The lighter side of photography...
You don't have to be a genius to know that cameras are BIG business. I red that Nikon sold 2.3 million MORE compact cameras in the last semester of 2010 than the previous years! It did not state how many was sold in 2009, just 2.3m more than previous years! This was in only 4 months! (from Nikon Rumors site) And since the Leica M9's launch, Leica, the company have shot into the record books on sales!
So, before you pull pen and paper closer to start scribbling a note to Santa, telling him to bring you the biggest and best, lets consider a few things;
When did it became such a big deal to have the best/most expensive/biggest/most pixels/most bells and whistles camera? Well, since the second manufacture started selling, that's when.
Henry Ford had a winning formula on cars and would have been the greatest ever, until his opposition sold their first car. Competition is alive and very fierce indeed!
Does it makes you a better photographer to have the Rolls Royce of camera's?
Many will say yes, many will say no!
I have seen people with the best that couldn't make a snap-shot of a house! I have also seen people making absolute poetry with nothing more than a out-of-date snap-camera!
Newer and faster, or...
Older with less buttons and functions?
On the net there are endless forums discussing the "better" or "best" camera. On one that I looked at, the discussion between Canon and Nikon have been banned because it became just to heated. I guess it is like this between every two, or more, competitors in life i.e Pepsi/Coke, Mercedes/BMW, Honda/Yamaha and so on. But is this not exactly what these big firms want? We squabble about who is best, they increase the prices, and we pay it, because we want the" best", - according to were the debate is at that moment.
If a person is making it look easy, is it not so because they simply know what they are doing/know their trade? We are back at the beginning when we said know what you want from your images, - the camera is merely the device/equipment that does the recording of your art. And that brings us back to ART.
So many people forget what this thing called photography set out to be in the beginning. It wasn't invented to be this big commercial multi-million dollar empire! It was made to record moments, history. To capture little split seconds of life, the special moments in you and your loved one's lives. To record this progress for the next generation, - whether it be your children, parents, friends or a Nation's history. It was and still is a method of making art, - yes making, because without a person behind it, seeing the decisive moment, it is merely a empty vessel without a commander, a piece of equipment that on its own is worthless.
Capture those special moments...
Do we then really need the biggest, or the best to do this? I guess that will inevitably be your choice. Lots will say absolutely yes and many will say not really. My opinion are to get what you are comfortable with. I have seen to many people walking around at what-ever events, historical places, traveling in foreign countries, and what not, with the best/biggest cameras and using it on Program/Auto mode! Don't be suckered into the modern era were you have to show-off your status with your equipment. You might just feature on You Tube.- (Copy+paste this into You Tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5IYahsPK2k )
Some can't handle all the bells and whistles.
If you feel comfortable with the camera in your possession and you can handle all the lighting conditions you encounter in your world of decisive moments then don't think about the person's camera standing next to you, let your images speak for themselves!
Always remember that the camera carrying community likes to be involve in the rat-race for the best, - so weather you own a Merc or BMW, or just a old mr Bean Mini in the camera world, the one next to you will always help you find the right buttons on that spaceship of yours for the right occasion.
Help is just a smile away!
PS. some picture here were created with the best (at the time) and some with a phone-camera from 2001. I bet you can't tell the one from the other...
You don't have to be a genius to know that cameras are BIG business. I red that Nikon sold 2.3 million MORE compact cameras in the last semester of 2010 than the previous years! It did not state how many was sold in 2009, just 2.3m more than previous years! This was in only 4 months! (from Nikon Rumors site) And since the Leica M9's launch, Leica, the company have shot into the record books on sales!
So, before you pull pen and paper closer to start scribbling a note to Santa, telling him to bring you the biggest and best, lets consider a few things;
When did it became such a big deal to have the best/most expensive/biggest/most pixels/most bells and whistles camera? Well, since the second manufacture started selling, that's when.
Henry Ford had a winning formula on cars and would have been the greatest ever, until his opposition sold their first car. Competition is alive and very fierce indeed!
Does it makes you a better photographer to have the Rolls Royce of camera's?
Many will say yes, many will say no!
I have seen people with the best that couldn't make a snap-shot of a house! I have also seen people making absolute poetry with nothing more than a out-of-date snap-camera!
Newer and faster, or...
Older with less buttons and functions?
On the net there are endless forums discussing the "better" or "best" camera. On one that I looked at, the discussion between Canon and Nikon have been banned because it became just to heated. I guess it is like this between every two, or more, competitors in life i.e Pepsi/Coke, Mercedes/BMW, Honda/Yamaha and so on. But is this not exactly what these big firms want? We squabble about who is best, they increase the prices, and we pay it, because we want the" best", - according to were the debate is at that moment.
So many people forget what this thing called photography set out to be in the beginning. It wasn't invented to be this big commercial multi-million dollar empire! It was made to record moments, history. To capture little split seconds of life, the special moments in you and your loved one's lives. To record this progress for the next generation, - whether it be your children, parents, friends or a Nation's history. It was and still is a method of making art, - yes making, because without a person behind it, seeing the decisive moment, it is merely a empty vessel without a commander, a piece of equipment that on its own is worthless.
Do we then really need the biggest, or the best to do this? I guess that will inevitably be your choice. Lots will say absolutely yes and many will say not really. My opinion are to get what you are comfortable with. I have seen to many people walking around at what-ever events, historical places, traveling in foreign countries, and what not, with the best/biggest cameras and using it on Program/Auto mode! Don't be suckered into the modern era were you have to show-off your status with your equipment. You might just feature on You Tube.- (Copy+paste this into You Tube, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X5IYahsPK2k )
If you feel comfortable with the camera in your possession and you can handle all the lighting conditions you encounter in your world of decisive moments then don't think about the person's camera standing next to you, let your images speak for themselves!
Always remember that the camera carrying community likes to be involve in the rat-race for the best, - so weather you own a Merc or BMW, or just a old mr Bean Mini in the camera world, the one next to you will always help you find the right buttons on that spaceship of yours for the right occasion.
PS. some picture here were created with the best (at the time) and some with a phone-camera from 2001. I bet you can't tell the one from the other...
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