TP: Your greatest regret in photography - the one

I don't have any regrets period - not just none in photography. However, there is one great lesson to learn in photography.

Do not succumb to lens lust - as another thread in this forum is about. The reason is that whilst most people appreciate higher tier glass (G and Zeiss stuff), they rarely appreciate that great photo images are as much if not more about great composition. Take a look at a lot of the photos by some of the past masters who did not have access to the latest and greatest glass. Yet they still produced outstanding images because of their composition and they achieved them with modest or mediocre lenses. So, the lesson for most newbies would be to learn to take good photos with basic, low end and kit lenses, because you can still take great photos even with these lenses. From experience, I took some good photos with a Sony 50mm and 18-70mm kit lens that I bought with my first A mount. Don't discount the abilities of these cheaper lenses. Sure, they won't give you top line lens results but you can get 80 to 90% of what top line lens gives you and get it 90% of the time.

whiteheat wrote: From experience, I took some good photos with a Sony 50mm and 18-70mm kit lens that I bought with my first A mount. Don't discount the abilities of these cheaper lenses. Sure, they won't give you top line lens results but you can get 80 to 90% of what top line lens gives you and get it 90% of the time.

I somewhat agree. Composition and timing do not depend on what glass you have except for focal length. Contrast, sharpness, flare, aberrations, bokeh and luminosity do. There are limits on what you can do retrospectively to enhance a picture when the basic qualities are absent. That said, the Sony 50 mm is a great lens according to all reviews, the 18-70 kit lens is not.

I have sometimes been in situations where I didn't have the right lens. Either because the lenses I had where not capable for the job I envisioned, or because I simply chose the wrong lens or had no time to change. In low light it can make a lot of difference whether you have maximum aperture at F/5,6 or at F/1,8. In the first case steady shot may not help you out.

Edited by overeema - 23 October 2014 at 14:34

I know it is nothing new or special but my regret is waiting so long to take up the hobby. I squandered so much money (and time) on other stuff over the years that could have been spent preserving memories. Although digital has made it much easier to experiment and learn without spending a fortune on film. I wish I had been taking photos when I lived by the ocean and was an avid scuba diver. Also could have recorded much more of my child growing up - the time just passes you by.

I regret not shooting much for a couple years. My ex wasn't into it, and didn't want to, or couldn't take time to, go on trips to shoot with me. I stopped doing it to spend more free time with her. Big mistake.

I regret waiting so long to get myself faster glass. F2.8 lenses have changed my life.

I regret waiting so long to get on the full-frame bandwagon.

I purchased a DSLR and spent two years not knowing what "35mm equivalence" meant. To know that I had a crop sensor camera. I spent 2+ years shooting landscapes with a 35mm thinking that I had a "wide angle" but I kept on using my 18-55 kit lens because I thought it was ultra wide. *face palms*.

My biggest regret is, that in former SU the great negative and positive films were hugely expensive for me and I finally decided to use not expensive positive films made in former DDR (East-Germany). What is the result now? I have only few good pictures from a very long period about my family, friends, trips. The colors and contures are week now, despite these slides have been in stabil normal for holding conditions and not much warmed up for looking on the wall screen. Scanning these slides helps not much too - scanned files show better pics on the LCD screen, but really not much.

So, what to learn?

Keep going with better quality even you are feeling, that you are not good in photography. Every-body can record his/her own memories and learn step by step, as here in Dyxum. The most important pics are family pics, where one must try the best out of gear.

Arguable, but shooting with smartphones is probably not (still) the right way to be happy after years IMO.

Edited by Aavo - 24 December 2014 at 09:55

I regret a lot of things and losing a lot of digital images on a failed hard drive is right up there.

In terms of equipment, I REALLY regret ever having sold my magnificent Cambo Wide with it's 47mm Super Angulon lens!


IMGP0057 by Michael J Breen, on Flickr