Matter of perspective

If I could.....

2010-02-04T21:52:00.000-08:00

Get high yet not have a hangover

Eat all that I like yet not feel full

Drive at breakneck speeds without the fear of breaking necks

Learn from experience yet not get old

Get pure water without paying for it

Speak my heart and yet not be termed "politically incorrect"

Flickr, comments, Explore, photos, aspiring photographers and crappy photos!

2010-01-28T19:11:00.000-08:00

Having been a hyper active Flickrite for over 3 years I was trying hard not to write this post but it was compelling as I had to say this to those 10% (or less) of serious guys out there who want to "REALLY" improve their photography rather than garner "nice comments"

When I started off on Flickr I used to take terrible shots (and I had been shooting for 17 years). You can see for yourself http://www.flickr.com/photos/pvs2007/ if you go to the last few pages and in those days you never got 100 comments and 200 faves. There were a couple of people who might still like your photo but the key was to look for "good" photographers and "virtual groups" where you could see some classy shots and invite criticism so that you can change your perspective to take better shots. One such group is "Make it a Mega Shot" which is run by Cyrus Khamak and a few Flickr contacts. My photography improved leaps and bounds in a matter of a few months and so has the clicking ability of a lot of people I know. The reason was simple, we were not in a race to garner "nice" comments

About comments and criticism: Yes, everyone likes a "nice" comment, including me and I would be lying if I said I don't look at that column everyday against a photo I uploaded BUT that is not the be all and end all (if you consider yourself in the 10% or less, of course).

If you ask for criticism on Flickr you do get it and get it real bad. That's because you are BAD, accept it and life will be much better. There will be photos you think are amazing and will be the flavor of the day on Flickr and suddenly one guy will come and tear it apart, it has happened and rather than having a sullen face just get on with the next shot.

NEVER BE DEFENSIVE else people will stop critiquing your photos, unless that's what you want. There is nothing called "constructive criticism, mild criticism etc etc". Criticism is criticism, period. You have the heart to take it then you might improve, else languish in your current state forever

The "Explore" rush: Yes, getting your photo on to explore is a definite thrill. Flickr says it is among 500 photos of a particular day and it is also ranked and the top few photos appear on the 1st page for a few minutes. Great, but what does it mean to you? You do surely get more people to see your photo, which is awesome BUT it surely does not necessarily mean that your photo is classy. A lot of crappy photos get into Explore too. An algorithm decides which photo goes into Explore and it heavily depends on the number of comments, faves, views you get within a short time from the time of posting the picture. A lot of "I scratch your back and you scratch mine" goes on in this race. People leave "nice comments" on any and every photo just so that those guys do the same on theirs and suddenly you have an "Explore" photo. But one simple question at the end: what has this done to improving the way you click???

I am not against getting photos on Explore or enjoying the time it gets there but again apart from giving you that viewership it really does not add any value to your photo taking abilities in anyway. And it is not a tale of sour grapes, I have had 67 of my photos on Explore at some point, even now I think 3 are there

The worst thing to do: Do NOT ask for critiques if you don't have the appetite for them. If you want "nice" comments from people who do not understand photography go ahead and enjoy but don't do it under the garb on someone who is out there to become a "serious" photographer and "learn" from fellow Flickrites, you will be disrobed very soon as it will be come apparent over a period of time that you don't like people not liking your photo and the fact will be visible to everyone that you aren't improving either!

I know this sounds like a very negative post but I had to write for the 10% or less, as I mentioned earlier-they probably will realize the value of this

Shooting Birds

2010-01-12T03:42:00.000-08:00

What do I need?

1) Lots of money: I am not kidding. If you want to do serious bird photography you need at least a 400mm lens with a minimum aperture of not more than f5.6. Sigma and Tamron make cheaper lenses but cannot compete in terms of quality with Canon and Nikon. The Canons and Nikons cost Rs 70000 plus. You can use the 400mm plus a 1.4x extender which will make it around 560mm but you will lose speed-the aperture will become f8 and autofocus in most cameras won't work (which is a must for shots of birds in flight)

If you have lots of money get the 500mm or 600mm. These are tack sharp but you have to use them with a tripod. Hand held is almost impossible as they are more than 5 kg in weight. Did I mention that these lenses will cost you upward of 2-3 lakhs?

