Upgrading (Or Buying) Lens or full frame ?

Digital cameras has crop sensors, meaning that they don't have that conventional 35mm frame behind that glass. This crop sensors sometimes give photographers an OCD on wanting a full frame sensor because that 35mm sensor is basically point 0 (Zero) when it comes to lens focal length, your 50mm is actually a 50mm unlike on a crop sensor where you have to compute for its equivalent focal length .

For a beginner photographer, this isn't much to care about because they haven't yet understood the differences between all the focal lengths. But for someone with experience, especially to street photographers, this means a lot .

canon eos 1100D :Crop sensor entry level camera

Let's say you can't really afford much and you bought an entry level camera with a crop sensor with a 1.6 crop factor, that makes your 50mm an 80mm. With a prime lens, this is a little bit tough to deal but it's okay with a standard zoom lens because you could just turn it to 24mm and you get your 50mm equivalent.

Achieving your desired focal length with a prime lens is hard, unless you upgrade to full frame or buy a wider lens. If you have the money to buy a full frame, I say buy the full frame. But if you don't, you may start to think whether to buy a wider lens or save up for a full frame dslr . 

A full frame dslr has many benefits, One is you get the right focal length equivalent of course. You're truly happy that you're not getting lied to about your focal length and you enjoy that sharp prime lens. Second is a bit of a theory. Full frame sensors are less noisy when bumping up to a higher ISO . That's a big benefit especially when you're still out shooting in the night. Last but not least, A full frame dslr has tons of features that will be useful and will improve your photography. 

The Full frame 5D Mark II

Take the Canon 5D for example, it's full frame and pimped out with buttons and dials . but that is too expensive compared to just buying a wider lens to compensate for the focal length you want.

When you buy a wider lens, you save money and you get to buy more lens with the rest of your money. Investing in good lenses is always a better choice because there are more lenses to choose from than there are full frame cameras that you could fit your lenses into .

Yashica Electro 35 GSN Rangefinder

Bottom line, I suggest you go with wider prime lenses. It's cheaper than a full frame dslr. If you still want a full frame camera that isn't cheap, then go buy a film camera with a 35mm film. there are some people who sell cheap but in good condition cameras. Some rangefinders online only cost about $100 or less. And Also, when you decide to buy wider lens , don't forget that you could also fit them into a full frame dslr. So go buy and invest with wider lenses and then buy a full frame . That would be my suggestion , because that is what I have decided as a photography with a small income .

Walang Tatalo sa FILM

Sa panahon ngayon, uso na ang digital. syempre ! mas tipid yun, mas convenient at mas okay para sa karamihan. isipin mo naman, kung magkakaron kayo ng photoshoot tas gagamit ka ng film, ilang rolls ang bibilin mo ? napaka mahal nun !

Punta tayao sa ibang good side ng digital.

well, of course tipid ka dun. maglalabas ka ng 1000php , makakabili ka na ng 8GB memory card nun (depende sa size kung SD or CF , etc. ) at forever mo na siyang gagamitin. Unlike sa film, hindi mo na mababawi yung mga shots mo, walang delete delete. Which is the 2nd good thing about sa digital, pag napuno ang memory card, delete lang. At pag nagkamali, pwedeng mag delete at subukan ulit yung shot.

Bad Side ng Film ?

Magastos, hindi na mababalikan, marami ! kaya natatabunan na sya ngayon. Madals, hindi na kailangang pag usapan kung bakit hindi na gumagamit ng film ang karamihan ngayon. In my experience, napansin ko na nakakatakot mag load ng film. kasi syempre, parang pera yun eh , pag naexpose yun, para ka na ding nagsayang ng pera.

Pero madami din namang pangit sa digital. Pumasok na tayo sa Balon.

Pag nagkamali ka sa digital, nasa isip mo lagi na "ay ! pwede namang i-delete toh eh.", hindi nawawala un, lagi mo nang hinahabol ang perfection, which is napaka hirap. At meron ding tinatawag na "Chimping", ang pag tingin sa LCD screen pagkatapos ng shot, tinitignan mo kung maganda ba yung kuha mo or ano ba yung dapat mong baguhin. Now, BIG ADVANTAGE yun ng digital pero not every situation. I call it "Insecurity", hindi ka nagtitiwala na nakuha mo yung shot, parang it doesn't show professionalism in some way pero hindi yun yung point dun ah !

