Does Gear Matters? Pro Photographers with Amateur Gear VS an Amateur with Pro Gear

Does gear matters? Or is it the person behind the camera?

The photographers at Mango Street made an interesting video having two photographers with different gears (beginner set vs professional set) shooting the same model.

The two professional photographers each used a discontinued = RM2k Canon Rebel T3i (EOS 600D) and low-end lenses (a kit 18-55mm and a 40mm f/2.8 pancake lens), and they invited their friend who isn’t a photographer (but who possesses a basic understanding of photography) to shoot the same model at the same location using a high-end RM13k Canon 5D Mark IV with a RM8k Canon 35mm f/1.4L II lens.

Below are some of the photos taken by them:

Daniel (Pro with Amateur Gear)

Rachel (Pro with Amateur Gear)

Justin (Amateur with Pro Gear)

My thought…

Which sets of photographs you think is the best? We can’t judge sharpness and resolutions from the photos shown in Youtube, but composition wise, Daniel and Rachel definitely show some more interesting shots here. From the video, it can be seen that the Pro Photographers are able to direct the model more confidently, into the position / angle that they wanted.