Want PRO RESULTS but own BUDGET GEAR? How to get AMAZING PHOTOS with any equipment!

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My name is Simon d'Entremont and I'm a professional wildlife and nature photographer from Eastern Canada. This video will show you how to get pro results from budget gear.

I use Topaz Labs software for noise reduction, sharpening and upscaling:

Music in intro: "Nicer", by Houses on the Hill. Find that, and other sound effects at Epidemic Sounds

My equipment:
GuraGear 30L bag for 600mm f4, use Code Simon for 10@% off

Follow me on:

[simon_dentremont]

What budget piece of kit were you able to get great results from, punching above it’s weight? Let me know!

[souma_sinharoy]

Finally my aka 'poor man's wildlife photography vid' is here, I was waiting for this for a long time😅😂

[c-k-h]

Finally, an expert that shows me why I am an amateur - but gives me the tools to improve with what I have today. Top Shelf information.

[simon_dentremont]

Hey folks. Hope you enjoy the video. Sorry I can’t comment much, but I recorded this in advance to play while I was in Kenya. I’m in Amboseli right now. Enjoy!

[AndyGarcia-chci]

I love how you don't shame us for having cheap gear with kit lenses like so many other YouTube channels. I'm getting ready to upgrade soon but having cheap gear and watching YouTube videos is difficult at times because no one ever talks about how to improve your photography with cheap gear. Almost every channel just focuses on the nice setups that they have. So thank you for your videos!

[mithinsagar]

It feels illegal fr me to watch such a beautiful content with top tier info without any subscription… u deserve a lot. Thank you!

[JorenVaes]

Recently, I was on the fence for a new purchase: The Nikon 180-600, or a more expensive, 'S'- series prime from Nikon. I couldn't choose - until I watched Morten Hilmers' Osprey video. In that video, he was using the 180-600, and it made me realize that all this too-and-from I was doing in my head was mental. If a 180-600 is good enough for Morten Hilmer, it's good enough for me. I'm glad I didn't choose to go for the more expensive lens, as that money I saved enables me to go on a trip to actually take pictures --- which is the entire reason we are in this hobby in the first place.

[shoop]

You know what's crazy, after watching your videos sometimes I catch myself repeating your last name, it just sounds so cool anyway thank you for all your teaching moments.

[Gostraughan]

It’s very easy to be influenced and made to feel inadequate by all the documentaries or social media content about pro equipment. So people end up thinking they aren’t getting the results they want because they don’t have a massive budget for their equipment. People forget to think that pro equipment is most often a business expense and even at that, a kit was built up slowly. Thank you for this, it’s very selfless of you to put all this information out there about skill building and helping folks along the way!!

[boatman]

When people ask me why my photos are sharp I typically say, "Good Light!" because good light brings out the best in both the lens and the subject. I shoot wildlife with a $600 Nikon Zoom lens and often get better results than friends using $12, 000 600 mm lenses. As is pointed out in this excellent video expensive gear really helps but good technique can often yield excellent results while using budget gear.

[MurrayVader-xpiv]

Simon I have yet to own a starter camera. I most likely in my 50 year photography have always owned what is being called entry-level gear. For me I have never thought of my gear as entry-level. It is what my budget would handle and I have built my skills around the gear I have. I do appreciate your help with information to improve on my skills. Have a great fun time on your trip.

[annoholics]

This is why your video's are so great. You explain very well why it is not so black and white as some YT-bers make it look like. Some think they have to explain why gear does not matter and they just highlight that side of the story while of course using the best gear themselves. On the other side there are people who exaggerate why you can only make the best pictures if you use the best gear, which is also not true.

Then a bonus tip from me (a very average amateur photographer). If you want to make great extremely sharp pictures of birds, go to a zoo where you have the option to walk between these animals. Think about tropical butterfly gardens. Often they have also other animals there like birds. I made my sharpest bird photo's there with a macro lens. And nobody can see the difference with real wildlife because you can get so close that the whole background is blurred out.

[escortturbo]

I have a budget camera, canon 550D, and pro lenses from almost 30 years ago, EF 70-200 L and and EF 100-400 L both stabilized. From the relative low use that I've given them so far due to work, just a couple hours they have yelded some amazing fotos. Best money I ever spent in gear, results/budget. Way sharper than everything I ever had so far.
If memory serves me right you already mentioned this in some previous videos.
For wild life photography its a very low frames rate, but it helps honing the skills of when to shoot as opposed to ever growing spray and pray. Good fun 😊

[DanielPetukhin]

This is a 1st! Never have I encountered such a detailed compilation of tips in a single video... usually those are given as a remark here and there in other videos. GREAT ONE! Thanks again, Simon!

[petergrove]

I think you also need to consider your editing software in closing the gap. Modern editing software can minimise a lot of the weaknesses in the cheaper gear, e.g. reduce noise in low light, fix focus issues and improve sharpness. It is considerably cheaper to use an 85mm F2 lens than an 85mm F1.2 lens and then use software to increase the bokeh and reduce noise, which is what I am doing.

[careylymanjones]

Simon neglected to mention crop factor as an equalizer. The 100-400mm lens crops to 600mm full-frame equivalent, when mounted on an APS-C body, or 800mm on a micro four-thirds body. Mounting a full-frame lens on an APS-C body is like using a 1.5x teleconverter.

[cega]

Finally, someone who doesn't say that cheaper gear isn't good becouse its not as sharp as the expensive ones. IT IS STILL GOOD 😅
Very good, informative video again 😁

[destroyerxd]

My first video of watching you and now definitely a fan!

With the constant gear wars, it's nice and refreshing to see a great teacher and positive voice in the photography world.

Thanks for the great techniques and hope to see more of your videos.

[SilentTrip]

I absolutely agree with you!
my only issue is audio, which I can not find on a budget.
I want to develop my skills so much so I can photograph night sky and stars

[StasAbrosimov]

Equipment can help if you know how to use it.
The appropriate equipment will simplify the task more than universal ones.
But if you don’t know how to use the equipment, then specialized equipment may complicate the task, while universal equipment may work better.
The tool will not work instead of you, it will work for you.