It had to happen sooner or later. I had to post a shot of the current gear I've been using.
Funnier thing too - I was out shooting in public and someone saw me with all this gear and told me, "your pictures must be awesome!". I tried to explain that I have all this stuff and could still come away with crappy pictures (and I often do), but this person just wouldn't have it. Everything I shot was already apparently super bitchin'. Go figure.
But also, in a nod to my "old-fashioned" ways, no one seems to notice that each of those Canon EOS-1D cameras holds the world's most incredible 4.15 megapixel sensors! I know, I refuse to get into these megapixel arguments so I continue to stay hovering under 6MP to produce my work. In a world of 24MP DSLR's I'm sure this is all just crazy talk. But think about it: if these babies were good enough for a two-page double-truck (to use an industry term for a magazine layout) back in the dark ages of the new millennium, then why wouldn't they be good now? Have the magazines changed? Have the newspapers changed? The stories still suck, right? In fact, the newspapers and magazines are now dying, and nothing really gets printed anymore. So what's with the more megapixels, anyway? Especially when images for the web look better at 72 dpi? (And not the 300 dpi would we normally use to print).
I had given this some thought. I once printed a beautiful picture of a sunset once at 16x20, from a Nikon D1 (this camera only had 2.47 megapixels, and it really sucked at ISO's higher than 200). One of my favorite portraits was also shot with that same camera and we were able to go as big as 20x24 with it, and when I look at both of these pictures, I don't wish I had more megapixels. I do wish I had better lighting, but that's a given. I never complain about the given megapixels, ever. I played around with the Nikon D40 when it came out (a 6.1MP entry-level DSLR) and almost every shot I took with it was a keeper (well, not all of them). When I went to print it was incredible.
Someone made the argument to me that once you start cropping into the image then you need the megapixels. Sure you do. I argued back, "well what are you doing cropping in the first place?" The reason I have the pro models is because I like seeing 100% of what I'm going to get in the viewfinder (most amateur cameras show you 92 - 94% of the actualy image in the viewfinder - which is why everytime you take a picture, when you go to see the file on your computer screen, there's always more space to see around your subject). I also like the fact that the auto-focus is screamingly fast. And I like the fact that the camera is built like a tank and weighs almost as much because I like to go down to 1/30th or 1/15th of a second and shoot handheld. Those three reasons allow me to crop before I take the picture. I definitely do not "spray and pray" when out making photographs - meaning I don't just shoot anything and if I see something in a frame I like, I crop that to make a photo. I see the photo before I put the camera up to my face, frame it then and shoot it!
If you've gotten this far, and haven't written me off as some crazy wack-o spoutin' off his Luddite ways, then congratulations! Like being in the Matrix, you're probably wondering why every year, when a new camera model comes out, do the manufacturers make you feel like your old camera is crap and you must have the new one or, you're just not what we can call a photographer. That's OK. You've probably contemplated taking the red pill and seeing just how deep the rabbit hole goes. Of course, if you're a budding new photographer and you're out buying stuff, then I wouldn't suggest you go searching for old digital cameras to get started. Get the new ones, and that'll be part of your generation. My decision on what I use has basically been proven to me. I can print 20x30 with a 4.15MP camera, and really, how many of you are actually printing that big on a regular basis? I sure don't. But I know I can if I had to. You will also be able to print just as big if not bigger with your new 24MP DSLR. Colors and tones will probably look negligibly better, but like I said earlier, that's just that better lighting I was hoping for in the first place!
So, thanks for reading this far. That's my stuff. It's also heavy enough to break a window, 'cause you never know....
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