Reply #1 - May 18, 2009, 06:33:56 PM
Digital cameras were never meant to last 40+ years. When the disposable camera came out in the 80's (or was it the early 90's) that proved that the vast majority of people were happy to pay less money for poor quality with lot's of convenience. I think it's the culture of today; nothing is worth keeping very long.
For almost everyone the largest single purchase a person will make besides a home is their car. For thousands of dollars we're happy if one will last ten years. But most people never even bother to try and keep a car that long and replace it in five years or less. As long as there is a feature that is more attractive on a new model most people will want the new one even if the old one works just fine. We're a consumer society and easily bored.
This is a great thing for us in my opinion. (betcha didn't see that one coming) This means that now the best camera is the one that does the job we need, when we need it done, as long as we can afford it. For example: if I shot a lot of weddings and events where the light was dim I'd use a new generation Nikon digital; probably a D300. They're the best at this type of work. Super fine detail fine art landscapes? A 4x5 or an 8x10 with a whole lot of patience. Shooting advertising for billboard sized prints in the fast moving marketing world? A digital Hassy or Mamiya with a digital 645 back.
I don't see myself going back to film for any kind of 35mm work unless I'm just in a nostalgic mood. I would for large format, and for medium format unless I really start making some $$$. But those don't fit into the kind of work I do, my trusty old 20d does. And it's probably going to be retired for a 50d or a 5d this year now that the technology has progressed enough to upgrade bodies in my opinion.
We've progressed to a point that you can have a body and lens that matches the work you want to do. The way I see it we need to stop thinking in terms of which bit of gear is best; and start thinking in terms of narrowing our work to a genre that only needs a certain set of gear. Then get the best in that genre we can. I see this as an economical move by minimizing our investment in equipment. I also see it as a good artistic and business move. People don't go looking for a photographer. They look for someone to shoot their wedding, their family portrait, their product, the artwork on their wall. Generalities keep us from being the best at any one thing.
Guess this ended up being more of a blog post. Sorry bout that.
Logged
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