# What real Pros shoot...



## aj1575 (Dec 4, 2012)

I just found this graphs of what gear pros are shooting. By pros I means the ones who contributed their picture to the list of the best Reuters photos of the last year.
Also interesting to see what settings they are using.

https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1A9U6JVLnh0cCeWzabq03buSY26MA0CvYYJ68WquT7YM


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## verysimplejason (Dec 4, 2012)

This...

http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2012/11/30/best-photos-of-the-year-2012/#a=1


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## Ricku (Dec 4, 2012)

verysimplejason said:


> This...
> 
> http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2012/11/30/best-photos-of-the-year-2012/#a=1


Nice one, but I bet the photographer wished he had a D800 for that shot. More DR would have helped!

   ;D

(Obvious flame bait, but it is still true.)


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## aj1575 (Dec 4, 2012)

Ricku said:


> verysimplejason said:
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> > This...
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Or he may not have been able to take that picture with a D800, because all his memory cards were full at this point....


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## Patrick (Dec 4, 2012)

verysimplejason said:


> This...
> 
> http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2012/11/30/best-photos-of-the-year-2012/#a=1



Great set of images - thanks for posting the link!


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## Bombsight (Dec 4, 2012)

I see people with Canons.


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## Hobby Shooter (Dec 4, 2012)

Ricku said:


> verysimplejason said:
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> > This...
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Im not sure you're baiting, it lookes more like trolling. If not, then please provide a serious explanation to your statement. The moment is everything. To capture the moment, a camera with fast AF is essential, having a 5D3 myself, I have to say it's quite adequate when it comes to that.

Also, looking at the charts. 82.9% if I recall it correct couldn't have been taken with a D800 to match a 5D3 on ISO. So again, please proove your point.


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## Jay Khaos (Dec 4, 2012)

Hobby Shooter said:


> Ricku said:
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> > verysimplejason said:
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I would have brought a D800 and left my 5D at home in case I dropped it in a pool or something... maybe thats what he meant


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## AprilForever (Dec 4, 2012)

Jay Khaos said:


> Hobby Shooter said:
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> > Ricku said:
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I was going to scream if this was another film love thread... But, I was overjoiced to see that Canon was nearly all the cameras!!! By the way, who makes a 16mm prime? Also, More DR would have helped like none of these pictures...


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## sandymandy (Dec 4, 2012)

There are 16mm cinema prime lenses.


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## crasher8 (Dec 4, 2012)

I love film


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## Jesse (Dec 4, 2012)

By pros you mean pro photo-journalists. 

I'm surprised how popular the 16-35 is with them compared to the 24-70.


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## rpt (Dec 4, 2012)

Real pros? Huh! I thought there were *Pro Cameras* and then there were _shutter clickers_...


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## distant.star (Dec 4, 2012)

.
Interesting look at the current state of photojournalism.

Despite the common dictum "f/8 and there," most of these images are on the extremes -- slow shutter speeds, wide apertures, high ISO (although not as high as I would have expected from the 5D2 bodies).

Thanks for the link.


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## BruinBear (Dec 4, 2012)

Interesting...anyone know why ISO 200 is the most used?


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## Northstar (Dec 4, 2012)

Lot's of nice images...

Regarding the Usain Bolt image, I'm just surprised about this shot being included...not that great a shot. IMO


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

distant.star said:


> .
> Interesting look at the current state of photojournalism.
> 
> Despite the common dictum "f/8 and there," most of these images are on the extremes -- slow shutter speeds, wide apertures, high ISO (although not as high as I would have expected from the 5D2 bodies).


I agree, very interesting. Like photographing a speeding Usain Bolt at 1/125th of second, which is just enough to capture a walking person and normally too slow for sports action. Panning with the camera resulted in a perfect blend of sharpness and blur.


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## eddiemrg (Dec 4, 2012)

If you are interested in a statistic of your "photo parameters" you can use EXPOSUREPLOT: http://www.cpr.demon.nl/prog_plotf.html but beware at crop factor!


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 4, 2012)

BruinBear said:


> Interesting...anyone know why ISO 200 is the most used?



At a guess, perhaps because many people have highlight tone priority turned on, and that results in ISO 200 being the lowest setting.


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## Patrick (Dec 4, 2012)

Real Pros shoot great images. As long as the equipment is adequate for the task it is adequate. 
Great equipment does not make you a great photographer. 
F8 and there is indeed better that f1.2 L series sitting on your desk at home!


