[pawzitiv]

Although I lurk on many photo-related forums, I’m always reluctant to “stick in my oar” with the thread topics .. so few are related to the art and craft of photography. Discussions about equipment become very heated and many opinions degenerate into personal attacks. This is when I regard forums like the shark tank at the aquarium .. I’ll prefer to stay on the other side of the glass and just watch. It’s as if bitching has become people’s passion rather than photography.

I’ve recently shared a few of my thoughts here on PentaxForums and I must say that everyone here generally behaves in a respectful, mature manner. Still, I find many of the thread topics attempt to provoke people and I refuse to participate in such drivel .. my time is better spent creating images.

To that end, here’s my one and only list of opinions about photography (if I offend anyone, I apologize in advance):

1. Everyone wanting a “pro” camera is proof that Canon/Nikon advertising is working as planned. What exactly is a “pro” camera? A camera that all Sports Illustrated photographers use or a camera that you could use to earn a living? At one time, “pro” was a derogatory term used for a woman who exchanged sex for cash. We now use the term “pro” for all consumer goods .. ovens, barbecues, tools, pick-up trucks, hair dryers, software and cameras. I’ve heard of a $39 Holga being used for commissioned work .. per definition, it’s a pro camera.

2. A more expensive, more sophisticated camera will not make you a better photographer. Photography, as an art form, is about seeing and observation. It’s not about deep pockets and ditching one’s current camera because a better one has been announced.

3. My Pentax DSLR’s are extremely capable photographic tools. I feel the same way about my Leica M8. But that’s it .. they’re tools, not status symbols, not shrines to worship. Choose your camera based on how well it can deliver your creative vision, not based on what brand name advertising has led people to believe.

4. I don’t care if Canon and Nikon gearheads mock my equipment. Let’s have a look at THEIR images.

5. The term “full frame”, as it is now used, is a misnomer. Every camera that uses its’ full sensor area is full frame. Just use lenses with an image circle designed for that size of sensor. An 8” x 10” sensor would be full frame, not 24mm x 36mm!

6. There’s far too much noise about digital noise. Photography, as an art form, should not have the unreal plastic look of HDTV.

7. Pentax DSLR’s auto-focus system IS less responsive than Canon’s or Nikon’s. Now ask yourself how anyone ever took an action shot of anything before the invention of auto-focus.

8. Auto-focus marked the demise of focusing accuracy. Sharp focus is a skill, not a predictive algorithm. If you want sharp focus, learn to focus manually.

9. There’s no such thing as proper exposure. Only you, the photographer, can say what exposure gives you the image you saw in your mind’s eye.

10. You cannot judge the quality of an image posted on the Internet. Print the image!

I will now retreat back to the other side of the shark tank glass and get prepared for another paid shoot with my K20D. After all, these are just the ramblings and unsolicited opinions of an old fart who has spent 30+ years shooting film Pentaxes and Nikons. And if I end up buying the new K7, it will be because I’ve tried it and found it to be a more suitable tool for my photographic vision, not because it trounces Canon or Nikon.

I wonder if the manual focus speed of the K7 will be much improved?

[Arpe]

2. A more expensive, more sophisticated camera will not make you a better photographer. Photography, as an art form, is about seeing and observation. It’s not about deep pockets and ditching one’s current camera because a better one has been announced.

I respectfully disagree. I think it depends upon what it is you are photographing. Try taking decent sports photos with that Holga and I think you'll see what I mean.

7. Pentax DSLR’s auto-focus system IS less responsive than Canon’s or Nikon’s. Now ask yourself how anyone ever took an action shot of anything before the invention of auto-focus.

That's right they took "an" action shot, but not the many more that are possible now with the better gear and faster AF.

I wonder if the manual focus speed of the K7 will be much improved?

No, I hear as you get older the camera's manual focus speed decreases!

[pawzitiv]

I respectfully disagree. I think it depends upon what it is you are photographing. Try taking decent sports photos with that Holga and I think you'll see what I mean.

Yes, it absolutely is dependent on what you are photographing. The Holga is not the right tool for sports photography just as a 6 or 8 frames per second AF DSLR is not the best tool for macro photography. Horses for courses as they say. Still, I'll stick to my guns about a "pro" camera being advertising hype.

