On Monday, December 9, 2002, at 06:19 AM, Rob Brigham wrote:
This pure speculation on my part, but I suspect that there are amateurs and there are amateurs. Probably the greatest percentage of, say, slr type amateurs are those who buy a kit consisting of an entry level slr and the 1 or 2 cheap zooms bundled with it. I suspect most of them consider themselves covered from that point on.
I am not sure I totally agree with the paragraph:
"Any kind of specialist photographer will immediately recoil from the
suggestion that photographers could benefit from having only one or two
lenses. Lenses can allow access - to tiny things or to far-away things,
and to exotic angles of view. More lenses are usually needed for more
specialized work or for different kinds of specialties, which is why
pros tend to own the most."
Surely pros and specialists are more likely that amateurs to only need a
small number of focal lengths as their requirements tend to be more
clearly defined. Whereas an amateur shoots all manner of subjects and
specialities and thus wants a lens for EVERY purpose?
As an amateur I photograph motorsports and wildlife, landscapes,
portraits, macros and everything in between. A pro is more likely to
focus on a small number of core areas surely? This would lead me to
believe that actually amateurs tend to own the most?
Then there are the more dedicated amateurs with deeper pockets or more drive who feel compelled to find the most capable tools available to craft their shots (and, of course, equipment fetishists and collectors who are as fascinated with the tools as they are with the ends the tools are capable of)
I'd guess that Mike is thinking of amateurs in the first sense rather than the second.
I wholeheartedly agree when he says:I think the same could be said of foot binding, a good beating, and any number of other experiences one can carry for a lifetime, too. <g>
"the exercise of picking one prime lens and shooting with it exclusively
until you've forgotten what other lenses feel like is a learning
experience that you will carry with you for the rest of your life"
Though...
Dan Scott