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

Jesse said:


> By pros you mean pro photo-journalists.
> 
> I'm surprised how popular the 16-35 is with them compared to the 24-70.


Interesting that the 2 most popular lenses are the 16-35 and 70-200. My guess is that they are the most useful for storytelling, and make an efficient combination together.

AprilForever asked who makes a 16mm prime. No one is using a 16mm prime for photojournalism. They are using the 16mm end of the 16-35mm zoom.


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## Kernuak (Dec 4, 2012)

A while back there was an article about shooting the olympics and the planning involved (I can't remember if it was in a magazine or online). The agency in question (it may even have been Reuters, I can't remember) had different photographers covering different aspects, some were covering the long shots (hence the 70-200 of course), but some were covering the wideangle shots, including some at the water jumps on the steeplechases, which probably explains the use of the 16-35. There were also some more artistic shots taken from the trackside, including panning shots.


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> BruinBear said:
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> 
> > Interesting...anyone know why ISO 200 is the most used?
> ...


That is a good guess as ISO 200 is day time setting and highlight tone priority gives a bit more dynamic range in day light, without much added noise. I think that anyone who "wished he had a D800 for that shot" would have gotten a D800. But the D800 was next to last in popularity, just ahead of the Sony Cybershot DSC H5.


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## Danielle (Dec 4, 2012)

Pictures like those prove I still have a lot to learn. Or access to get! Lol. - both. Great work huh?

No surprises the 16-35 is so popular. That lens is a photojournalists basic kit, that and a 70-200. 

I do wonder why f2 isn't very popular. I presume because the 2 basic lenses I just said don't have f2? Not saying some dont use primes though.


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

aj1575 said:


> I just found this graphs of what gear pros are shooting. By pros I means the ones who contributed their picture to the list of the best Reuters photos of the last year.
> Also interesting to see what settings they are using.
> 
> https://docs.google.com/document/pub?id=1A9U6JVLnh0cCeWzabq03buSY26MA0CvYYJ68WquT7YM


The real world of photojournalism is in such stark contrast to the online world of camera forums. There are online forums where people try to convince everyone that Canon makes crappy crippled overpriced cameras with lousy everything, outclassed in every way by this or that new Nikon or Sony. Meanwhile real photographers are choosing and using those same "crappy" cameras to do some outstanding work under often difficult circumstances.


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## dirtcastle (Dec 4, 2012)

Great shots!!

When I first heard that photojournalists were using 16-35mm, I was surprised like most. But I totally get it now. If you've absolutely GOT to get the shot, and you're within 2-5 meters of your subject... wide gets the story.

What I want to know is.... 

*With the 16-35mm zoom, what focal length are they most commonly using: 16mm? 24mm? or 35mm?"* 

From the chart—if we assume that the 16-35mm got mixed into the chart—it looks like either 16mm or 24mm, but it's hard to know how much of that 24mm slice is from 24mm primes.


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

hjulenissen said:


> Zlatko said:
> 
> 
> > The real world of photojournalism is in such stark contrast to the online world. There are online forums where people try to convince everyone that Canon makes crappy crippled overpriced cameras with lousy everything, outclassed in every way by this or that new Nikon or Sony. Meanwhile real photographers are choosing and using those same "crappy" cameras to do some outstanding work under often difficult circumstances.
> ...


Obviously, I wasn't saying that. I wasn't talking about objectively "best" tools for every photographic task or every photographer out there. I wasn't even saying Canon is "best". I was making a contrast between the very harsh criticism that Canon gets in some online forums (for bad sensors, bad autofocus, bad everything), often from people who are anonymous and in non-photographic fields, and the work that photojournalists do — people who depend on these cameras for their bread every day. 

No doubt the camera business has kick-backs, free samples, etc., but that works across brands. I don't know what deals Canon has with any photojournalists, but I'm pretty sure they wouldn't be using Canon if the cameras & lenses weren't helping to get the job done, get published, win awards, etc. Which is not to say another brand couldn't get the job done. But it is in contrast to the bashing that Canon gets online.

Photojournalists do "vote with their feet" to some extent, despite the legacy of owning a set of lenses, such as in the late 1980's when Canon offered autofocus and Nikon didn't, or the early 2000's, when Canon offered full-frame and good high ISO performance and Nikon didn't. Likewise, many who switched to Canon went back to Nikon once Nikon got up to speed with autofocus, or later with full-frame and high ISO. A legacy of lenses is quickly replaced and a new system is quickly learned when it becomes important to the work at hand. A legacy of lenses may consist of only a few key lenses anyway, and eBay is a quick way to find a new home for them.


