Isn't there a saying, "The best camera is the one that you have with you". Many years ago when I was just a kid, my Mom told me, "You don't need an expensive camera to make good pictures". I think that's true now more than ever. There was a time when I thought to myself, "If only I had a Hasselblad, if only I had a Nikon". When I was very young, I saved my money to buy a Fujica ST-605. I was embarrassed to show my friends, who had Nikons, Olympus OM1s and even Leicas. As it turned out, it wasn't so bad to have just a Fujica ST-605 35mm camera. Sometimes when we have to make do, it actually makes you a better photographer. It seems counter-intuitive, but that's just my opinion.

And if someone wants to get into not-point-and-shoot-photography, but only has 100$, they really should buy a film camera (fully manual one with TTL light metering) (for example an Asahi Pentax Spotmatic) and a cheap used film scanner (I got an Epson V330 for 15$). Fully manual cameras teach you how to get the shot right and how the lighting and exposure can make the image look different, and film teaches you to value every single shot you take and it keeps you from just walking arround taking stupid photos of everything. Film makes you think about every shot you're about to take twice, and that is what we lost with digital photography. Don't get me wrong, digital photography is great and changed the world of photoraphy a lot in a positive way and I even own a professional Nikon DSLR setup (D700 and a lot of lenses), but it really is a bigger pleasure not to take my D700 with me on a trip, but rather taking the Spotmatic with me. Thats why I still shoot film and why I recommend beginners who want to get to know and understand photography to start with a fully manual film camera. Hope someone reads this.

Your comments about the materialism of photography are spot-on. But what I think you overlook is that so many new photographers look at highly experienced photographers with literally a shelf of cameras behind them who say, "It doesn't matter" and they read that as out-of-touch of self-delusion. As in, they look at that shelf and say, "Okay... It doesn't matter for pro photographers who have a dozen cameras to choose from." I think it's really telling that I just watched a video about "minimal" photography (sort of a "what's in my bag" video) where it turned out that the photographer was carrying 2 bodies, 5 lenses, a few LED lights, and a satchel full of filters. All of that was considered a "minimal" kit. I think that if you had more photography-oriented RU-vid channels with people using a single camera, manufactured circa 2014, shooting on a single lens, and publishing astonishing images and video, then people would sit up and take notice. And I mean not as a "I can make a single video showing I can get legit shots with this" but actually committing to using literally nothing but that one camera, one lens, nothing but ambient light, for say 2 years and making weekly videos that amazed and impressed. I think that would make waves in people's minds. But as much as I agree with you that gear matters less than people think (and I do agree with it), I think it's difficult for novices to not be cynical about when they see how much gear photographers actually amass (and use) in their photography.

"Do what you can, with what you have, where you are." -- Theodore Roosevelt . I think this is the quote that you are referring to. In my opinion, this few simple words are the quintessence of adaptation in every aspect of life....including photography :D. I really like your explanations. I fully agree with all of it.

Using a phone to take pictures is a creative constraint. On most phones it's a 28mm equivalent with a deep depth of field. Therefore, you need to take pictures that suit that kind of camera. I find it's easier to take pictures with better equipment, though in many cases it's the camera that gets some of the praise.

Maybe not on the potato? Is that a challenge I hear? :)

very meaningful advice! I still shoot with the X-pro1, which was released in 2012 and is ancient by digital camera standards and some of my best photos were shot with an archaic Canon 10D... jumping on the latest cameras and thinking those cameras will make one a better photographer is a fallacy that too many unfortunately go by...

I think all gear in the market TODAY are beyond the line of the clear and great image quality with no artifacts that affect the shot. What remains is the content, The story, The lighting and Composition..etc. A good portrait shot won't influence the audience by how sharp or visible facial Hair look but with .. you get the point :) Start where you are. Use what you have. Do what you can. ♥

You know what Ted? you are absolutely right! understanding light, expressing someone's feelings via a proper compositional technique and deciding the best moment to shoot makes the magic... the gear is important but it doesn't make a good photograph by itself.