That's right they took "an" action shot, but not the many more that are possible now with the better gear and faster AF.:

Arpe .. I acknowledge that you're an avid sports/event photographer and that you want a blazing fast camera in terms of frames per second and AF speed. I'm old school though (a still camera is for relatively"still" subjects) and I wonder if your needs aren't better served with frame grabs from high-quality video.

No, I hear as you get older the camera's manual focus speed decreases!

Indeed! And I've also noticed that I tend to wave my telephoto lenses around now more than ever. I hope the image stabilization in the K7 now gains me 7 or 8 stops!

Indeed! And I've also noticed that I tend to wave my telephoto lenses around now more than ever. I hope the image stabilization in the K7 now gains me 7 or 8 stops!

Apparently Pentax are working on a new 'optional extra' eyepiece. It sticks out about two and a half inches from the back of the camera so you don't need to remove your nebuliser when taking a picture.

[and]

A
5. The term “full frame”, as it is now used, is a misnomer. Every camera that uses its’ full sensor area is full frame. Just use lenses with an image circle designed for that size of sensor. An 8” x 10” sensor would be full frame, not 24mm x 36mm!

Full Frame refers to the size that the mount was designed for, ie a 4/3 camera is Full Frame, its not possible to put a larger sensor in there, but an APS-C camera is not Full Frame as the mount was designed for film and a film frame is larger than an APS-C sensor.

[krypticide]

Very nice post from the OP. PF members are generally pretty good, but like any forum (online or otherwise) it takes just a few people to get things going in a bad direction.

Anyway, some people are here for the gear, some for the photos, and you won't have much luck swaying them either way. Personally I'm here for both!

An interesting and well written text by pawzitiv, thanks.

However, there's one aspect that I'd like to comment on (krypticide somewhat covered it above already). Photography as an art form is one thing, while photography gear and cameras are another. They're not mutually exclusive in my opinion, but for some the art/content side is more important while for others the technical details and cameras are in front row. Both approaches are just fine by me.

[Douglas_of_Sweden]

I respectfully disagree. I think it depends upon what it is you are photographing. Try taking decent sports photos with that Holga and I think you'll see what I mean.

That's right they took "an" action shot, but not the many more that are possible now with the better gear and faster AF.



No, I hear as you get older the camera's manual focus speed decreases!

I don't know how old you are Arpe, as you profile does not tell.
Have you been around sport photographers before autofocus and seen them work? I have. After a foot ball game or similar, typically in those days shot with an Nikon F3, they went into the lab and developed a couple of films hanging in tanks, dried the film hanging again in a heated cabinet, looked through the negatives on a light table, went into the lab and copied a dozen or more shots for the sport journalist and the editor to choose from. They did not take just a shot. Even each goal was captured in several frames, allthough the photographer would have choosen the best ones before presenting the material. I don't remember exactly the number of frames per second for the F3, but it was high. And even with a Nikkor 300mm f2.8 on the F3 they were able to follow focus. It takes training, I know. I've never been a sport photographer or much of a bird photographer, but I used to be able to do it with jet fighters, and they are pretty fast.

[flyer]

Full Frame refers to the size that the mount was designed for, ie a 4/3 camera is Full Frame, its not possible to put a larger sensor in there, but an APS-C camera is not Full Frame as the mount was designed for film and a film frame is larger than an APS-C sensor.

Wrong answer. FF in the way it is used in photography fora is about the 24 X 36 mm. image format. And, like the original poster, I think it is a misnomer. A medium format camera has a full frame sensor, albeit larger than 35 mm. camera, and so does a Minox sub-miniature film camera. Same thing goes for crop factor. There is no such thing, just some people unwilling to learn the proper normal, wide and telephoto length going with their camera choice. I started photography with a 2 1/4 square cam, and then went to 35 mm., and nobody then ever used crop factor. On an APS-C sensor, anything between 30 to 35 mm. is normal. Shorter is wide, and longer is tele. It's that simple. You could say it is "equivalent to", but there is no such thing as crop factor.

[opfor]

I think a lot has to do with the computer age. Every one has gotten familiar with the idea that every few years they have to upgrade their hardware and software to be compatible/competitive with everyone else.
My original film camera still has film in it and still gets used, (well at least for as long as they still do prints). I've made money with it, does that make the camera a pro or the shooter?
It's about the mechanic, not the wrench.
Or if you like you can substitute artist/brush, carpenter/saw, cook/pan, girl/bikini.
Just checking to see if you were paying attention with that last one...