2) A GOOD tripod: When I say good I mean a carbon fibre tripod (light but very sturdy) with a Ball head so that you can manouvre your lens in any way quickly. I am not talking about tripods which have three different screws for moving the camera horizontally, vertically and adjust height. Again these will set you back by about Rs 20-40 thousand

3) Lens with IS: Only if you are going to shoot hand held (which is not a great idea anyway) and useless if you are buying 500mm or more

4) Camera: Make sure your camera has at least 7-9 focusing points or more. this is necessary when you want to take shots of birds in flight. Cameras also have a movement tracking focus system but I have not had a great experience with these. Also make sure the camera has burst mode and at least 4fps or more

5) Excellent command over camera modes and functions: On the field you will be required to make changes quickly and probably for every 2-3 shots. If you take your own time the bird ain't waiting...

6) Loads of Patience: You will get terrible shots most of the time as your camera might not have focused right, the bird might have moved and created blur, you miss the moment, exposure not correct, camera shake, the list is endless. So be prepared to spend hours of looking through the viewfinder and click at the right moment. You will love the shots you get

Method that works for me:

1) Wait and watch: Move very little and try to be in one position for longer times so that the birds are not disturbed and take you for granted. If you have to move do it very slowly and without making noise

2) Aperture priority mode: I set the minimum aperture of the lens so that I get maximum speed. I generally do not hike up ISO more than 300 as grainy bird shots are terrible

3) Overexpose: I generally overexpose by 1/2 or 1 stop so that if I am shooting against the light the bird does not get underexposed

4) Go to the place again and again: This tells you about the habits of the birds, their time schedule and the best vantage points

5) DO NOT pelt stones to make birds fly or feed or disturb them in any way... Please!!!

Why do I get lifeless landscapes?

2010-01-06T00:17:00.000-08:00

What do I mean by lifeless?

Washed out Skies: The camera is a machine following rules. The exposure meter cannot get everything right. Nowadays meters are pretty advanced but yet they do get fooled. Basically what happens is that when more of your frame contains land the camera gives you exposure reading for exposing the land correctly but the sky is brighter than the land so the details of the sky are lost. The reverse happens when your frame contains more of the sky. The meter exposes the sky correctly and darkens the land. How to solve this dilemma? First understand how the meter works. Read "Ansel Adams" "Zone System", (see the last 2 links in this article) written decades ago but still serving as an anthem to photographers who want to get perfect exposures. You can use a neutral graduated filter to cut off excess light in the sky or use HDR. You could also shoot at times of the day when the light ratio between land and sky is not too high, dawn and dusk

Colorless: The best natural lighting during the day is at dawn and dusk and remains only for a few minutes. The color of the landscape is vivid during this time and very soothing. As the sun goes higher the contrast (read dynamic range) in the scene increases which also has a negative impact on color. Man made objects can still look colorful at different times of the day provided you select a good angle to shoot them from. Sometimes it is better to shoot in the shade than in direct sunlight. Use of a polarizing filter also helps in getting better colors. Clouds can have a funny effect on color. White clouds on blue skies render great landscape shots but gray dark clouds take color away and make almost everything appear gray. Long exposures and a little bit of PS can actually give you fantastic shots during such conditions

Composition and Framing: Although you can make the camera capture the scene your eyes see and tell you "this is a great scene", remember that the eye has almost a 180 degree view and almost infinite "dynamic range", a fantastic self adjusting aperture giving magical DOF and it is dynamic, i.e. it does not capture a moment but actually captures a series of moments and your brain interprets these.The camera has no brain to interpret thus it is left to the person viewing the picture to interpret it. Composition is the "art" in photography. Don't just snapshoot a landscape:

Have some interest in the foreground: This gives the picture depth. In other words it gives a feeling of the distance between where you are and where your subject is or where your subject is and the background

Framing: Have some element provide a natural frame to the picture, like tree branches or an arch of a gateway etc. this holds the attention of the viewer within the frame

Balance: Have elements arranged in the frame so that one part is not too heavy and the other barren

These are just some tips, you can read about composition in detail here:

http://photoinf.com/General/KODAK/guidelines_for_better_photographic_composition.html

http://www.johnharveyphoto.com/LearnComposition/

http://www.forphotography.com/how-tos/zone/zone1.html

http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/zone_system.shtml

Stop "convenience shooting"

2010-01-05T21:55:00.000-08:00

This is again for people out there who aspire to be serious photographers, "not for snap shooters"

What is "convenience shooting"?