Indeed. A creepy camera forces us to learn and thus become more creative

I get a big kick when I see RU-vid videos telling us why one photographer switched from Nikon to Canon or Sony etc. Like this would make any difference ! I have always said that one of the greatest landscape photographers ( Ansel Adams ) used a wooden box with a lens in the front. Cameras do not take great photos.....the person that pushes the shutter release does. Another great video...thank you

I feel that many people commenting are getting it a bit wrong. Of course a dslr produces better quality pictures than any phone around. This said, a full frame camera produces better image quality than most of the cameras people daily shoot with and still only a bunch of people are willing to take a full frame camera on a travel. For me "gear doesn't matter" means that when you only have a phone and can't afford a camera, but you still want do shoot photos, then do so. Let's assume we didn't talk about photography but about cars. You don't go off to somebody who only can afford a crappy car and tell them that they can't drive because there are faster and more efficient cars around, would you?

It is really lovely to listen to someone who speaks with passion about photography and who is honest and upfront and open about all its pitfalls, pros and cons.

I've had my Nikon D3100 for six years and it still serves me well

5* !!! What matters is to know how to "squeeze" what your gear as to offer in the best why possible to capture the moment and pass on the story / emotion / message you want.

"I only have an iPhone". Well, complaining about how expensive a mirrorless camera is but owning the latest iPhone doesn't make much sense. :)

Hey Ted! How are you doing? I can't agree more with you. The importance of what gear you buy is irrelevant if you don't carry it with you. I spend my days thinking "ohhh God! I can't believe that I missed this shot too" and it is because I don't have my camera with me. My cellphone is a iphone 4s and its camera sucks but watching your videos makes me wonder that maybe my eyes suck more than my cellphone. =) Anyway, your channel is my source of knowledge and culture, you are awesome, have done a even more awesome job and need to tell you something: I'm Brazilian and the first video of yours that I watched was about Sebastião Salgado. It brings tears to my eyes just thinking about your words. That video made me watch all your other videos and acknowledge: I'm your fan! lol Thank you to bring back my faith in youtube's photography channels!

loved this concept, and it's so true! :)

I was glued to this video, your words are just so right, and have made me really think, why, "gear doesn't matter" are the words that grabbed me in essence. I sold my Fuji HS10 recently to buy a current dslr, and now I'm asking myself "why", because you've made me ask that question, the Fuji HS10 is a great camera, but so is my dslr, so Yeh you've really made me think about gear, so thank you for that crucial thought.

My Potato takes great photos.

Q: "Why do gear reviews/vids garner more views (ie clicks) than the actual art/photographs) imho A: The latter exposes a vulnerability that the former does not. The latter insists upon the user 'producing' rather than consuming. In other words, human nature strikes again. *Great* channel ... One of my favs!

when you say iPhone you're actually referring to the smartphones in general, I hope. If gear doesn't matter, so doesn't the brand.

I wholeheartedly agree with this video! I started with a Nikon D3200 three years ago and just a kit lens and cheap tripod. With that I self taught myself photography. Since then I've upgraded to a D7100 and a better quality tripod and glass for my sports photography. Bottom line is I started with what I had, learned with it and upgraded what I needed based to do sports photography.

What an trolling discussion on simple subject? 'Gear doesn't matter' is true. We are talking of esthetic or emotional content of the certain picture, photos, music, aren't we? After all photography should be fun, passion, love, hobby. Ok an job too. I do understand love for photo equipment or gear in a collector's way. But... Fancy gear, or expensive or sophisticated won't be the substitute for mere lack of talent.

I picked up a nice compact camera because I was tired of the mud in my phone pictures. I picked up a 5D because I wanted to take advantage of shorter focal lengths and wider apertures. I shoot mostly with the 50mm f/1.8 and really enjoy the versatility. I'm looking forward to getting a 15mm lens to further explore some of my creative ideas.

