Cameras: Want or Need?

English: Cameras from Large to Small, Film to Digital. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

19-Jan-2013

For so long a time, I have not been reading any article about cameras, or even posting articles to my blogs. But today, I came to open dpreview.com page, just to glance on what's the latest news.

Right on time, today's article was something about the review of cameras, raising the question behind the acquisitioin of a camera unit: is it a want or need?

To defend myself, I would immediately say, "Mine is need". However, I would have to be honest about this. I desired to have the D4, even at a time when my photography skill isn't yet at a level I can be proud of, but because the camera's specs was better than what I now have, an entry-level's unit: D5000.

But when I happen to talk to a fellow photographer, a beginner just like me, he'd say, "Yeah, yeah," most of the time, but at the end, asked a rhetoric question: "But why would you need a 16MB picture file size, if you would just be uploading them to Flickr?"

True enough, sometimes I vascilate between want and need, especially that these are sometimes not cheap. But one thing is sure: when I have the extra money, I'm buying a ew Yamaha or Casio keyboard, something that i can use to teach my kids something else other than photography.

Still an art, but a different kind of expression.

As for the article, here it is: Do we value cameras as tools or objects?

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Canon EOS 550D DSLR Review

Canon has now released their latest DSLR camera: the EOS 550D.

Again, main selling point is its 18-megapixel sensor.

But will it sell?

For those who thinks that the higher the megapixel, the better, then the Canon EOS 550D will probably make sense.

But at its initial release, the camera unit is quite expensive.

And besides, compared to the Nikon D40, although already considered an obsolete model, the higher sensor resolution doesn't really quite deliver a very distinctive quality!

What's more, higher megapixel could mean 1 or more of the below problems:

• The files are twice as big
• Shooting in RAW and JPEG will be exacting to your camera unit
  
• Your SD cards will fill up faster with the bigger file size
• Your HDD will fill up faster as well
• Your PC will be slow when opening/editing RAW files

To think really that something can be done doesn't mean that you simply do it.

So will the 18-megapixel help sell the Canon EOS 550D camera?
Maybe. But then again, maybe not.


Have you anything to say about this?

 

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35mm Photography

Image via Wikipedia

This is one more book that I borrowed from the library, and it is dealing more with Analog SLR units. it do touch on DSLR cameras and technology, but the discussion, tips and techniques are more on Analog SLR cameras and photography.


Case in point, this book neatly discusses the history of SLR photography, the beginning and the developments throughout the years, and shows some pictures of the antique camera units that started it all, like the Leica I, Nikon F, etc., etc.


The book explains how the 35 mm came to be, and again, for roll films, how to be able to 'save' on the rolls, by cutting up the roll into smaller quantity and putting in empty cassettes, to be able to come up with 5 to 10 or so shots for a given ISO rating, which was then having the term "DX-nnn" convention. So a DX-400 means my ISO is 400; This has now changed in the DSLR, where each shot can be assigned its ISO value, but in those days (I remember this), rolls usually come in 36 shots. If you want to change the ISO value, take out the current roll, and of course, waste the unused shots, and put in the new roll. You can avoid this altogether, as this book suggests.


And quite frankly, there is nothing further from the truth: be it an Analog or a Digital SLR, the camera is simply but a tool, and how it works the wonders is largely the photographer's expression and discretion.


Here is the book's selling point, from the back cover: 35mm Photography, by Steve Bavister

----------
A complete guide to the most universal  and popular camera format, from choosing the right equipment through to developing, printing, string and even selling your photographs, by well-known photographer and author, Steve Bavister.

• comprehensive guide to camera equipment and accessories
• expert advice on subject matter and techniques
• digital photography, manipulation and printing
• invaluable fault-finding section

Steve Bavister has written more than ten books on photography. He is a former editor of Photo Answers and publisher of Practical Photography, and is currently the editor of The Photographer, a leading publication for professional photographers.
----------

Read that book. I'm sure it is not 'just another book' on photography. Though photography is a thing of the past, there is always something that comes up now and then. And each photographer, like you, will eventually make a mark - distinctly.


What's your say?

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