You have a camera and you take the camera with you as an afterthought. You have not read and understood the camera manual completely and you don't intend to either. You don't have a plan on what you want to shoot/any specific subject in mind and keep clicking whatever you think "appeals" to your eye. Then you get home and get lost in your daily chores and one day you remember you have some pictures to download. After downloading you over process some "ok" shots and try to make them look good using Photoshop and then upload all over the net for "comments" from others

If you want to become a serious photographer here is what you might want to do differently:

1. Plan the Shoot: It helps if you have visited the place before or at least seen pictures and read about it over the net. Ask yourself: Will I be shooting more landscapes, people, markets, portraits, group shots, wildlife? Depending on the subject, attach the ideal lens on your camera. Pre set whatever settings on your camera can be pre set so that you waste less time in tuning your camera

2. Good Old Patience: This is the key. Wait for the right moment, right lighting, right focus, right framing. A great shot is seldom accidental. Landscapes and Macros require maximum patience.

3. Pre-visualization: This comes from the master himself "Ansel Adams". Pre-visualization is imagining how the output of your shoot will be and making sure you have the inputs well controlled to give you the ideal output. For example, if you pre visualize your portrait to have very blurred background, the key input you have to control is the aperture (as wide as possible). Make sure you pre-visualize every shot. You may not get the desired output every time but at least you will investigate why and this will make you realize your follies and make you a better photographer

4. Enjoy loneliness: The best shots you get are when there is no one nagging you to move on and talking to you constantly about worldly affairs. Either go for the shoot alone or with like minded people. Here is what I did-I encouraged my wife to embrace photography and gave her my 300D and we share lenses, thus she is as engrossed as I am in shooting when we are together on a shoot

I am not suggesting you don't take your camera everywhere or stop shooting random shots but don't make that your mainstay. What camera you own is not of great consequence as long as you are on the learning curve and are constantly progressing

What "not to worry" about

2009-12-30T21:40:00.000-08:00

1. Grains: Grains are a reality when you hike up ISO so that you can shoot at smaller apertures and higher shutter speeds. It happens in film and it will happen in sensors but softwares today do provide lot of options to reduce grains at high ISO, but you will lose some sharpness

2. Sharpness: You should only worry about not getting camera shake and not getting focus right. If both these are absent then the sharpness is more a result of the lens you own, the aperture used and where your subject appears in the frame. For good DOF at given apertures read about "hyperfocal distance" on the net. Edges are often less sharp than the center but then if you compose by the thirds then you obviously do not have the subject in the center

3. Lens: Again as long as you are shooting to post photos on the web or printing up to A4 do not worry too much about the lens you own. Most lenses today are pretty decent. If you are going to make money by selling photos you can worry about the lenses you own

4. Color, contrast etc.: Nowadays Photoshop and the likes give you all options to enhance color, contrast, levels, shadows, highlights etc. so invest in photoshop rather than a $1000 lens or lenses

What should you worry about:

1. Composition: This is the "art". If you get a chance take a look at "Raghu Rai's" book on photos of the Taj. They are grainy, not too sharp and could be better in terms of contrast BUT the compositions are flawless. You see angles of the Taj you never imagined. Each photo is a timeless classic. It tells a story

2. Shooting the moment: In your pursuit to get the science right don't miss the right time for the shot. Lot of shots are about capturing the moment. Just shoot the moment

3. Framing: Before shooting take a split second to look through the whole frame and 99% of the time you will find you can avoid or include something and re compose. Most amateurs look only at the subject through the viewfinder and get a lot of distracting elements in the picture

4. Get the Horizon STRAIGHT: For god's sake keep your sense of geometry intact before you shoot. so many good shots look horrible because of a tilted horizon (unless it is intentional and adds value to the picture)

5. Common Sense: Think for a few minutes before you embark on a shooting session on what you will shoot 90% of the time on that day and put on that lens. Pre-set aperture/shutter speed (whichever is relevant), custom functions and ISO so that you spend less or no time in camera adjustments

