If one buys a high end camera, like a Nikon D3, a D300, a D700 or similar "professional" camera, and one keeps it for a certain time, a nagging question will inevitably arise: should I not replace it with a cheaper and better camera?
Nikon's high end cameras are built to feel like pure quality. They feel sturdy, are great to hold and the controls are a pleasure to use. The snag is that they will feel as sturdy a few years later, when there are entry level cameras that cost just a fraction, but which have higher resolution, less noise in dark settings with high ISO and a dynamic range that makes it easier to capture both sunlit areas and dark shades in the same photo. In other words, the photos will look better with a new cheap camera with a modern sensor.
This is not limited to just cameras. I somewhere read a test of 85mm lenses. Most viewers of the photos preferred the ones taken with "cheap" Nikon lenses, while the photographers often preferred the Zeiss 85mm lens, which felt much better to hold. According to DXOMarks' ratings, a Zeiss 85mm scores only 29 (weighted on different parameters), while a Nikon 85mm f/1.8G scores 40. However, the Zeiss lens costs three times as much as the Nikon lens.
There is a certain element of delusion here. We tend to prefer cameras and lenses that feel good, regardless of the actual output. We may do so even more, if we paid a lot for a camera a few years ago. We desperately want it to have kept its value.
However, this is not only delusion. There is a certain rational to it as well. Often the difference in image quality between a cheap new camera and an old one is not that big that it actually matters that much. On the other hand, the difference in "feel" is often huge. A camera that feels good is likely to be used more, and the photographer may be more inspired to take the perfect the photo.
There are really good artistic photos taken with cheap camera phones, and there were good photos taken more than a hundred years ago with the technology of the time. An artist does not necessarily need a lot of pixels or perfect rendition.
Nikon's high end cameras are built to feel like pure quality. They feel sturdy, are great to hold and the controls are a pleasure to use. The snag is that they will feel as sturdy a few years later, when there are entry level cameras that cost just a fraction, but which have higher resolution, less noise in dark settings with high ISO and a dynamic range that makes it easier to capture both sunlit areas and dark shades in the same photo. In other words, the photos will look better with a new cheap camera with a modern sensor.
This is not limited to just cameras. I somewhere read a test of 85mm lenses. Most viewers of the photos preferred the ones taken with "cheap" Nikon lenses, while the photographers often preferred the Zeiss 85mm lens, which felt much better to hold. According to DXOMarks' ratings, a Zeiss 85mm scores only 29 (weighted on different parameters), while a Nikon 85mm f/1.8G scores 40. However, the Zeiss lens costs three times as much as the Nikon lens.
There is a certain element of delusion here. We tend to prefer cameras and lenses that feel good, regardless of the actual output. We may do so even more, if we paid a lot for a camera a few years ago. We desperately want it to have kept its value.
However, this is not only delusion. There is a certain rational to it as well. Often the difference in image quality between a cheap new camera and an old one is not that big that it actually matters that much. On the other hand, the difference in "feel" is often huge. A camera that feels good is likely to be used more, and the photographer may be more inspired to take the perfect the photo.
There are really good artistic photos taken with cheap camera phones, and there were good photos taken more than a hundred years ago with the technology of the time. An artist does not necessarily need a lot of pixels or perfect rendition.
1 comment:
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