I think the all I have is phone argument is BS. A new iphone cost around 800 to $1,000. If you can afford an iPhone you can afford at the very least a pretty damn good used DSLR. The two cameras I have both of which i bought last year are a T4i and (don't laugh I got it extremely cheap) a Sony A3000 along with a dozen or so lenses and a crappy speedlite to use between them. All in I got less than $700 invested. Well shy of an iPhone's asking price. Hell even if you can't afford an Iphone the Sony a3000 I have with the main 4 (old manual) lenses I use with it in total cost me less than $175. I say go to ebay hock your phone and buy some used gear.

Superior gear allows you to get the pictures you want to take. Unlike a cell phone, if you need a super wide angle or telephoto lens you can attach that lens on your camera. Then after the fact, you have larger sensor sizes that provides the freedom to do whatever you want with the images, make big prints, etc. If you limit yourself to a cell phone camera, your photography is limited by the capabilities of the cell phone. It's possible you could get lucky and a cell phone is all you need, but great equipment can handle everything the cell phone can handle plus a lot more.

"why gear doesnt matter" yeah, you can take the same pic with a 500mm f8 mirror lens with a nikon d40, as i can with a d500 and a 500mm f4 lens, FOR SURE, COZ GEAR DOESNT MATTEr

I couldn't possibly agree more. I work in several creative fields. Photography is at least third or fourth down the list. But what you had to say in this video is applicable to more than photography. And I got into some fun arguments and discussions in art school-I studied graphic design, btw. Great art can be produced with any single thing that a person can find to use. One of my favorite cameras was a $50 Canon scanner. Your story of Annie Leibovitz reminded me of that, actually. Because in order to use the scanner as a camera, I had to make multiple scans; which I printed individually on 8.5x11 paper and assembled afterwards. Creating isn't just the act of replicating something you see or the final product. Creating is a process of solving problems; problems like taking a photograph on the spur of the moment when you have no "professional" tools at hand to use.

Talent doesn't need money to express itself

These videos you make, drags me to photography...I am a beginner, but you have convinced me to become a photographer and not a gadgetgrapher..love the way you teach.. Thank you

Love this video, love the channel! subscribed

Ted, honestly you hit the nail on the head. About 4 years ago I started getting serious about photography, and it was your review of the Kiev 88 that landed me on your channel. The fact is, camera review are really important to people get getting into photography, because there /IS/ this perception that the camera makes the photo. We're all marketed to that effect so much that it really takes experience to "get" it. However, it was channels like yours, that are really refreshing to get that photography is, in fact, an art. Thanks for everything that you do. And admitting that even you get "GAS" a little bit too :)

Alright, but then why does pro photographers spends up to 100k on their camera gear? If it doesn't matter then they should just shoot on their iphones full time.

Hi Ted, I don't know if you will read this or not but here goes my 2 cents, photography is a technical/mechanical medium and it is impossible to get a photography w.o. a camera (to this day). This way, the gear you have will increase or decrease what Willhem Flusser called "your photographic potential". It means that the more gear you have the more you can do in theory. I see two main types of photographers, group 1, the ones interested in photo-gear exclusively and keep them safe in a closet and the 2, the ones interested in THE photography itself. Of course I am setting aside a bunch of professional photographers interested less in photography itself than in making money thru it, that's another animal completely, at least here, Brazil, that seek equipment support as a mean to promote his work in the best style of -I have the top gear thus you should contract me because the others are not so better equipped, I myself am interested in the image I can get but, as any one involved with it , I get fascinated by the gear potential, specially the ones I will not even try to understand deeply because I won't buy for the reasons of being too expensive, or too heavy. I am 58 y.o. and do not want to carry a big bag of glass and metal but I want to be able to get a decent photo with what I have, it means I am not trying to get the best camera in the world , as it doesn't exist anyway. I usually list what I need in a camera, from physical size, the focal lenses available, iso, sensor size (as it matters not only depth of field, a topic largely debated) but also the geometry of an image (something nobody cares to mention). I earn my living shooting architecture and interior design and for me a strong combo would be a lightweight medium format with better dynamic range and low flare lenses. Medium format because the geometry, proportions, angles of the walls, get more natural and pleasing with a longer lens than with a very short one . This way the architect notices something different in my images they cannot identify but he feels it. As for the industry, they are also trying to survive and bringing to people not technically inclined the possibility to get their photos done. The side effect is convincing people that if you by a Leica you will be able to shoot like Bresson, you will not. Sorry for the poor English, it is not my mother language. I've been writing a lot about photography, my thoughts, things I consider important written by others, if it interests you I can start translating it to English and send you. Cheers