Sa film kasi, alam mong hindi ka pwedeng magkamali, isang banat lang at yun na yon . which is a better way in photography in my opinion. kasi mas iniisip mo yung shot, you get connected with the subject. kumbaga ganito yan, "It's either you do your best or you don't do it at all" . madaming kasabihan ang pumapasok sa isip ko na ako lang naman may gawa, tumatanda na yata ako..

Mahal nga ang film, mahal magpadevelop , pero napaka sarap nya. iba parin ang feeling ng film. yung napaka gandang blacks ng film, may details parin kahit  madilim na. kasi , hindi megapixels yun, walang megapixel ang film, kaya kahit gaano kalaki mo iprint ang film, malinaw parin sya . eto naman ang BIG ADVANTAGE ng film.

pag tinignan mo ang mga pictures na galing film, parang andun ka talaga sa pangyayari, parang panaginip pero andun ka mismo ! wala nang edit edit , post processing, kahit wala nang ganun sa film, maganda parin.

Kapag hindi mo nakikita kung ano itsura nung shot mo pagkatapos mong kunin yun, tapos inaantay mong ipadevelop, isa yun sa napaka sarap na feeling sa film. lalo na kapag nakita mo na at nakuha mo yung tamang exposure at composition , walang katulad !

Napaka rami pang magagandang bagay sa film, hindi ko lang mahimay kasi saglit palang ako gumagamit ng film. Pwede na rin nating sabihin na Hindi 100% photography enthusiast ang isang tao kung hindi nya pa nasusubukang mag film. or something like that. Basta parang iba parin ang pusong photography ng taong naksubok at nagmahal ng film kesa sa hindi pa. gets ?

walang tatalo sa film, kahit napaka felxible ng digital, iba parin ang nararamdaman mo sa film. Complicated kasi para sa isang tao na iexplain ang sarap ng film sa isa pang tao. dapat maexperience ng lahat ang film, hindi dahil para lang maintindihan nila yung kwento , kundi para maisapuso talaga nila yung photography.

(nalimutan ko na yung iba kong sasabihin, paumanhin. :) )

I own a DSLR, I am now a PHOTOGRAPHER (RANT)

I did it once, but just to say that I finally have my own. Note: I did not brag about anything

Inside the social networking sites, there are people who likes to share photographs of their own. Now there are some who share photographs of themselves holding their camera (specifically a dslr). To be honest, it means being proud of what you have and proud that you can share anything to anybody by images. But there are some who over do these sorts of things.

 

There are people who take pictures of themselves holding their camera and saying, "Hey ! I have a new DSLR!" , and there are those who say , "Im officially a photographer, woohoo!" or "Look at my new DSLR, Im a photographer!". Now I have a saying that I live by, "It's not what you say, It's HOW you say it", and these bragging and calling themselves a photographer really bugs me.

Google defines a photographer as "Someone who takes photographs professionally".

And society defines a photographer as someone who takes photographs whether professionally or not, Which I agree on.

But it seems that calling yourself a photographer and bragging about it does not really make you a photographer, It's sorta calling yourself humble which contradicts the definition of being humble (but let's not go through that). Everything is good and all when someone calls himself/herself a photographer, but the problem is when she brags about it just because he or she has a DSLR. It gets worse, he brags about it and takes crappy pictures (mostly in auto mode). 

Yashica electro 35 GTN : Film rangefinder camera

I'm like "WHAT THE FUCK!?", you only have a dslr , not skills nor imagination. Yeah sure he processed the photo of his new camera but with filters, presets and effects I can't name. Now there's nothing wrong with those but for me, it is just not appropriate nor does it show professionalism. My Target here are not those who have DSLRs and call themselves photographers, I'm talking about those who brag about it and take crappy shots, or doesn't even take photograph, Just bragging about their "overpriced" camera.

From my past research about street photography, an article said that we are all photographers because of how easy it is to have access to cameras. Though many people use instagram and takes tons of pictures with that app and use multiple hastags (which are irritating sometimes) and that's okay. They are just being a photographer and sharing their photos. But I just cannot deal with people who buy DSLRs , rely on auto mode, take crappy pictures, cliche pictures , call themselves (professional) photographers, and brag about it.

But you know what they say, "If you got it, flaunt it!". Well, show off your camera, not the skills you don't have, and I wish you would one day have them.

Bottom line, I just wanted to say that people who buy DSLRs and brag about being a pro photographer, irritates me . I just hope that someday when people buy a DSLR, they are after the control, the flexibility, not the label, not the name tag that says "Photographer".