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

dirtcastle said:


> Great shots!!
> 
> When I first heard that photojournalists were using 16-35mm, I was surprised like most. But I totally get it now. If you've absolutely GOT to get the shot, and you're within 2-5 meters of your subject... wide gets the story.
> 
> ...


I think the point of using that lens is that the whole wide angle range is useful for story telling pictures. "Wide gets the story" is right because a wide lens is all about setting, environment, context, etc.


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## And-Rew (Dec 4, 2012)

Some great shots that really do make you gasp, cry or smile.

A professional photographer, whether it be a photo journalist, portrait or wedding tog, fashion tog - is only some one who uses photography to make money - as simple as.

When you read into the pro togs and what they use, you often find 'why' they use the kit they have as well. 
Why was was the 5D2 so popular? 1Ds3 at half the price - that's just good business sense!


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## Jesse (Dec 4, 2012)

Clearly IQ isn't the most important thing in photojournalism. It's all about capturing stories. Canon is great for this because of the speed and ergonomics. Some of those pictures aren't the greatest compositionally, creatively, etc, but they tell a story. Obviously stats from say studio photographers are going to be totally different. 

Pretty obvious stuff, and I don't even know anything.


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## gmrza (Dec 4, 2012)

Jesse said:


> Clearly IQ isn't the most important thing in photojournalism. It's all about capturing stories. Canon is great for this because of the speed and ergonomics. Some of those pictures aren't the greatest compositionally, creatively, etc, but they tell a story. Obviously stats from say studio photographers are going to be totally different.
> 
> Pretty obvious stuff, and I don't even know anything.



Even if that is a valid point, Nikon seems dramatically under-represented in the stats. There must be some other reason for that. If the photos are largely shot by Reuters staff togs, that may be due to a business relationship between Reuters and Canon. If you think purely of large sports events - there are not that dramatically more big white lenses than black ones in the photos that circulate the web.


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## Quasimodo (Dec 4, 2012)

Just to play devils advocate here. The most used knives in the world of professional chefs are Victorinox, and that has not much to do with excellence in steel or sharpness. It has to do with the fact that Victorinox has been very successful in pushing out knives set (suitcases with basic, intermidiate, and advanced sets) to pretty much cooking students all over  They can get away with a basic suitcase for the same price as two Kai Shun knives...


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## sleepnever (Dec 4, 2012)

I'm really surprised at the use of f/2.8 out of everything there. I thought for sure f/4 would be the most prominent.


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## Zlatko (Dec 4, 2012)

Quasimodo said:


> Just to play devils advocate here. The most used knives in the world of professional chefs are Victorinox, and that has not much to do with excellence in steel or sharpness. It has to do with the fact that Victorinox has been very successful in pushing out knives set (suitcases with basic, intermidiate, and advanced sets) to pretty much cooking students all over  They can get away with a basic suitcase for the same price as two Kai Shun knives...


That's a fair point. Popularity doesn't prove superiority. Indeed, I think most photographers could quickly adapt to systems from any of the major camera makers and produce equally good work. Likewise, the work doesn't prove superiority, as the Nikon and Canon pictures in the set are of equal quality.

However, I'm not sure how far your knife analogy extends to the camera world. I'm not aware of Canon pushing out super-cheap gear to photography students. There may well be a deal between them and Reuters, though clearly some of the photographers are still shooting other brands notwithstanding any such deal.

I am aware of huge student discounts offered by Adobe on their software. At the same time, many professionals would buy Adobe's Photoshop and Lightroom without ever having received a student discount.


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## bycostello (Dec 4, 2012)

its not the camera that makes the difference it is the guy pressing the button


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## gmrza (Dec 5, 2012)

Quasimodo said:


> Just to play devils advocate here. The most used knives in the world of professional chefs are Victorinox, and that has not much to do with excellence in steel or sharpness. It has to do with the fact that Victorinox has been very successful in pushing out knives set (suitcases with basic, intermidiate, and advanced sets) to pretty much cooking students all over  They can get away with a basic suitcase for the same price as two Kai Shun knives...



That is why I am wondering if the preponderance of Canon in the stats is due to a commercial arrangement between Reuters and Canon. For instance, does Reuters have an arrangement with Canon, which gives Reuters staff access to preferential pricing from Canon?