I'm so tired of this. "Good images are good images no matter how they are made." This is obviously correct. The image-taking capability of the modern smartphone is astounding. Then go all the way back to the earliest photographic techniques. You can do so much with everything from A-Z. That's not a question. For RU-vid support check out DigitalRev's series where they give top 1% photographers shitty gear, and they know how composition, light, etc. work, so they make great images. "It doesn't matter at all what you shoot on." NO NO NO NO NO. Camera tech matters. What you shoot on has limitations. Different focal lengths, different sensors, different lenses, tilts, shifts, film stocks, etc. are all limitations, and are worth considering when you're making an image. You can make good images with any camera, but you can't make every good image with every camera. It's worthwhile to study the equipment, know what it can do, and what it can't do. Use your tools for what they're designed. Don't shoot slide film at night hand-held. Don't shoot wedding portraits with a 6 MP point and shoot expecting lovely bokeh. It may seem like pedantic nit-picking, but I think it's important to make the distinction when people parrot the "gear doesn't matter" stuff. Thanks, Ted! Love the videos.

Wow!! you just spoke my mind. I am an amatuer photographer, and for a great amount of time I was shooting exclusively with my cellphone. In fact it was my cellphone (and Instagram) that spurred me to invest into photography. Last year I got my first mirrorless camera - and many of my friends told me that a DSLR is way superior to most mirrorless. While I agree fully to that - I must say that a small, light, and easy to use camera encourages me to take more photos, and taking more photos, for me, is the ultimate objective. I know many people who simply buy a DSLR and never ever use it, only because it has become somewhat impractical to lug that thing around everywhere. Even to this day, I love taking photos with my cellphone. For me, it's never so much the sharpness/quality of the photo, but the artistic expression behind it.

"why gear doesnt matter" video in 4k and leica lenses

I'll admit I found your channel trying to do camera research before buying my first "prosumer" camera. But I've been addicted to all of your learning and education videos.

This is a great video. I totally agree. As someone who was taking photos on a Note 2 and eventually my Note 4, I got lots of positive responses from people. I however still wanted a proper dslr and have been saying for years and years I was going to get one, but stuff would always come up like, car troubles etc etc. So all I had was my phone and I learned to use it the best I could. I finally got myself a T6s last year to start something a bit more serious because I felt I had hit a wall with what I wanted to achieve using my Note 4. I wanted to explore ND filters, long exposures and Astrophotography, things you just couldn't do properly on a phone. I use to play around with a Canon AE1 back in the day, but it had problems, so the camera phone was a great way to keep the hobby going until I could get something and try to step up my game.

Love the videos

This is excellent. I've been gradually improving my photography (both analog and digital) thanks to your advice and your channel. I wanted to have some advice about how to chose my gear but ended up here, with you saying how much gear is secondary to making power of photogr a powerful image. I'm here for the photography ans since I don't have the means of buying a 3000€ camera, ppl sometimes makes me feel less of a photographer. Thank you for not letting us drown into technical shenanegans, we sometimes tend to forget why we're here.

this is now currently the greatest episode you've ever done....until the next one ;)

This is the best video I have seen on you tube this year period! Absolutely brilliant advice...

Gear doesn't matter !!! I'm going to shoot a very expensive Wedding with my iphone. I know the Bride would just love it !!!

I came here initially for your RX100 review, and I have stayed for the amazing insights and general discussion about photography from an art point of view. I never discovered photography until recently and you've been a great companion on this journey.

This all sounds very nice but unfortunately it doesn't hold true in the real world. Try shooting wildlife with your phone. If you actually do manage to get close enough you'll probably get eaten or trampled to death... By the way, here's a question for you: If you actually do think that gear doesn't matter, why not sell all your cameras and lenses and get something cheaper? I suggest one of the cameras from DRTV's "pro tog cheap camera" series. They should be pretty cheap and save you a whole bunch of money that in that case could be much better spent elsewhere.

