Interesting little story

[ronbudway]

I was at the opening of a youth art show last week where there was a photo journalist

from the local newspaper. He had two D2Hs cameras around his neck (he must have a

strong neck!). I was taking pictures with my Nikon 5400. I walked by the guy and he

points at my camera and starts in with "that is a great, great camera!". He then tells

me how he bought one just before his honeymoon and was amazed at the quality of

the pictures he got from it. He goes on to say that it's considered to be the point and

shoot camera for pros.

 

Well, I wasn't too happy about all this, due to the fact that my wife was standing there

and I have been telling her for the last six months how I really need a DSLR and this

guy is just pulling the rug out from under me. It was OK, he confirmed for her my

assertion that I needed a DSLR if I wanted to go bigger than 8 x 10, but I found the

whole thing pretty interesting given all the silly argueing that goes on here on these

boards regarding point and shoot and DSLRs.

 

I don't know if anyone will find this post interesting, but one other thing that struck

me -- I asked the guy if he thought the D70 was the best DSLR and

he didn't even know what it was, he asked who made it.

[john_macpherson]

I was asked to supply some kind of image for a brochure cover (for an education establishment). There was some urgency to the need, and the only digital image I had available with the 'mood' I thought they might like was a Canon G2 jpg of just over 900k. I sent it to them saying this is the kind of image you might want and if so let me know and I'll scan some similar shots from 35mm or 645. Long delay until a request for an invoice appears with the newly printed brochure attached. Jpg on cover looking great, and me wondering why I have just bought a 1Ds Mk2 :-)

 

Dont underestimate what you can do with 4MP cameras. Mine has had a lot of its images published in various printed media and they look just fine.

[bob_a]

We don't know what else you asked the 2x2DH guy. He was probably being a good samaritan in an encouraging, hug-the-world way which is easy to do when you have two pro dslrs under your belt, so to speak. Bit like Michael Schumacher speaking to a Corolla driver: "Nuce car dude! Drove one myself the other day and drive jeeeest fine! Nothing wrong with 4 cylinders!"

 

No sarcasm, arrorance or otherwise intended.

[ronbudway]

Maybe bob, but I didn't say a word to him, he went out of his way to tell me how

much he loves his little digicam. I just thought it was interesting given the general

tone of online discussion regarding digital cameras. This guy had $6000 worth of

cameras and glass and he's raving on about a digicam that now costs $300 US and he

doesn't even know what a D70 is.

[bob_a]

What's your point Ron? You're either trying to tell us that (a) the 5400 is as good or better than nay dSLR or (b) Schumacher does love Corollas.

 

Myself, I think my first PC was the best eever - a 64kb CP/M beauty. So what?

[jorgen_udvang]

This is one of the most interesting questions there is right now. I have been trying to decide what DSLR to choose for a very long time now, just to end up with facts like Pentax has a great viewfinder, KM has anti-shake, Olympus has anti-dust, Fuji has a wide dynamic range, Canon has good high ISO performance and Nikon has reliability and good ergonomics.

 

With film SLRs, these where mostly non-issues since most advanced SLRs had more or less the same features, depending on how much you wanted to pay, and then I haven't even touched upon things like long time storage of picture files and spare parts in 5 years time. And printer. And ink. And a fast computer with lots of RAM. And post-processing. And what happens with the sensor when I've removed dust for the 999th time.

 

So I keep shooting with my Canon A95 and the old OM1. I'm not sure how many photos we've sold from the A95, but they include 2 A4 magazine covers. It seems to me that, inspite of inferior picture quality, some of the more advanced PS digicams are better products all over than most of the DSLRs. If you know your camera and keep within its limitations, your results will be good. The biggest limitation of digicams today seem to be that they have too many, often confusing, possibilities.

 

So give me a digicam with a huuuuuugh sensor (at least APS size), the four most important shooting modes and one resolution/quality only (the best). Unfortunately, the marketing guys at Canikon think otherwise. They want me to buy a D2X1Ds for $5,000+++ and lenses for even more.

 

So I continue shooting with my A95 (might upgrade to a G or CP something though) and use film when I need very long or very short lenses or when there's too little or too much light.

 

F6? Yes please! Just deliver it to my office. I'll be waiting :-)

[k_michael]

I've seen great photos made with an F5. And I'v also seen great photos made with a disposable. Knowing howto use your tools is the most important thing.

[greg s]

Perhaps if one doesn't know why or believe they do need a DSLR, they literally don't.

 

"He had two D2Hs cameras around his neck"

 

They didn't get there by accident. The gentleman knows why. As with many things, it's all about choosing the right tool for the job.

[lex_jenkins]

A pair of D2H's around his neck, huh? Who does he think he is, Dennis Hopper? Was he dancing around frantically jibbering stuff like "The heads. You're looking at the heads. Sometimes he goes too far. He's the first one to admit it."