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## Area256 (Dec 5, 2012)

gmrza said:


> Jesse said:
> 
> 
> > Clearly IQ isn't the most important thing in photojournalism. It's all about capturing stories. Canon is great for this because of the speed and ergonomics. Some of those pictures aren't the greatest compositionally, creatively, etc, but they tell a story. Obviously stats from say studio photographers are going to be totally different.
> ...



Yeah I suspect there must be a business deal between Canon and Reuters. There was a time when pro sports shooters were almost all Canon for their superior auto focus (that's one of the reasons Canon became the world leader in photography). However the difference is marginal at best now days, and I would expect too see more Nikon in that list.


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## Area256 (Dec 5, 2012)

Zlatko said:


> Interesting that the 2 most popular lenses are the 16-35 and 70-200. My guess is that they are the most useful for storytelling, and make an efficient combination together.



Most of the photojournalists and wedding photographers I know/have seen work use the 16-35mm and the 70-200 combo. I think it's largely because 40-65mm tends to be a kind of boring range. It's the normal range that we are all used to seeing. 16-35mm is great for capturing a subject and their environment, and 70-200mm is great for subject isolation (and getting closer when you physically can't). It's the combo I would choose to shoot with if I did photojournalism.


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## AdamJ (Dec 9, 2012)

gmrza said:


> Quasimodo said:
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> > Just to play devils advocate here. The most used knives in the world of professional chefs are Victorinox, and that has not much to do with excellence in steel or sharpness. It has to do with the fact that Victorinox has been very successful in pushing out knives set (suitcases with basic, intermidiate, and advanced sets) to pretty much cooking students all over  They can get away with a basic suitcase for the same price as two Kai Shun knives...
> ...



It's my understanding that Reuters' tool of trade, supplied to and used by their staff photographers, is Canon.


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## serendipidy (Dec 9, 2012)

It's my understanding that Reuters' tool of trade, supplied to and used by their staff photographers, is Canon.

"The problem with quotations found on the internet is that they're rarely accurate." ~ Winston Churchill, 1941

;D Hilarious...I finally noticed the author and date of the quote..LOL


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## verysimplejason (Dec 10, 2012)

AdamJ said:


> gmrza said:
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How did you come to that understanding? Can you give us some link or proof? We want to be enlightened also. I wonder about those photogs in Reuters that weren't using Canon. Maybe, they are rebels... oops... that's Canon.


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## AdamJ (Dec 10, 2012)

verysimplejason said:



> AdamJ said:
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> > It's my understanding that Reuters' tool of trade, supplied to and used by their staff photographers, is Canon.
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I thought it was common knowledge but now that you ask, I can only offer circumstantial evidence. I've seen images of various Reuters inventory over the years and as far as I recall, it has always been Canon, though I'm happy to be corrected. You may recall Reuters' 1DX motorised rigs for the Olympic swimming, and here's an inventory sample from the royal wedding.







If you search "reuters photographer" on Youtube, you'll be hard-pressed to find Reuters stickers on anything other than Canon gear. They do have a Nikon 1200-1700mm zoom but even that is converted to a Canon fit.

http://blogs.reuters.com/blog/archives/8068


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## serendipidy (Dec 10, 2012)

Looks like Reuters has almost as much Canon stuff as Neuro does ;D


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## verysimplejason (Dec 10, 2012)

AdamJ said:


> verysimplejason said:
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I'm just playing around...  But I've got this friend who's a field reporter for Reuters in Philippines. She just told me that Reuters photogs prefers Canon bodies just because they already have a lot of Canon lenses collected since the time Canon first adopted AF. They didn't mind changing to other system because of that. Some new photogs are using Nikon but not much since they can't take advantage of some lenses that are available already to them. I guess you can say that they don't mind the brand. What they really mind is that there's an equipment they can use right away.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 10, 2012)

AdamJ said:


> If you search "reuters photographer" on Youtube, you'll be hard-pressed to find Reuters stickers on anything other than Canon gear.



For a photojournalist, the most important thing is to *get the shot*. It seems clear that Reuters, one of the world's premiere news agencies, believes that Canon is the best choice for that demanding task - the best gear for the job.

But, apparently, Nikon makes a better monopod cover.


