Follow related website bookmark from Reddit:
Gearhead photography and its dangers. Years later, it finally sinks in...
**Background** The recent debates on the new Nikon V1, and the recent Fujifilm X100 has really got me thinking. I've owned and photographed with a DSLR for several years now, and always thought that photography was all about combining image quality with experience. The camera and lens combo would stand for your technical quality, and the photographer's experience would stand for the artistic quality. And that would be that. Then you just climbed the staircase of experience, and let your savings do the rest. The awesome photographs would await you. **The Importance of Context and Psychology** I now realize there's a _vital_ part that I've been missing all along. The fact that there's a real "danger" to your photographs and style if you simply try to find the camera with the best high ISO performance with the best lenses, and putting this before the context surrounding the shot! Yes, you can actually have something as a _too high quality camera_ in case you indeed only count 1) the hunt for image quality, and 2) your own experience. It's almost shocking that I haven't seen this until now, several years later! I thought that going to a family dinner with a DSLR would be awesome. Just imagine the great quality with my speedy lenses for low-light indoor photography! I never considered the _context_ though. It's _awkward_ to me to leave the dinner table, go get my big DSLR from where I put my coat, and start shooting people with audible shutter noises, not to mention the big black intimidating camera body itself, behind which I hide my face. I end up gazing at my audience with a sole giant glass eye, like a mechanical cyclops. Yeah, great quality indeed. Of faces showing slightly awkward and forced smiles. Hell, even _I_ felt awkward taking those shots, now that I think about it. So maybe I only captured 3 or 4 to boot when I needed 15 to get something truly good. **Versatility** If you don't want to narrow down your versatility, and truly shoot "everything", I honestly think you're better off with a P&S or MFT camera since they were _designed_ to be jack of all trades. Yes, slightly lower quality, but there's been some very impressive cameras in 2011. The lost quality due to smaller sensor sizes? Well, fuck that missed quality. Quality isn't everything. Hell, shoot in B&W to draw attention to faces, expressions, and atmosphere, and the high ISO grain can be considered an _advantage_. People may say "Oh, I like this shot, and the grain makes it look film-like... Pretty nice." You aren't shooting an ISO test sheet for DPReview.com here! I'm not dismissing DSLR's though. They're great -- if they provide what you need and perhaps what others expect from you, if others are involved. If it's for a high quality product shoot, or high speed sports photography needing a fast tele lens, of course you should use a DSLR. If it's birds - yes, you might need that 400mm lens for best results there. If it's streets -- wait a minute! Maybe not! Once again, consider the _context_. And your psychology. And the psychology of others. The Fujifilm X10 will probably be better than that Nikon D700 here. Because it's quieter, as well as less intrusive. No big black cyclops device hiding your face. You'll probably get better photos. Who cares about ISO 6400? What about that full-frame sensor? Fuck it. It'll just be in your way. Maybe you'll feel happier doing it in a less intrusive way too, and this will shine through and calm those you're shooting as well. A photographer enjoying shooting will no doubt produce better shots than someone feeling awkward doing it. **My future** So... I'm recently considering getting a Fujifilm X100 or even X10, or maybe the Panasonic GX1...? And selling at least three lenses for my DSLR. I'm considering saving my Sigma 8-16mm for ulra-wide angle DSLR photography, and my 35mm f/1.8 for more casual photography where I'm in the mood where I really do want to get a short focus depth, nice bokeh, etc. at the cost of a bulkier camera. But for all other occasions, I'm looking for something that matches my psychology, my surroundings, and photography as an artform better. Phew, long post. But I had to write it down in hopes to get some people in my situation to possibly save $800 for an awesome compact/semi-compact camera instead of a bunch of lenses. I wish I had read a post like this in 2008, so I'm typing it down in 2011 for others instead. more