I do agree with all you have said. My wife and I shoot weddings together, I use a Nikon D810 with a quality prime, my wife uses a D7100 with a cheap 50mm prime because she wants the camera as light as possible as she is very light framed. yet even though my camera package costs 4 x hers, her pictures a often kept over mine, due to her superior candid photography skills, Any image quality differences are noticeable only by those who can view the photos on a 4K monitor with the best photo viewing software. usually not the clients who view them on there 1080 laptops with Microsoft gallery. We all need to stop pixel peeping and pay more attention to creating art and not detail.

So stop doing gear reviews

You have knocked this one right out of the park. It has and never will be about the gear it is about the skill level of the person using it. This is true with any hobby/profession and it reminds me of one of my other huge hobbies, Audiophillia (Audiophile) and how much equipment cost, which is sometimes even ten times more expensive than photography. Learning that where audio equipment is placed in a room acoustically is more important than the equipment itself in some cases. I have been blessed to have been a photographer every since I was 15 years old and took photography in school and had my own dark room, which I shared with my father. The best or worst camera that you have at the time, is the one that is in your hand. You are also right that Annie Leibovitz is extremely controversial, but like you said, when she is good, she is great. Equipment is fun to review and talk about, but the enter workings into the mind of the photographer is where the true magic begins!!!

Of course gear matters. "Gear doesn't matter" might sound great to someone with no gear, but the reality is, if it truly did not matter, nobody would have all this gear. If gear doesn't matter, get rid of yours.

Very well said Ted. As a photo channel I also experience what you mentioned. Reviews get views, a video tutorial on studio lighting I worked on for over 12+ hours gets less then a 1/4th of the views.

Would Leonardo Da Vinci's drawings have been any better if he had owned a mechanical pencil? Or a biro? No. Case closed.

I have an interesting answer when people approach me for this 'If you are asking me whether gear is important, then IT IS NOT, as you do not even know what you want; If you know you what you want, the question won't be even raised. Craft your skill and challenge yourself until the moment you realise your gear cant achieve what you want, especially considering about either printing or dynamic range, that is the moment for you to do something about your gears'

You can be the best contractor in the world, but you aren't building anything if you only get a pair of pliers. You need the right tool for the right job, do you need the best of the best? No. But you NEED the RIGHT tool for the job. Gear matters. Stop setting the bar lower for photography, people like you make photography worst off in the long run.

Good point. My worst film photo were shot on a Hasselblad. My best was on a Polaroid. My best digital photo was done on an IPhone. But I'm thinking of upgrading my G-16 to a G-5x.

Very well said Ted! I have been shooting with my trusted Nikon FE for decades. A couple of years ago, I finally broke down and purchased a digital camera. The first thing I noticed was I had become lazy and not as dedicated to the subject as I had been with my film camera. There is something to be said for the ability to create a photograph (in camera) and see the confirmation after the film is developed (I don’t have a darkroom). I have given my digital camera and lenses to my children and gone back to my trusted FE and I am glad I did. There are some very good photo scanning services out there that can digitize film for those who want/need a digital image. Thanks again Ted. I am glad I found your channel.Thanks

The camera reviews you do are up there in views because of who you are. A wealth of knowledge. I prefer film over digital for the results and the relationship I have with client and the camera.But you are right, the gear does not matter in the end. It's the person behind the camera that is composing the shot and pressing the shutter! Love the channel and keep it up!!

I agree in part with that argument, I know that the camera does not matter in general, but I think that the camera as the tool we utilize to create something are well working when the Photographer is comfortable with the tool. I use a Canon 70d for digital photos, I don't like that camera, not because it's a digital camera, but because of the way it works, the way it behaves. I started shooting with film and a 50mm lens, i am extremely comfortable with the 50mm focal length but for me using a camera that cannot give me the 50mm focal length and for obtain a similar view I am forced to use a different focal length, in that case a 28mm which I don't like at all. I like shooting film because of the process, but i use film because it can give me the look I love. maybe I should just upgrade to a full frame camera and use a 50mm lens.

