My new camera...

As I peeled off the anti-static packaging of my newly bought Sony A7iii, I could feel my heart beating faster in my chest. After only seeing the camera on my laptop screen for months, the camera felt both smaller and bigger in my hands, and the heft required a surprising effort to hold. I attached the lens that had arrived earlier and set it on the cool wooden floor in the middle of my living room. I stared at it intently for a good 5 minutes, touching it occasionally to assure myself that it was really in front of me. 

I started messing around with DSLRs (cameras with removable lenses. The big, bulky, fancy ones) near second semester freshman year for my Boneyard Project. Long story short, I ordered a Canon 80D and 70D using grant money that I received, and I took it with myself everywhere, shooting some pretty awful pictures in the manual mode (still the best way to learn to shoot in this mode though). The camera was for fairly serious amateurs, a high-end beginner’s camera, and it felt right at home in my hands. 

Eventually, I bought my own camera, a Canon Rebel T6i, a mid-range beginner’s camera, and again, took it with myself everywhere and eventually started taking my classmate’s senior pictures with it. As much as I loved it, the downsides of the camera were at times very painful and frustrating. For example, the camera only really focused on a person when they were smack-dab in the middle of the frame, which either restricted a lot of the more interesting compositions I wanted to make or forced me to tediously focus manually (and often times fail). But I still shot some nice photos that I was proud of, and it served me well. 

Then came this new beast of a camera that I paid using money I saved up for years. I won’t get into too many details about the camera (if you want more, talk to me in person, I can talk for hours about this camera. Literally. I did it once, and the person (my dad) fell asleep.) but, it is a camera that professionals use for their professional works (high-end semi-pro camera would be a more apt description, but pros still use the camera nonetheless). The days before the camera arrived at my house were chaotic because I was so anxious.  

When I bought the T6i, I knew it was what I needed. I was confident in my skills that I had developed over the time I had messed around with the 80D, but the A7iii was a different level. I started doubting myself. Did I really need such an expensive camera? Would my skills effectively take full advantage of the quality and features of the camera? Was I worthy? Growing up as someone who was always disgusted at people who bought grand pianos as decorative piece furniture, I felt like a hypocrite.

I’ve only used the camera for a little while and have only started to grasp its true capabilities. While I gladly indulge myself in the luxurious features that this camera offers while I shoot (fantastic autofocus, completely silent shooting, better dynamic range, etc…), I find myself still feeling a bit intimidated and a bit guilty as the long journey ahead of me to really owning the title of being a “photographer” has become ever so clear. Although my efficiency (usable shots to non-usable shots ratio) has gone significantly up, looking through the photos I took, it’s obvious that my skill has not significantly risen due to my transition to a new camera. 

See for yourself, as these two photos that I’ve taken of my classmates were taken on two different cameras and see if you can really see a difference in quality, and if so, which one is better. 

For the curious peeps, the answer is here (highlight the white text): Left is old, right is new. 

(Also, shameless self-promotion: let me know if you want to senior pics, or insta pics from me, I need practice [and a portfolio lol])