[pingflood]

I am frankly pretty sick of the "well people used manual focus in the past for XYZ" statements. Should view camera photographers start telling people that if they only had the right skills they wouldn't need the crutch that roll film is? After all, you only need that one perfect shot, and anybody with SKILLS could do that.

Some of us can and have used manual focus quite a bit, even for sports, and frankly there's not a snowball's chance in hell ANYONE can keep up with the performance of a top notch modern AF system. Understand how it works, get used to it, practice with it, and it's a fantastic tool that'll let you get images you otherwise would've missed. There's a reason pros aren't shooting sports with MF gear these days, and that reason is not lack of competence.

(edit: other than that, I mostly agree with your rant)

[Class A]

Hi pawzitiv,

thanks for your posting. I agree with a lot of what you said. However I also support the view that some here for the photography, some for the gear, and some for both (and all three options are just fine).

8. Auto-focus marked the demise of focusing accuracy. Sharp focus is a skill, not a predictive algorithm. If you want sharp focus, learn to focus manually.

Can you really optimally focus manually with a modern DSLR focusing screen, like the one from the K20D? I think it isn't optimised for that. It lacks focusing aids and creates a DOF which just isn't there in reality.

Also, properly calibrated, AF delivers results which leave nothing to be desired. No?

On an APS-C sensor, anything between 30 to 35 mm. is normal.

The centre for the "normal" range on Pentax APS-C is 28.8mm. For 35mm it is 43.3mm. 50mm was the "standard" focal length for 35mm but the "normal" was/is by definition the sensor/film diagonal, i.e., 43.3mm. Some deviation from that will still be considered as "normal".

[and]

Wrong answer. FF in the way it is used in photography fora is about the 24 X 36 mm. image format. And, like the original poster, I think it is a misnomer. A medium format camera has a full frame sensor, albeit larger than 35 mm. camera, and so does a Minox sub-miniature film camera. Same thing goes for crop factor. There is no such thing, just some people unwilling to learn the proper normal, wide and telephoto length going with their camera choice. I started photography with a 2 1/4 square cam, and then went to 35 mm., and nobody then ever used crop factor. On an APS-C sensor, anything between 30 to 35 mm. is normal. Shorter is wide, and longer is tele. It's that simple. You could say it is "equivalent to", but there is no such thing as crop factor.

A medium format camera does not have a full frame sensor unless the sensor covers the full 41.5 x 56 mm size, altho that apparently is a bit brand specific. but most current digital medium format cameras have crop factors. afaik the phase one P65+ is the closest to full frame. In this case the proper name is Full Frame 645. as opposed to Full Frame 35mm.

[pingflood]

Also, properly calibrated, AF delivers results which leave nothing to be desired. No?

I honestly think where things go wrong is that people either buy a camera that has really poor AF performance, or just won't take the time to understand and learn the system. A well setup AF system that you are familiar with is wonderful to work with. Just like with auto exposure, it takes a process that would end up in the exact same result anyway and mostly automates it. Why not take advantage of that so you can focus on the rest of the image instead? I guess I never get that part...

[stevebrot]

5. The term “full frame”, as it is now used, is a misnomer. Every camera that uses its’ full sensor area is full frame. Just use lenses with an image circle designed for that size of sensor. An 8” x 10” sensor would be full frame, not 24mm x 36mm!

6. There’s far too much noise about digital noise. Photography, as an art form, should not have the unreal plastic look of HDTV.

7. Pentax DSLR’s auto-focus system IS less responsive than Canon’s or Nikon’s. Now ask yourself how anyone ever took an action shot of anything before the invention of auto-focus.

8. Auto-focus marked the demise of focusing accuracy. Sharp focus is a skill, not a predictive algorithm. If you want sharp focus, learn to focus manually.

9. There’s no such thing as proper exposure. Only you, the photographer, can say what exposure gives you the image you saw in your mind’s eye.

I could not have said it better, though I do wish there was a better way to say, "sensor size appropriate for Pentax-FA and other lenses originally made for use with 35mm film".

Steve

(Notice my emphasis added to point #8...you are so right.)