As I sit here on my virtual analog/digital fence gazing at the technological landscape, I wonder. I wonder what will be the next huge technological leap in photography. I suppose that the megapixel wars will continue, unabated, for some time to come. Heck, if you want to talk mega pixels, my scans of the 6 x 4.5 negatives, at a modest 2400 dpi, come out to about 18 MP! Not bad for a $300 camera and a $250 printer! If I scan at 4800, well you can guess that it is almost 40 MP. The equivalent digital back costs nearly $20,000. Ouch!
Manufacturers have a goal and that goal is to sell. So, each year, or perhaps half a year, they have to come up with something new and improved. They have to come up with something that we think that we simply cannot live without. Something that makes our ‘old’ equipment look inferior and in need of replacing. But, I think as I dangle my legs over the fence, what more do we need? I know that I’m not a visionary. Heck! I don’t even know what’s going to happen today, let alone in the next five years, but how much better can cameras get? Are we going for ‘reality’? Do we want a camera that will reproduce, exactly, what we saw? I’m not sure.
Sometimes, I think that it is about formula. People want the camera to do the job so that can have great pictures, which is why, also, I think that beginning photographers are caught up in meta data. They are looking for the formula. Let’s see … he used 50mm f/2.8@ 1/250 … if I do that, stand in the same location, then I’ll get that too! Point. Shoot. Great! We all know that it doesn’t happen any more than some pill can make you loose 50 pounds overnight without diet or exercise. However, most any manufacturer would be willing to sell you these dreams, should you wish to buy them.
Now, you might be wondering, too: Hmmm. Since this guy has started shooting film again, is he a technophobe? Does he want to go back to using rocks and chisels? Heck no! I still like my digital camera. That bit of technology is wonderful. There’s nothing like it for shooting sports, shooting in various lighting conditions (tungsten, daylight, fluorescent, combination of all three, etc), chimping to make sure that you got that important shot, being able to change ISO when lighting conditions require it, etc. There’s no way that I’d want to go back to shooting color film/slides and having to use crazy filter combinations to get the lighting right. Heaven forbid! The right tool for the job!
So, I’m still wondering what ‘they’ will come up with that will continue to entice us to buy. I see that rumors are flying about the Nikon D300S, which will have, of course, HD video. Nikon simply could not let Canon be the only one. Personally, I don’t see the point of having video in a still camera, other than the point & shoots, where it could be useful on vacation to capture a few fun moments; however, for the most part, the prosumer cameras are not vacation cameras.
OK! Time to hop off of the fence and head to work…
Anyway, I’ll be keeping mine, after all, basketball season is around the corner!
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