FlyerTalk Forums - View Single Post - Best Camera System for Antarctica/ Patagonia "Newbie"
Old Sep 19, 2017, 10:11 pm
  #3  
747FC
 
Join Date: Jan 2013
Location: Hawai'i Nei
Programs: Au: UA, Marriott, Hilton; GE
Posts: 7,093
Originally Posted by abmj-jr
I don't really want to learn to play golf at a high level but got an invitation to play in the US Open. Help me decide what equipment I can rent that will help me play like Dustin Johnson for a week so I can have some great memories of this once in a lifetime experience.

See how that sounds? If you do not want to learn how to really use the high-end equipment your rental shop is offering, and practice a lot with it before going, and learn the nuances of difficult fieldcraft that go into making wall-mountable images in difficult conditions, then you are wasting your time.

As a part-time professional who has hauled camera gear up mountains, into wilderness and through some pretty scary places, the best advice I can give is to learn how to use whatever equipment you have to the best it can do. Any skilled photographer can make better images with that point and shoot camera than an unmotivated, unpracticed weekend snap-shooter can make with that $5000 rig.

Learn how to shoot decent digital images, don't expect the gear to do it for you. If your existing camera isn't up to the task, get a good all-in-one camera that will last you for years and learn how to use it. That will give you a far better experience than renting a huge professional outfit but not learning how to use it. Save some money and have a better experience.

Wow! That really came off as pompous. I really do mean to be helpful but at the same time want to point out that there is no magic bullet here. To get pro-quality results, you need to make pro-quality shots.
Thanks for your helpful insights. Who would argue with anything you said. However, I was not looking for life lessons from you, just a camera recommendation.
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