This is an article by the guest author Alvaro González, professional photographer who explains why it is not necessary, nor recommended, to have the latest camera on the market, will it take a lot of anxiety to read it for the latest models ?.
In 2009 I bought my first full frame, a Nikon D700. A few years later I added two cameras to my arsenal, the D800 and another to go out and have fun, the Fujifilm x100.
- I can only speak in praise of the D700.
- A spectacular camera that never let me down.
- 12 megapixels and incredible quality (ok.
- I put good goals and help).
- But one day.
- Nikon pulls out the D800 and I say?Well.
- Look.
- Jump into the pool: 36 megapixels!.
Once bought, my disappointment. I discovered that 36 megapixels are too heavy to start with, in other words, you do the session and then you die from treatment in Lightroom, not to mention Photoshop. Au over the years, and have the state of technology. hardware art, the truth is that currently, the workflow is very fast, but mainly because the hardware already handles multi-megapixel files (I also admit that for 3 years I use Capture One and it is something else).
My work is very varied: I do many outdoor sessions and I also do studio sessions, most of my clients do not know if what I give them are photos taken with one camera or another, most do not care the size because I do not print the photos. I use the D800 for 8% of my sessions, after all these years. Customers basically use my photos for social media or to print them in a format that is no bigger than a magazine. What’s going on?
Instagram, Facebook, Twitter? Everyone is ugly when it comes to image work What is the maximum size of a photo on Facebook?What about Instagram? I’m not going to say a specific size because you can read this in a month, two months or a year, and by then it will have changed again.
But let’s see, take this test: search for a Facebook photo of any photographer and download it to your computer with the best quality in the world, you will see that it weighs no more than 200k, this means that Facebook (or GI), no matter how many megapixels your camera has, will compress and reduce the photo at will and there is nothing you can do about it.
This is where the story changes. Because depending on the size you want to print, you may need more megapixels, but I’ll give you an example: I printed my photos on an A3 (which is of considerable size) made with the D700 and its 12 Megapixels and it looks luxurious And I printed a new York photo taken with the x100 (16 Mp) in 70-105 format and it turned out great (70-105 , you read it right!).
When is the D800 better than the D700?Well, for example, when I took a photo and realized that the composition would be much better if I make a cut and stay only part of that photo, if the photo is 36 MP, even with a big crop, the image will be large enough to be able to print without problems. This is not the case with a 12MP image.
The other time 36 MP is better than 12MP is obviously photo editing. I enjoy being able to retouch on high-resolution images, so I zoom in and on the details. There, the D700 loses from a landslide.
In my case, Nikon advertising made me one of the first to buy the D800. Error. After a few months, the D810 came out and obviously fixed bugs and had advantages that my camera would no longer have. And obviously my team quickly depreciated.
The same thing happened with Nikon’s flash, the SB900, which overheated. Soon after, they launched the SB910, which is a beast. Although there are hundreds of these stories to tell. Because I work with Nikon, but do those who work with other companies also have many of these kinds of stories?
Since I bought it (I think in 2014) there have been some updates, as always, the main improvement is the processor and the definition, for those who do not know this wonder, is a camera that does not have interchangeable lenses, but has a fixed focal length of 23 mm, which, being in an APS-C box, becomes a focal length of 35 mm.
The current (x100f) has 24 MP versus 16 MP on my old x100. Is it faster, has more resolution, connects via wifi, ISO enhancement?But, however, the only thing that would make me rethink the change is?improved optics. And no, there is no such improvement, because the objective that integrates the X100 range is the same since its launch. And it’s spectacular.
If you are a photographer, this question will be asked by everyone who is new to photography, and at current prices it is many people, I always tell them that the current technology is very good and that the simplest SLR is great (and I really believe it).
Obviously, once you get behind the wheel, no one prevents you from wanting the latest news, but I’m going to share an experience with you: two months ago, a photographer friend had all her photographic equipment stolen. In this situation, I lent him the D700 and two lenses, a Nikon 50 mm 1. 4 and a 105 mm Sigma. She was a total fan of her Canon and had a top-notch team, but was fascinated with the Nikon and did an excellent job. Work. Yes, with a 10-year-old camera and a lens (105 mm) that costs about 500 euros new on the market.
The camera doesn’t matter, the eye counts and your level of education.
So, honestly, if you’ve seen the signature’s new camera this or that, or you’ve seen a photo taken with a new camera that’s beautiful, I have something to tell you: the camera is your eye and your good work. you spend money on the next super camera, I suggest you spend it on training.
Learning online is very cheap, but also, go to any photo exhibition in your city, visit museums, educate your eye. It’s nice to see photos online, but don’t forget you see great photos and real bulls. This noise can really distort the taste.
Do you buy a used camera, a used lens (I was working with a 24 mm manual, 30 years ago, until recently it cost me 100?) And get as much juice out as possible.
Yes, obviously there will come a time when the camera will limit you, but if you start, you have a long way to go. The camera doesn’t take amazing pictures, you take them.
This is an article by Alvaro González, professional photographer from Barcelona, you can follow his work on his website.
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