I’m a big fan of DigitalRev, which I’ve always called the Top Gear of the camera world, and just like Top Gear’s “Star in Reasonably Priced Car” segment, where celebrities would drive a low-end Nissan or Kia around a race track, the Cheap Camera Challenge episodes of DigitalRev are also fun to watch because we get to see some great photographers shoot with some pretty awful cameras.

In this episode, Zack Arias, famous for his One Light Workshop, as well as his Golf Photo Plus shoot out with Joey L and Gregory Heisler, visits Kai and the gang from DigitalRev.com. Since he is the one light guru, Zack must not only shoot with a cheap camera, but he must also use an off-camera speedlight to take photos of his subject. Zack faces malfunctioning equipment, a camera that only has an automatic flash, and language barrier.

Gotta love Zack’s studio manager’s comment that “the best camera you have is the one you left at home”. Nevertheless, Zack shows that even with a very cheap camera and language barrier, a great photographer can still produce some exceptional images. He really does show that it’s about the photographer, not the gear.

Photo by Zack Arias

So sit back and enjoy the Z-man and DigitalRev!

Related posts:

1. Zack Arias “Transform” – Required Viewing in the Off-Season – CameraTalk w/ Matthew Saville
2. Big Sensor Envy: 112mp Spectral Inst. Camera Sensor
3. It’s Not The Camera, It’s The Photographer – An Inspirational Article by Matthew Saville
4. LumoLabs Goes In Depth on D800 HD-Video & DigitalRev Compares it to the 5D mkIII
5. Remember, a Camera is Just a Tool, Right?