Movies Worth Watching-Trust me you won't regret

2009-12-30T03:28:00.000-08:00

Let me begin by saying you will enjoy these movies only if you sit uninterrupted (a break or two is fine), undisturbed (please avoid loud friends and wives/husbands) and appreciate each dialog. If you are the kind who likes to watch downloaded/pirated movies in terrible audio formats and laptop screens then please do not proceed further as you will NOT enjoy these movies

1. Shawshank Redemption: For 2 hours you will curse why you sat to watch this movie and probably curse me too, you will feel depressed, pessimistic about life and wonder why the hell did they make a movie like this but trust me when I say the climax will BLOW YOU AWAY. And if you love Morgan Freeman, this is one of his many BEST. By the way Tim Robbins is the hero (Mystic River-Oscar for Best Supporting Actor)

2. Million Dollar Baby: Director Clint Eastwood's Oscar Winner. Again, if you love Morgan Freeman this is a must watch. This is a really serious movie about success against all odds. If you are from a small town and had big dreams and saved penny by penny and saw success the hard way you will identify with this movie. Brilliant performances, amazing dialogs and a fantastic climax. I sat there for 5 minutes motionless and speechless even after the end of the credits

3. Apocalypto: Warning: Not for the faint hearted. If you have high cholesterol and high BP please avoid (I have both and survived). Director Mel Gibson takes film making to a completely new level with unimaginable shots. The last half hour is literally "edge of the seat" stuff. Please avoid kids and faint hearted wives into your Home Theater for this one

4. The Dark Knight: The best of the Batman series. Way better than the terrible 1st 3, Michael Keaton, Val Kilmer and George Clooney movies. Heath Ledger's role of a lifetime. Tragically he died and then got the Oscar. You really get scared of the "Joker". The ultimate Hollywood "good over evil" movie. Again my favorite Morgan Freeman and Michael Caine. What a starcast...

5. The Hannibal Series: If you want to understand the whole scenario watch "Hannibal Rising", "Red Dragon", "Silence of the Lambs" and "Hannibal" in that order. Anthony Hopkins at his demonic best and Oscar winning performances of Jodie Forster and Anthony Hopkins in "Silence of the Lambs. The stories might seem a little unbelievable but these things happen, serial killers, psychological profiling and cannibalism exist in this world. Again not for the faint hearted. No kids please

Thought Behind the Shot-2

2009-12-29T18:01:00.001-08:00

We were driving towards Denver and in the horizon we could see a thunderstorm and in 20-30 minutes we were in the middle of it. I quickly got on to the back seat and tried a few shots of the lightning. Here are the problems:

How do you predict the time lightning will strike to click the shutter at the same time?
How do you select the exposure as everything is dark till lightning strikes?

Here is what I did:

Pointed the camera at approximately the direction in which maximum lightning was occurring
Selected Manual Exposure and chose a long exposure of about 20 seconds and f4 (I could have chosen slightly higher aperture at say f5.6)
Selected Manual Focus and set it to infinity
Clicked and prayed there would be a lightning strike in those 20 seconds

The horizontal streaks are headlights of other vehicles passing by during the 20 sec exposure

Thought Behind the Shot-1

2009-12-29T17:20:00.000-08:00

I want a Good Background!

It was a cloudy, gloomy evening. To top it all it was drizzling and I was struggling to save my camera from the rain. It was futile trying to shoot the Golden Gate in the available light and I was not getting any good angles anyway. Then I saw the Sea Gulls and took a few shots but again a Sea gull shot is a Sea Gull shot, what's new?

Then this happened. This guy was walking up and down the wall and a streak of sunlight lit up the Golden Gate and I was thinking "like humans, would Gulls also want to be photographed with the majestic Golden Gate as a background"?

The key was to get the gull sharp in the foreground and in the bottom third of the frame and the Golden Gate slightly blurred so that it stands as a background yet does not disturb the eye. The length of the bridge made sure I had to use vertical framing

So:

Selected aperture priority (needed the perfect depth of field to blur the bridge)
Luckily already had my 70-200 lens on
Selected a focusing point at the bottom third of the frame and shot...

I had to take 7 or 8 shots. Sometime the bridge was too sharp or too blurred and sometimes the gull was moving around not looking at me

Thankfully I got it at last!

