Ado Wolf
Well-known member
I recently went through a transformational change, having just made 2 major upgrades in my photography. I decided to share my thoughts here, as it might help others who are in the same situation.
Upgrade from JPG to RAW
I always hesitated to shoot RAW, mainly for [1] lack of a program that handles RAW [2] time needed to edit many photos [3] Disk space / SD card Size needed. However, thanks to Steve's books, feedback on this forum and the free release of NX Studio, I decided to take this "leap" forward. Do I have regrets? Yes, I regret not having made this leap earlier! Since I went RAW, my keepers increased, particularly those taken in low light. The editing possibilities are remarkable. Photos I would have otherwise deleted in JPG, I can now edit in RAW and keep. Number of photos I took dropped as well, since RAW eliminated the need for bracketing (in certain situations). I shoot RAW + JPG so the time required to edit RAW is minimal, as I do tend to go for "aim for best results out of camera" (old school thinking that stuck with me from Film days). To conclude: one doesn't need more time to edit photos, neither more disk space (if keeping photos in JPG format suffices). Disk space has become also much cheaper, so no issues in keeping RAW photos either. NX Studio is a great program, that is free, and will get the job done (for a non professional photographer like me).
Upgrade from D7500 (enthusiast) to D850 (professional)
The gear doesn't make the photographer, true.. but sooner or later, certain gear will become a limitation. This became my case with the D7500. It is a great camera to start with, and I still use it when I need the reach, but the D850 offers so much more: [1] High MP offers flexibility in cropping, not to mention a richer photo [2] Full format offers better DoF [3] improved Dynamic Range and low ISO sensitivity performance are the cherries on top. Not to mention faster AF (particularly in low light), better handling (I have big hands), and improved weather sealing.. to name a few.
Why not switch to Z.. because I have too many F mount lenses and I am happy with them. Will I eventually switch to Z? yes, when Nikon matches or outperforms the D850 and I can afford switching all my F collection into S glass.
Some people need more time to change than others.. particularly today, where the future is uncertain and technology is changing faster than ever before. Was it worth the wait? for me, absolutely, because it made me push my limits with the gear I had, improving myself before blaming my gear. Now I am ready for the next challenge: reaching the limitation of my new gear meanwhile toping my performance and becoming a better photographer.
Upgrade from JPG to RAW
I always hesitated to shoot RAW, mainly for [1] lack of a program that handles RAW [2] time needed to edit many photos [3] Disk space / SD card Size needed. However, thanks to Steve's books, feedback on this forum and the free release of NX Studio, I decided to take this "leap" forward. Do I have regrets? Yes, I regret not having made this leap earlier! Since I went RAW, my keepers increased, particularly those taken in low light. The editing possibilities are remarkable. Photos I would have otherwise deleted in JPG, I can now edit in RAW and keep. Number of photos I took dropped as well, since RAW eliminated the need for bracketing (in certain situations). I shoot RAW + JPG so the time required to edit RAW is minimal, as I do tend to go for "aim for best results out of camera" (old school thinking that stuck with me from Film days). To conclude: one doesn't need more time to edit photos, neither more disk space (if keeping photos in JPG format suffices). Disk space has become also much cheaper, so no issues in keeping RAW photos either. NX Studio is a great program, that is free, and will get the job done (for a non professional photographer like me).
Upgrade from D7500 (enthusiast) to D850 (professional)
The gear doesn't make the photographer, true.. but sooner or later, certain gear will become a limitation. This became my case with the D7500. It is a great camera to start with, and I still use it when I need the reach, but the D850 offers so much more: [1] High MP offers flexibility in cropping, not to mention a richer photo [2] Full format offers better DoF [3] improved Dynamic Range and low ISO sensitivity performance are the cherries on top. Not to mention faster AF (particularly in low light), better handling (I have big hands), and improved weather sealing.. to name a few.
Why not switch to Z.. because I have too many F mount lenses and I am happy with them. Will I eventually switch to Z? yes, when Nikon matches or outperforms the D850 and I can afford switching all my F collection into S glass.
Some people need more time to change than others.. particularly today, where the future is uncertain and technology is changing faster than ever before. Was it worth the wait? for me, absolutely, because it made me push my limits with the gear I had, improving myself before blaming my gear. Now I am ready for the next challenge: reaching the limitation of my new gear meanwhile toping my performance and becoming a better photographer.
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for both.