"The camera doesn't take pictures, people take pictures." Brilliant :)

The difficulty with this topic is that we're looking for a binary answer: gear matters/gear doesn't matter. The reality is that this is a continuum. Gear doesn't matter unless it does, and that depends on who you are, what you're trying to do, what the circumstances are, etc.

I've been an amateur photographer for over 45 years and have developed a good eye for what makes an interesting photo. I've used many types of cameras and now I love having a camera in my back pocket! I SE interesting photos nearly every day, so having a "cell phone" at the ready is very exciting and fun!

Great ideas! I agree with the notion that smartphones can capture great photos but I find them to be an uninspiring medium as an artist. I don't think I would have become as interested in photography starting out. Not saying this is a good thing, but many people, especially young people (myself included) need to change their gear all the time to keep making interesting work.

Great....and I agree 100% My high school photography teacher back in the mid 60s brought in some pictures that he had shot. They were some fabulous portraits shot in lowlight Rembrandt lighting on Tri-x and pushed. After capturing our attention he brought out the camera... a Kodak Box.I've remembered that lesson to this day. I shot weddings and commercial work with many expensive cameras but now that I am retired I carry a pocket Sony. I have shown in galleries and taken awards with this tiny camera. The fun part is when asked what equipment I use I pull it out of my pocket. It's the singer not the song!

My issue with my gear is not the picture itself. I take beautiful pictures it's when I want to go pro and offer prints and gallery images. Older equipment like my D40 being low quality the image is fine but when blown up for prints comes out with major issues from being a 6 MP camera, also things like Telephoto lens that are extremely expensive a kit lens 18-55 is not going to be able to zoom in on a football player or a bird across the lake or something in situations where you cant change where you are standing. I totally agree though the image can be good for just you being good, but it may not be the picture your "Creative Eye" wanted. What I mean is maybe I see a mountain that is 15 miles away that has a perfect tree or cloud or whatever in the image that your "image" you want would need a tighter zoom on it however you only have the 18-55 sure I will get a great image from it but not the one that I wanted. Plus when I go to print that if the person wants it 24x36 in size from my D40 it is going to come out pixelated and darker and not as clear.

This is by far the best ever argument to insatiable gear lust, and it is extremely hard, as an educator in photography, to convince would-be photographers that thinking photography, improving visual literacy, as well as critical and contextual understanding is what will make their work stand out, not the latest and best gear. I could not agree more to "the camera does not take pictures, people take pictures." Thank you for this great insight, it will be shared many times over. Love the channel. Keep up the great work. Best.

Great video, great message. I know it's been at the core of your idea of this channel for a long time, and I've really taken it to heart as I've started to take my photography more seriously. I saw that Annie Leibowitz book recently and had a chance to flip through it - it also reinforces the idea of shooting your life, as mundane as it seems to you. Because to others, today or in fifty years, don't experience your life on the same, dull, day-to-day basis, and, if shot well, can be immensely interesting. I would to love to see a video on that, by the way. It's taken me a long time to come to think of my daily life as interesting enough to shoot - I always thought I had to travel somewhere new or go see something wild or extravagant to have good material to shoot. The shift from seeing the photographic fence as greener on the other side has not only improved my photography but also my outlook on life. I see more beauty in my surroundings and I enjoy life more. It's part of the reason photography has become such an important hobby to me.

My opinion is that gear does matter, but only if you know how to use it and if you can utilise it's potential. Photography is of course mainly about skill and knowledge and getting better gear isn't automatically going to make you a better photographer. A good photographer can of course get great photos even with pretty bad gear, but they can produce even better results with great gear. And how much the gear matters can of course also vary depending on what type of photography you're doing. At the end of the day a good photo is a good photo, though. Aside from this I think one of the most important things when it comes to gear is to use gear that you actually enjoy using and that you don't feel limits you in any way.

This video is very important! Thank you. I'd put it that way: Better gear means that the conditions under which one can take a decent image can get worse or give you more error margin. That's it.