 

My back is aching after lugging just my one D2H for several hours today, and I use a hand strap 'cause a neck strap hurts even worse.

 

You should have asked the guy to set one of his D2H's to Continuous-High and blaze away for a few seconds at 7-9 fps. Then show your wife the perfectly autofocused photos on the chimping screen.

 

I photographed some sk8tr boi's at a park yesterday and almost simultaneously we all said "That's amazing!" I was impressed with how good a couple of these kids were. They were discombobulated by the rapid fire D2H and near-movielike captures on the screen.

 

That 5400 may indeed make great photos but there's no way it can keep pace with a Tommy Gun like the D2H. That's why I bought mine - I was getting grayer and fatter waiting for my Olympus digicam to catch up.

 

And FWIW, I don't know why anyone should necessarily know every model in any manufacturer's lineup, even the brand he or she uses. Heck, all of my "serious" cameras are Nikons, film and digital, and I don't know the correct names of everything Nikon has ever made. I can't even remember the correct designation for Canon's top gun from one minute to the next. Too many randomly selected letters and numerals.

 

Okay, sure, the D70 was revered as the digital god of 2004 in every danged camera and electronics magazine. Maybe this guy actually works too much to read magazines.

 

Unfortunately, I don't work enough to avoid reading magazines. I read yet another rave over the D70 in an electronics magazine last night. As Sally Fields gushed: "You like me! You really, really like me!" Poor D70 - never gets no privacy.

[rick_waldroup3]

I shoot a D2H for work but I also carry in my bag a Nikon Coolpix 775 (long discontinued). It may be the smallest digital camera Nikon has made. It only has 2.3 MP, but I use it quite a bit just for knocking around or shooting family, etc. My wife uses it for her ebay photos. It is actually just a little smaller than my old Olympus XA. Sometimes less is better. It all depends on what you need a certain camera for.

[johnb]

Ron, <br>

A thing to keep in mind,<br>

He (the guy with the two D2H's) was probably dealing with his work equipment, not necesarily his favorite or best equipment to him. In fact he might not even own the equipment. <br><br>

 

Try to think of it this way, what P&S is there that can take a quality 1:1 macro shot, a quality 400mm telephoto shot and a quality less than 20mm wide angle shot with the same camera?<br><br>

I can do that with a DSLR!<br><br>

I like P&S too for convience (like on my canoe) but I would rather have my DSLR and be in control of my photos.

[ronbudway]

I did not start this thread to try to imply that digicams are

better than DSLRs -- I certainly do not think they are -- I was just sharing what I

thought was an interesting little story.

 

Lex, he did show off the continuous shooting capabilities for me. He was asking me

about the D70 and if it had a "fast motor". He then held down the shutter release for

a couple of seconds, thereby taking a bunch of pictures of our feet.

[squareframe]

Ron,

 

I am with you on this topic. I have many beautiful cameras, but too many times of late, I have been able to capture a fleeting moment with my Canon G2 where it would have long faded by the time I setup my Hasselblad, Linhof, or found the best lens for my Canon's. I really enjoy the LCD and the freedom it affords to frame, visually, in orientations where SLR's would require guesswork (overhead, ground-level, around corners, self-portraiture).

 

the picture taken, is far better, than the one not-taken with the best of equipment and intention.

[godfrey]

I have both an A2 and two DSLRs. In good light, with proper exposure and post-

processing, the photographs made with the A2 are indistinguishable from those of the

DSLRs.

 

So why have the DSLRs? Because they are far more sensitive and provide a much greater

range of options for my use. If my uses fit only what the A2 was good at, I wouldn't need

the DSLRs.

 

Godfrey

[lex_jenkins]

Ron: Yeh, I've also made several photos of my feet, belly, walls, etc., by forgetting to set the vertical shutter release lock. My hand is just big enough to occasionally mash down on the otherwise very useful vertical controls when I'm shooting conventionally.

[chepas_nigs]

Did you happen to notice if he had the same (or different) type of lenses (i.e. focal length etc.) on both D2Hs? He is probably a salesman, or just plainly showing off.

[conrad]

Good story. It's easy to forget sometimes that many pros are probably not the gearheads we think they might be. They're just interested in the tools that they need to get the job done, and beyond that they have little interest. Sometimes whatever they are using might not even be the ultimate tool for the job, but because they've spent so much time with it, can make it work so seamlessly that it doesn't get in their way, and others in their field use the same thing, they go with it.

 

On another forum I had the honor of conversing with a long time street and pro photographer. I was looking through his web site and asked him what he used for a square image there. I asked him if he was using a Mamiya 6. He replied that he used a Leica M and had no idea what a Mamiya 6 was.

 

I'll agree with him regarding the Nikon 5400. Great little camera.