Lens: 70-200 at f8

Shutter speed: 1/100

Exposure Compensation: -1

10 Tips for first time SLR buyers

2009-12-29T10:31:00.000-08:00

Mega Pixels: MP does not matter anymore, at least not for people who print postcard size or even A4 size (tell me honestly how many digital pictures have you printed and framed on your wall). Anything above 6 is good and all SLRs today are well above that. If you are turning pro you might worry about it but then you wouldn't be reading this
Canon or Nikon: Don't worry both are excellent. Once you start using them you get used and intuitively move your fingers while still looking through the viewfinder. Both offer a plethora of lenses and independent manufacturers like Sigma, Tamron, Tokina and even Zeiss makes lenses with Canon or Nikon mounts
Zoom: This was the "in thing" in the 90s. First of all no SLR comes with in built zoom, only point and shoots do. Select your zoom according to your need. For example if you shoot a lot of landscape select 10-22, 12-24 or 18-55 and if you shoot wildlife select among 70-300, 200-400. For zoom lovers Sigma makes a 50-500 lens. And now the dampener-Prime (fixed focal length lenses) lenses are almost always better than zoom lenses but again if you are reading this you do not need to know why and trust me you won't know the difference
The zoom lens that comes with the camera: If you can buy body only, buy it. The lens with the camera is almost always a dud, especially with amateur SLRs. You would be better off buying the body only with the 50mm f1.8 (Rs 4000) and then save money to buy a wide angle and a telephoto zoom. And i know none of you will listen to me on this one
Live View: Ok you got used to it in your point and shoot and want it in your SLR. Even if the SLR has the option please shut it. My personal experience is that good composition comes with looking at the composition through the viewfinder and not at a screen which is a fraction of what your eye can see, along with all other disturbances. Moreover the LCD screen eats a lot of battery. If you are intending to become a pro, tell me how many pros have you seen using a Live View?
Can I buy Used: Yes, yes, yes. Remember these cameras do not have great 2nd hand value and the manufacturers keep upgrading every 2 years or so and a lot of people fall for those extra 5 megapixels and some sale gimmick feature which will never be used so there will be a lot of cameras available. Lenses are a safe bet as the only things you need to worry about is fungus, which is visible when you inspect it and auto focus which you can test with a camera at the store itself
Where to buy: If you are in the US: www.bhphotovideo.com, www.amazon.com, www.adorama.com. these guys almost always offer the least prices and if they ship it, there is NO tax and they are extremely trustworthy, even for used. In India www.jjmehta.com offers a good range of cameras and lenses
Third Party Lenses: Yes you can buy the Sigma, Tamron, Tokina lenses for much lesser prices than Canon or Nikon but Caveat Emptor. I have a Sigma 105mm f2.8 Macro 1:1 which beats all my Canon Lenses on sharpness but the auto focus stopped working. Similarly my Tamron 200-400 auto focus also stopped working but Tamron repaired it for free even though it was out of warranty and they even cleaned a spot of fungus inside. That's customer delight
Accessories: First get a good bag, a big bag, a sturdy bag as you will add to your kitty and you do not want to expose all this to dust and if something falls you don't have to weep. I have dropped my Pelican case with all my equipment at airports from the push cart and still nothing is broken. Get polarizers for your lenses. You don't have to buy one for every lens. Just buy one or two matching the circumference of your lenses. Buy bigger sizes and you can buy adapters to fit it into smaller size lenses. Google about how to use a polarizer and what it does, you will see a marked difference when you use it. Get a tripod, you won't regret it.
Do I need an SLR: If you are asking yourself this then you obviously do not because you do not know what it can do so first read about it, google and gain knowledge and then you will not ask