Couldn't agree more. I am using a full-frame DSLR and a Sony RX100 on a daily basis, and it's more often the pics from the Sony that come out nicer, because it's always available and it does not attract attention. It's more versatile in many ways and it's much easier to capture a moment with it than with a larger camera. And I couldn't care less about the pixel count or noise or grain...

Mr. Forbes, I find myself BINGE WATCHING your content and I will tell you, you've opened me up to this world of photography in a way that not even classes I've taken have. I truly appreciate your contributions.

I use gear that does matter to the look of my work but its not new or latest tech. I'm talking about the Fuji X series, first gen, now superseded. Produces a look different to other camera I've ever used. It matters but its only one of the things that matter along with concept, lighting and all the other variables.

Excellent video Ted, you make a very valid point about gear and photography. We who follow your channel know you have some amazing gear.Having said that ,the images you produce with that gear simply blow us away! You properly could take a potato and kick our backside! When I was a young teenager ,I was at a driving range hitting golf balls ,well attempting to hit golf balls. The pro who ran the driving range was watching me. The clubs I was using were fitted to a women who was 5 ' tall. The pro was 6' 2 .He said let see your club.He said now stand over there and watch. He took that dinky 2 iron ,gripped the club ,addressed the ball and swung the club and hit the ball 200 yards! He handed the club back to me. I don't recall him saying anything but what I took away from that is it ain't what you got but how you use it.My wife loves to take pictures,she tells me that I shoot with my eye and my heart.She tells me that I am more of a technical shooter, but I can turn out some some good stuff from time to time.I do fall into the just one more lens or only I had a Canon ,blah ,blah,blah. Your video challenged me to take what I got and make it work!

Very well said, and I completely agree. Personally I don't like taking pictures with my cell phone, but I will if its the only thing I have. I think it is important to remember that you can get good gear for pretty cheap now, you don't need the latest and greatest. I have a T2i as my main digital camera. You can a t2i with a kit lens for about 200 dollars and it still take fantastic pictures. Or get an old 35 mm film camera. I bought a canon a2e for 40 dollars. Or ask a family member if they have an old camera they don't need anymore. Cameras that can take high quality images have been made for decades. There is lots to choose from that is very cheap. If you want to shoot with something other than a phone, you don't need 1000 dollars for a new DSLR.

I used my iPhone more than a dslr because it’s attached to my hip. When the image presents itself there’s no time to run back and grab a dslr as the light won’t be the same as you see it at that moment. I used to feel that phone photography is second rate, but it is about the image you capture instead of the way it was captured.

This topic has been done a lot by a bunch of photography channels. This is probably the best explanation of the topic I've seen. Thanks for the vid.

well said Ted! I run a photography club with about 70+ members and they're all about gears nowadays, I agree that what really matters is behind the camera, not the camera and lenses, although pros do need better gear with better ergonomics so they can get the job done quickly, and enthusiast need some kind of specialized gear such as long telephoto lenses for birding or wild life , however, consumers do need portability and that's the problem when I have to carry a big bulky DSLR (or 2) on a family trip, you don't want to drag a big body and big lenses just to photo your kids playing on the beach nowadays. For travel street photos, people are really sensitive when you put up a huge gear set with big telephoto lenses, they can draw a lot of attention, however if you take a photo with a compact (look like point and shoot) or a phone, nobody will even bothers. Last year I saw the Canon 80D and Nikon D7200 boxes at Costco, for several month from Oct 2016 to Feb 2017, they did NOT sell even one of them, and finally they took these boxes away to sell online, latest iphone and samsung can be water and dust sealed, and it can be fully integrated with maps, gps, social networks, emails...the phone will be the big risk for DSLR or even the Gopro in consumer world, if the iphone 7 can take 4K video, and then it can edit movies in imovies, and it also has water proof feature, why do people need to take the phone, DSLR and a Gopro with them? all they need is just a phone in their pocket ;)

Had a Minolta X700 35 years ago in a camera club that we had monthly contest. I often competed with others that had the best equipment at the time. It was a joy to win the contest using a cheap camera which was all I could afford back then. Your point even today is valid. Thanks for reminder