Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Leica, Panasonic, Olympus or?

[benjikan]

Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Leica, Panasonic…or?

Does the Gear You have Really Matter? Or How I learned to just take a “Pitcher…”

Well, I will commence with a simple answer "NO"...Whether it is a Nikon, Sony, Pentax, Canon, Panasonic, Olympus, Samsung or any Medium format camera and digital back out there, it really is of no great consequence which brand you own! You want to know why? Based on a recent survey, 90 percent of all DSLR camera's rarely print their images larger than A4 (8x10") format. In other words and in most cases, a good 5 mega pixel camera with good noise specifications would be more than sufficient to do the job and do it very well.

Now, if what you spend most of your time doing is pixel peeping your images at 100 percent on your screen to see if you can notice any anomaly of any sort, than yes, do go out and purchase a $40,000.00, 50 mega pixel back for your Hasselblad. However, if you do so, you will find that you might notice some interesting phenomena, like high chroma noise issues at anything above 400 iso.

Another interesting problem is that when you go to press, the tram noise or pattern will destroy most of those fine pixels that you observed on the screen, a kind of natural grain producer of sorts.

Of course the quality of the sensor is very important, but I believe that any of the 10 mega pixel plus camera's out there could do an admirable job.

I have watched with bemusement the wars that are ongoing on the forums between this and that brand and usually come away thinking that unless you know why you have purchased a brand and to what purpose, than you might as well close your eyes and do a "eenee, meenee, mynee, mo" exercise to determine your choice.

So, if you have no plans to produce an image larger than 12 x19" and have a limited budget, feel confident that no matter what you buy, it will be overkill for that format.

Just be happy that the technology provided for the photographer today has easily out specified the top end camera that existed just 3 years ago.

Enjoy your toy and go out and play...

Benjamin Kanarek Blog » Nikon, Canon, Sony, Pentax, Leica, Panasonic…or?

 

[PhotoXopher]

The only thing that matters is that you have a camera that you like to use, and have with you.

Without that, nothing else makes a difference - regardless of features, megapixels, or brand.

 

[SrBiscuit]

exactly.
this is what frustrates me so much about the anti-entry-level people.
"oh the D40 sucks..don't get it."

well it doesnt for me, and i've had nothing but a great experience with it.

 

[benjikan]

exactly.
this is what frustrates me so much about the anti-entry-level people.
"oh the D40 sucks..don't get it."

well it doesnt for me, and i've had nothing but a great experience with it.

Well there you go. I am sure I could do a pro shoot with a D40 in studio without any difficulty what so ever.

 

[Taaron]

How about "I just like SLR's" Does that cover the spectrum enough?...:cheer:

 

[inTempus]

There's so much more involved with buying a camera than worrying about IQ. Most people can not, no matter how hard they try, tell an image shot by a D3 vs. a D40 once posted on the web or printed on a 8x10.

As noted, most current generation cameras offered by the top manufacturers are pretty much equal. They all have their pluses and minuses, but all are quite usable. Some have higher ISO performance then others, but this is a minor port for most photographers. If you have high ISO needs, pick an appropriate camera. If you plan on being in a hurricane as a photojournalist, pick an appropriate camera. Otherwise, don't sweat the small stuff.

More pressing is the availability of accessories (both new and used), your budget, do the functions of the camera suit your needs, what do your friends shoot and do you want to share accessories, availability of rental equipment, ergonomics, etc.

For a hobbyist only interested in something better than a point and shoot, who cares what DSLR you buy from the provided list of manufacturers? The camera is going to be more capable than you are in most cases.

Pro's and advanced hobbyists know what they want and need out of an upper end camera. I've met pro's that love Sony and pro's that hop between Nikon and Canon on a whim depending on the latest release. The results? The same. The IQ is mostly in the mind of the photographer and has little to do with the camera in his/her hand.