Sharpness

2009-12-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

Sharpness:
Myth: To get sharpness in your landscape images keep aperture at f/8 minimum.Myth Buster: Some experts even recommend very very small apertures, to the effect of f/22. Actually what happens is that Depth of Field increases at smaller apertures and thus gives a feel of better sharpness. To get better DOF at wider apertures read about "Hyperfocal Distance" below
But there are some issues with doing the above. Firstly, If you have sensor dust, it will show when you go beyond f/8 or f/11. Whats the solution? Keep touching up the photos post clicking or get your sensor dust cleaned.
Secondly, at very small apertures diffraction occurs, which means rather than sharpness increasing, the picture actually gets softer. To know more about this read http://www.kenrockwell.com/tech/diffraction.htm
The aperture I love personally is f/8. This works for most lenses. My Sigma 105mm f/2.8, 1:1 Macro rocks at this aperture. Depending on the widest aperture a lens has, the sweet spot of a lens is around the f/5.6 to f/8 mark in general.
To Improve DOF focus on the Hyperfocal Distance-http://www.dofmaster.com/hyperfocal.html, instead of focusing at the nearest object or at infinity
How to get sharper images?
1) Use a Tripod as often as possible. This avoids any camera shake due to lower shutter speeds. SLR cameras have a "mirror lock up" function which avoids shake due to jarring of the mirror. Use a remote to click instead of the click button on the camera to further avoid shake. Rule of thumb for hand held shots-do not decrease shutter speed below the reciprocal of the focal length. For example do not reduce shutter speed below 1/200 for a 200 mm lens. At least use a monopod or support, it really helps
2) If you have the budget you could also buy lenses with Image Stabilizers (Canon) or Vibration Reduction (Nikon) or any other lens which has this functionality to avoid shake, they are worth it. Instead of forcing customers to upgrade lenses with Is these companies could come up with cameras with IS but then how would they make money?
3) Manual Focus: Sounds counter intuitive? Its true, most of the time manual focus will give you better results than auto focus, especially if you are working out of a tripod. I accidentally discovered this when the auto focus feature of my Sigma 105mm f/2.8, 1:1 Macro stopped working. I was forced to focus manually and suddenly discovered what my lens was capable of at f/8, be it portraits or Macro. most of my portraits are with this lens. If you are a beginner, I would suggest that you take your photos both in auto and in manual mode where ever possible till the time you master the art of manual focus. Cameras autofocus can get fooled and some lenses (for SLRs) have some calibration issues with the camera body
Try the above and you will find the sharpness of your images a notch above the results you have been getting. Good Luck!

Does equipment matter?

2009-12-29T05:01:00.000-08:00

The predicament I faced when I started photography was that everyone seemed to be saying "equipment doesn't matter". And I believed it and kept shooting with my tiny camera which in 1988 had cost me a princely sum of Rs 186 (about 4 dollars under current conversion rates), and results were, well, poor to say the least. Either things were not in focus or everything was in focus. How in god's name did Gautam Rajadhyaksha get all those beautiful actresses without disturbing plants in the background or antennae poles or walls? Of course he shot in a studio with lights and a camera with lenses on which you could select aperture and thus the desired "depth of field", and yet they said "equipment doesn't matter"...

So I realized that I need a camera with:

A lens which could focus on the object I wanted in focus and render everything else out of focus
Which also meant the lens should have aperture settings

A scholarship of Rs 1200 from my school (I don't even remember why I got it) helped me in getting a Zenith camera with a 50mm lens f 1.2 (try buying the latest f1.2 lenses from Canon/Nikon/Leica and the prices would be scarier than the Joker in "The Dark Knight")

This then was the first serious camera I owned (1991) and I got the selective focus I wanted, never had focusing problems (manual focus lenses are the best in the business) and I discovered I could get lenses of varying focal lengths to take panoramic landscapes or a candid shot of the girl I found the prettiest in a crowd. I could also set the aperture and let the camera tell me what shutter speed to set for a given ISO. Wow, but then didn't they say "equipment doesn't matter"...

In 1994 I sold the Zenith for Rs 800-can you believe it? Show me one SLR which would fetch you 66% of its cost price after 3 years of rugged use (I am obviously excluding the Leica Rangefinders)

I thought I was upgrading when I bout a Vivitar SLR with a Zoom lens for Rs 6500 (yes, Zoom was the "in thing" then). Sorry Vivitar but the camera was a dud, the lens was plastic and rendered terrible flare. The camera would almost NEVER suggest correct exposure and all the people who thought I could click some decent pictures and posed for me were now laughing behind my back. Now I was seriously doubting the guys who said "equipment doesn't matter"...

