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Camera snobbery and the difficult questions
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FrankC wrote:
2. Your photos are great – you must have a really good camera
Yeah, I get that one occasionally as well. In fact, once I was verbally assaulted when someone asked me that question and I answered by saying that the camera didn’t really matter. I was cut short in mid-sentence with the response along the lines of “Not you as well! I don’t believe that crap when people tell me the camera doesn’t matter. People like you don’t know what you are talking about, you’re all the same…” This went on for a few more seconds before he went off in a huff when he could see I wasn’t taking the bait. I kid you not!!!
I get the mega pixel question a lot but not the rest. I don’t ask questions. You never know what genius your asking. The brain is more important than the equipment me thinks.
Re: the MP myth giving you quality…
A buddy of mine who likes to know things inside and out added a 5D to his 30D and collection of lenses. He wanted to get some comparisons of the two bodies. But he’s the sort who wouldn’t be satisfied just looking at the specs. So he set up a tripod, configured both cameras identically, used the same lens and shot a scene. He then zoomed in on the shot and was shocked. What he found was that:
– The 5D, as expected, did not crop the shot so he had a photo of a larger scene.
– The 30D, as expected, did crop the shot so he had a smaller scene.
– When he zoomed in on both shots to get a similar crop the 30D photo retained more detail. Hmmm.When you looked a little further you find the 30D has a higher concentration of MP per square millimeter on the sensor than the 5D does, hence when you crop, you retain more detail on the 30D shot.
Is he ditching his shiny new 5D? Far from it. His 30D is sitting on a shelf gathering dust. The 5D does actually produce a higher quality photo in a straight up comparison. I’ve not seen it myself but plenty of Canonites say it. The reason has nothing to do with MP.
My take on MP and this is what I say (it falls on deaf ears) to people who ask me …. “High MP in a small P&S is probably not good because the small sensor is not going to be able to handle the noise being generated. And having more than 6MP makes no sense if you’re not going to print larger than A4. I’d like higer MP only so I can crop more, e.g. I can’t afford an 800mm lens and often something I’d like to shoot is out of range of my 400mm. If I could crop and retain detail (this is still questionable) then I’d be chuffed. Print size and cropping are the only two plusses I see for MP”. But like I said, most people don’t believe you. They’ve fallen for the marketing hype.
BTW, One advantage of having a “(Wow! That’s a) big camera” is that people give me more room and apologise to me when I’m at the zoo because they think I’m a pro working for the zoo :-)
joe_elway wrote:
When you looked a little further you find the 30D has a higher concentration of MP per square millimeter on the sensor than the 5D does, hence when you crop, you retain more detail on the 30D shot.
Is he ditching his shiny new 5D? Far from it. His 30D is sitting on a shelf gathering dust. The 5D does actually produce a higher quality photo in a straight up comparison. I’ve not seen it myself but plenty of Canonites say it. The reason has nothing to do with MP.
There are a number of reasons the 5D produces better image quality than the 30D, but the main ones have to do with pixel density. A higher pixel density, as on the 30D, means that the pixels are smaller than on the 5D. Larger pixels on the 5D means that it will produce a lower resolution image than the 30D which is why if you do a like for like crop, the 30D will show a “better” image.
But this high pixel density on the 30D is it’s Achilles tendon! For starters, the resolution of the 30D is probably better than any lens you’re going to stick on it. More importantly, a higher pixel density means smaller pixels (hence the higher resolution) and this comes at a price – a much higher susceptibility to noise, because the smaller pixels will have a much lower signal to noise ratio than larger ones, so noise is a bigger factor and smaller pixels also mean a much higher risk of image degradation as a result of camera shake, the smaller pixels effectively amplifying movement because there is a relatively smaller “jump” from one pixel to another. So all things considered, it’s not surprise that the 5D produces a better image than the 30D. I still can’t wait to get my hands on one!
He he….haven’t laughed as much in ages….
My favourite has been mentioned already…
“That’s a bloody great photograph…..must be a really good camera….”
Some good ones there.
A few more that make me chuckle.
Q. Why are you not out photographing today?, that’s a great day for photography. This is usually said in the middle of the day when the sky is featureless blue and you can’t see a hundred yards through the heat haze.
A. I prefer to photograph in weather.Q. There’s not much to photograph round here surely? asked of me by a local in the heart of the beautiful sperrin mountains.
A. You’d be surprised.Q. So what do you use, Nikon or Canon
A. Don’t be sillyAndy
amcinroy wrote:
Q. So what do you use, Nikon or Canon
A. Don’t be silly… Sony :D
I’ve no problem talkking gear with people. I’m usually curious to find how people find their gear is to use and performs no matter what brand it is.
Another one which always gets asked.
Q. How much does your camera cost.
A. A few hundred pounds. But the lenses extra, a couple of thousand extra (that raises an eyebrow).Andy
My fave that I hear in the zoo (from women) … “Wow that’s a big one!”. I playfully respond while extending the lens “It get’s bigger … and I have an extender”. :shock:
From wives (using the kits lens to shoot the animals) to their husbands referring to my lens “You need to get me one like that” which usualy results in him rushing away.
I’ll have to remember that one Joe. It would be worth investing in the Sigma 200-500 F2.8 for that kind of comedy value alone.
Just imagine how you could sidle up beside a couple of lovebirds where the guy is using a point and shoot to photograph the monkeys and you pulled that baby out.
Q. How many megapixels is that one?
A. 500 MegatonnesAndy
Hilarious thread, nice one Andy! :D
amcinroy wrote:
Q. So what do you use, Nikon or Canon
I actually got this from another enthusiast after a gig one night… We were chatting away about general stuff, then he glanced over and asked jokingly ‘what did I use’, I raised my Canon 20D with flash attached, and all conversation stopped dead there with a disillusioned tone ‘oh [you’re a] Canon [person]’ (he was proudly brandishing his Nikon D80 prior to that). Quite funny but at the same time quite tragic.
Like others here I’ve long done away with this ‘snobbery’ thing and enjoy getting into productive discussion about stuff.
Like last night, I went to a rehearsal for Saturday’s parade in Cork and tried to get talking to the press photographer who turned up on duty. What a passionless and uninterested person he appeared to be. I didn’t get to find out when his passion for photography died, or what he enjoyed photographing in his spare time….
And if it was you and you’re reading this — :shock: :shock: C’mon man what happened? :twisted:
and sign up! tell em I referred ya ;):D
I’m on nodding terms with a local press guy, who went from being a bonded wageslave to a paper (and using Nikons) to a freelance (using his own Canons which he much prefers!) He seems to remain pretty enthusiastic about gear at least, but you have to be careful not to chat to these guys while they’re actually working or they will indeed come over as offhand and uninterested, because you’re only as good as your last shot in the pro game ;)
SteveFE wrote:
because you’re only as good as your last shot in the pro game ;)
That’s undoubtedly true ;) I guess he was out late last night (part of the job) and trapsed over to some dingy warehouse in a remote part of the city (part of the job) to take pics of some folk in fancy dress (part of the job). With dull halogen lighting and a high roof, odds are slim for a killer shot – I could be wrong mind you. But then it was for the local paper – every chance! :lol:
I’m sorry I gave such serious answers now…I should have waited to see how this thread would have developed first……
pete4130 wrote:
I’m sorry I gave such serious answers now…I should have waited to see how this thread would have developed first……
Joo develop yer own then?
:lol: :lol: :lol:
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