My camera journey has been an interesting one. I used a real camera before from work, then moved to an iPhone since the cameras have been good enough for print and websites. It could’ve been an endgame for me, but alas, the AI of phone cameras showed their flaws.
I’ve used crop and full-frame cameras before, during my college days and my first work as a wedding videographer and editor. My eyes were trained to see real depth between the subject and the background. For portraits, a phone camera is fine since you’d want to focus on the person, including their hair, and then blur the rest of the details.
When taking pictures of cars, especially their sections and interior amenities, things get bad quickly. I can see how the AI of these phones cannot fathom how the sharpness should fall off from certain angles from inanimate objects. Imagine taking a picture of the dashboard from the driver’s door, and the steering wheel is sharp but the rest of the image, including the area before the steering wheel, is blurred. This is the main reason why I opted to return to real cameras.
I was considering a full-frame DSLR since they have gone down in price in the second-hand market, thanks to mirrorless cameras taking over the scene. Their lenses have gone down in price, too. However, I had a good deal where a guitarist friend was selling his new-condition Fujifilm X-M5. I asked him for a trade with one of my guitars, and he agreed. I pulled some more strings and got myself a Tamron 17-70mm f/2.8. It was a beastly, all-around setup, and for a few months, I lived with that camera.
Again, it could have been the end. The Fuji produces nice and accurate colors even with Auto White Balance that I stopped shooting RAW. I just have to get my exposure correctly and it will take care of the rest. Their app is also fast enough that I can quickly send my photos to my phone for high-resolution, creamy, top of the crop images for online posting. I was blushing when I first did this at an event. I never have to post low-res iPhone images anymore.
As I shoot more photos, I realize I’m not satisfied with how my main photos look. I want just a bit more cream in the background, but I can’t get them anymore. I already have a 2.8 lens, how wide does my aperture need to be? It was here that I remembered the computation. A 2.8 aperture in a crop sensor should also be multiplied with the crop factor to determine its equivalent aperture in a full frame camera. Basically, 2.8 * 1.5 = 4.2, or f/4. My camera is basically at f/4 when shot at full frame. Once again, I considered selling my gear and getting a full-frame DSLR instead.
One hot afternoon, after an event, I decided to try my luck. A camera store is offering a trade-in program and you can have anything you want for your item. You can trade in a camera body for a lens, or even an unrelated gadget like a DJI Osmo Action 6 for example. Or just get cold cash in exchange.
I went there for a quote. Looking back, I guess I was ready to go all in since I also brought the boxes of my gear with me. I ended up trading my full Fujifilm setup for a full-frame Sony A7C body, then I also got a Tamron 28-75 f/2.8 lens which I afforded thanks to GLoan. Not an endorser, just saying how handy Gcash can be aside from transferring money.
So now I have a full-frame camera and a true f/2.8 lens. Is it finally the end? Nope. Right now I’m aiming for a 70-200mm f/2.8 lens. I guess Tamron will get my money next year after I finish paying for the current rig.
Is it worth the upgrade? I think the perfect answer would be my wife who’s a baker, an iPhone user, GoPro owner, Instax owner, and has zero experience with “real” cameras. She saw a lot of my photos with my Fujifilm before. When she first saw the photos from our daytrip to Aurora with the Sony A7C, I was surprised by her comment.
“Ang ganda, parang yung sa mga commercial.”
I’m not that good. It’s just that, given the right parameters and skill, a full-frame camera can easily outshine a crop-sensor-sized camera in an image. However, not everyone should strive for a full-frame camera.
The reality is being exposed to such a level of aesthetic is a curse. If I didn’t have that full-frame experience in college and my first work, I wouldn’t really have an idea how a big boy camera affects an image. I would have been satisfied with the Fujifilm. Or hell, I would have been fine with just an iPhone. Doing so would have saved me LOTS of pesos.
I guess it boils down to our imagination and contentment. If a camera can show you the concept in your imagination, then it is a great camera for you. It’s now up to you if you’ll be content with it or if you’ll want more.
You should chase what looks good for you and what would help you get the image in your head. I chased a full-frame camera because that’s what I was exposed to, what I can imagine when I see my subjects. For me, the move to full-frame is worth it only because that’s the image in my head.
You don’t have to do what I did, or what others do. Some people would love the lightness and size of a Fuji. Some would like a tougher camera that can survive their activities – which is what a DJI Osmo Action or Nano is for. Others would prefer something handy, always with them, and would not attract attention – which is where phones come in.
See what works for you and get the camera that will help you physically see the image you imagine. No matter what camera you choose, it will certainly be worth it.