I hurriedly sold the Vivitar and bought a used Canon 1000 from the infamous "Burma Bazaar" in Chennai. I think I got about Rs 1000 for the Vivitar (within one year and almost brand new) and paid another Rs 1000 plus for the Canon. I was traveling frequently and the first roll I exposed was in Ernakulam in Kerala. I finished one roll in a single day and gave it for developing the same night and obviously spent a sleepless night.

The next day was disastrous. All photos were either half or one fourth blacked out. I hurried back to the hotel and on a hunch opened the camera to check the shutter. I was shattered at the sight of grease in the shutter which was jamming it every time I clicked. So much for "trustworthy" Burma Bazaar. I spent the whole night scraping the grease off the thin leaves of the shutter (leaf shutter system) with paper and bit by bit the black devil was coming off. The next roll I exposed with tremendous pessimism and throughout the shots was cursing myself for buying without "due diligence" but god was kind for a change and the camera was working fine!!!

It was the year 2000 and I was leaving for the US (my first trip) and I wanted to capture wide landscapes, animals in the zoo, the Niagara Falls and my poor 35-80 lens would just not cut it. So for the first time I disregarded the "equipment doesn't matter" guys and bout myself a 28-80 lens and a 80-200 and while in the US bought a Tamron 200-400 (which I use till date) which has given me the best wildlife shots I ever clicked

My 2nd trip to the US enabled me to buy a Canon Elan 7 which was my last film camera but which gave me astounding shots full of color and contrast and sharpness coupled with Fuji Velvia 50 ASA film

In 2002 I bought a Canon 300D and the Sigma 105 f2.8 1:1 macro, which is sharper at f8 than all my Canon lenses (including 2 L series lenses) and a Canon 20mm f2.8.

But what's the point I am trying to make?

Equipment does NOT matter for the snap shooter. If all you care is to shoot your friends and wife and kids with the background of places you visited don't even bother with a proper camera, the cell phones today have better resolution then ever and can give you awesome prints postcard size

Equipment does NOT matter to the guy who doesn't want to get curious (read creative). I have seen enough people owning an SLR without even knowing its capabilities and the plethora of possibilities it opens up

But equipment does matter when you keep learning, when you want to get that perfect shot, when you are not "ok" with an ordinary shot. Consider the following:

You cannot shoot life size (1:1) or closer without a macro lens (or at least an adapter to reverse fit a normal lens)
You need a tripod and a sturdy one at that to get light streaks of cars passing by a busy street or water flowing
You need a 300mm + lens to shoot a close up of the King of the Jungle or a tiger or cheetah unless you are like the heroes on National Geographic/Discovery who are used to handling Black Mambas with bare hands
Despite all tall claims with regard to auto focus, manual focus almost always renders sharper pictures and for that you need lenses which allow you manual override, focusing screens which aid in perfect focusing or angle finders which enable enlargement of the viewfinder and aid in perfect focusing
You need filters or at least photoshop, to get deep colors and contrast in images

These are just a few examples, I can go on and on but at the same breath:

Do not worry and waste time reading reviews of 20 different cameras and 50 different lenses. Buy according to what you can afford and you will be fine. Studio experiments between lenses are good only for studios or unless you are a professional making money out of selling photographs which are blown poster size
Buy a basic SLR (DO NOT worry about megapixels, anything above 6 is more than you need)
Spend more money on lenses but choose wisely. You for sure DO NOT need a 50mm f1.2 (around Rs 70000) or 85mm 1.2 lens (above Rs 1 lakh), the 50 mm 1.8 and 85mm 1.8 will do fine (both cost approximately between Rs 15-20k)
Here is what you need in lenses:

For Landscapes: Ultra wide 10-22 or 12-24, 18-90 will also do
For Portraits: Any lens with focal length of 50mm up to 135 mm or above
For Wildlife: 200-400
For Macros: Any Macro lens with 1:1 magnification ratio
A polarizing filter (or a couple) for lenses
A good kit bag (you do not want to accidentally spill anything from the above)

Start with a 50mm f1.8 lens (Rs 4000) and you will realize when you hit a wall. Buy the next lens only then

Remember lenses last a lifetime, cameras do not

I leave the decision of whether equipment matters or not to you. After all it is a "Matter of Perspective"

Landscape with 10-22 lens:

Wildlife with 200-400