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 10, 2012)

^^^ That was a tongue-in-cheek comment, btw. To be clear, I hearby and forthwith tag the above post as *<sarcasm>*. :


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## awinphoto (Dec 10, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> AdamJ said:
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> > If you search "reuters photographer" on Youtube, you'll be hard-pressed to find Reuters stickers on anything other than Canon gear.
> ...



Haha... A few years ago Canon CPS gave me a Canon Monopod Cover... It was soooo large and poorly designed it would easily slide off if I wasn't careful. You had to almost duct tape it to get it to fit right, and that's with a standard manfrotto monopod. Needless to say It's not in my arsenal anymore haha.


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## AdamJ (Dec 10, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> ^^^ That was a tongue-in-cheek comment, btw. To be clear, I hearby and forthwith tag the above post as *<sarcasm>*. :



I preferred it when you left your sarcasm untagged. I liked reading the indignant replies when the sarcasm was missed.


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## rpt (Dec 10, 2012)

AdamJ said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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> > ^^^ That was a tongue-in-cheek comment, btw. To be clear, I hearby and forthwith tag the above post as *<sarcasm>*. :
> ...



Humor like common sense is a rare commodity...

I vote neuro leaves the <sarc...> tag out.


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## Kernuak (Dec 10, 2012)

rpt said:


> AdamJ said:
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> > neuroanatomist said:
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Rumour has it, that common sense is officially extinct .


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## And-Rew (Dec 10, 2012)

And to provide the flip side of the coin - the British Army provides all its photographers with Nikon gear.
That info courtesy of a British Army Photographer at a Tog Club talk


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## Sporgon (Dec 10, 2012)

And-Rew said:


> And to provide the flip side of the coin - the British Army provides all its photographers with Nikon gear.
> That info courtesy of a British Army Photographer at a Tog Club talk



Quite right, the Army hasn't used canons for over 100 years........ :


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## neuroanatomist (Dec 10, 2012)

Sporgon said:


> Quite right, the Army hasn't used canons for over 100 years........ :



But use of the canon is still quite popular at weddings, in the key of DO.


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## Sporgon (Dec 10, 2012)

neuroanatomist said:


> Sporgon said:
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> > Quite right, the Army hasn't used canons for over 100 years........ :
> ...



I've heard canons are popular with billiard players....... :


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## rpt (Dec 11, 2012)

Kernuak said:


> rpt said:
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> > AdamJ said:
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Oh dear! I thought I had it 
(Have it...)


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## rpt (Dec 11, 2012)

Sporgon said:


> neuroanatomist said:
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Great shot bro!


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## serendipidy (Dec 11, 2012)

LOL...you guys are tooo funny ;D


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## expatinasia (Dec 12, 2012)

An awful lot of talk about Reuters in this thread. There are a lot more agencies than just them, and then there are those photographers commissioned by newspapers and such. I attend a lot of media events, including sporting and the boring conferences etc and generally I would say I see more Canon. BUT, in recent times Nikon has been growing quite rapidly in numbers and I know a few (freelancers) that have switched from Canon to Nikon. To be very honest I do not pay that much attention. I think a lot of people here would be surprised at how old some of the kit is. There are people on this forum with much more advanced kit (and much more of it) than many of the pro photographers that I know and see on a regular basis.


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## Hillsilly (Dec 12, 2012)

The lack of 1Ds models stands out. Another indicator that photojournalists are required to double up as videographers, too.


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## verysimplejason (Dec 12, 2012)

Hillsilly said:


> The lack of 1Ds models stands out. Another indicator that photojournalists are required to double up as videographers, too.



+1. Sometimes it's more important to capture the video to tell the whole scene. With video, you capture almost everything including momentary facial expressions, conversations and other sounds which are also very important to journalism.


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## dafrank (Dec 12, 2012)

Real pros shoot _frequently_.

As far as gear goes, it almost doesn't matter, except to say that whatever seems to work best and feel right to each shooter is the best gear for them. Everything else on the subject is interesting, maybe even sometimes entertaining, but "blarney" just the same, best held in reserve for those times when arguing in a bar seems like a good idea.

Regards,
David


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## RustyTheGeek (Dec 12, 2012)

It's perfectly obvious why most of these "pros" use a 16-35mm L lens! 
It's simply because *I* use a 16-35mm L lens and it's *my* favorite.
They are merely trying to get the same great shots I typically get with mine!


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## serendipidy (Dec 13, 2012)

+1000... ;D

Only because I don't own a 16-35mm L 8) LOL


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