Originally posted by spinach software in a body can't couple with a physical tab in a lens that has to be physically moved -- the room needed is for the actual physical lever and the mechanism to operate it. after that, yeah, all the software.
---------- Post added 02-19-15 at 07:26 AM ----------
the same would be true regardless of resolution -- so a lower resolution sensor would still collect more photons than a higher resolution one of the same size using current design (implied in "all else being equal").
The last fall back of the outflanked, go to the "all things being equal" arguments... in other words, rely on fantasy. Where is this magical world where all things are equal?
The simple fact is, many innovations come to small sensors first... many never make it to larger sensors. There's been a backlit Optio WR camera for 2 or three years now, that tech being a way of improving low light performance. As far as I know there are no backlit APS-c of FF sensors. The simple facts are that, all things are never equal. They do not make small sensors and large sensors from the same wafers. It's not like film, where you can use the same emulsion in different cameras. The biggest cause of mis-understanding in these kinds of debates, is the film guys bringing film type assumptions to digital arguments. The above quoted article, does so on several occasions. And that's why it's pretty much irrelevant in the real world.
Every sensor and in some cases camera, because the K-5 and D7000 share the same sensor, must be evaluated separately. The implementation of the analogue conversion to digital can have a large effect as can the physical sensor performance. A camera system is far more than a sensor. You can only learn about the actual attributes of a given sensor or camera, through actual measurement. No theory I've heard in takes into account enough parameters to be able to reliably predict camera performance, from any theoretical postulation.
The engineers that work for camera companies are never going to tell you enough of what you need to know to be able to even begin to try and do that.