3) Would it be more cost effective to rent/barrow for specific occasions, or should this equipment be a mainstay in my arsenal of tools?

We read about sports photographer Bill Frakes owning 29 Nikon D3 bodies and National Geographic photographer Joe McNally lighting the X – 47A Pegasus with 12 Nikon SB-80s. Only if we all could have that many cameras and lights; imagine the variety of images we could produce. But if we are honest with ourselves as photographers, the majority of our photographic endeavors revolve around a small and specific set of equipment. While a product photographers necessary equipment list may be larger then a wedding photographer, each should know their essential equipment list. This list comprises of the tools that, on the average job, will be used 80-90% of the time. As for the 10-20% of the occasions when there are specific equipment requirements, go rent it. How often would you be using 12 Nikon SB-80s (or whatever your equivalent is) anyways?

Fin

This is the end of the series ‘When should I upgrade?’ I hope that I provided some food for thought based off my experiences. If one bit of wisdom could be gained by this series, I wish it to be this: Go photograph something and forget about the technical mumbo-jumbo. Take pictures with your “inferior” camera; by default you will have more and better pictures then the person spending hours not capturing images and fretting over technical specification of the latest equipment.

Grace and Peace

On a related note, I believe strongly that the camera doesn’t make the photographer.  A talented photographer will create compelling images whether it be on a Canon 5d Mark II, a Hasselbald HD3II (worth more then most cars), or even an Iphone.  I remember hearing about a pro photographer who used a disposable camera for his fashion shoots, unfortunately his name escapes me.  It is this very reason that my old Canon Rebel XT has been at my side for 4 years now and it has pleased me.  As the blogger over at A Fasion Shooter stated:

“I know that in terms of investing in my business, spending on plane tickets makes a lot more sense and will better my portfoilios to a MUCH greater degree than spending huge amounts on cameras….In my experience, what you put in front of your camera is 95% of the battle. The camera itself: 5%.”

I couldn’t agree more. With that being said, I did choose to  upgrade for many reasons.  ISO low light capability, 21.1 mp full frame sensor, no multiplying crop factor (50mm lens will be 50mm) for those wide shots, and the list goes on.  And while all the technical specs will not improve my composition, lighting,  problem solving, or photographic skill, it will allow me to push the technical aspects of my photography.  There will be more room to work with in post-processing and much bigger prints. So here’s to the camera that I will hopefully spending the next 5 years with, the Canon 5d Mark II.  Sound like I just got married doesn’t it?

Grace and Peace.