On Monday, GX GARNERINGS published a post linking shots for comparing the performance of cameras including the GRD III, GF-1, E-P1, DP2 and more. The deductions and observations on the comparison heated up a debate in a popular Taiwanese gadget website, so much so that the issue stayed afloat on the homepage as one of the hottest throughout Tuesday.
The furore didn't quite surprise me. The general photographers tends to reckon that the camera they own is the best in the universe. So, if a photographer tell his counterpart probably the truth the it is not, they will end up virtually and verbally stabbing each other’s back. The catharsis could be quite bloody if put into real-life action. It is sort of expected, and used to.
So, what was really gob-smacking is how some have thoroughly known the nagging technical differences between the cameras as the back of their palm. Some could show all the scientific and technical details to prove why Camera A is better Camera B without producing any photo at all.
One of the arguments goes like this, "I don’t think that the M4/3 sensor can outperform the larger, more richly layered FOVEON sensor." Very scientific indeed. Actually, too solely scientific.
Browsing another forum, I again dropped my jaw wide at a spectacular question, "Which brand do you think produces the best camera for doing portraits?" Maybe the question would seem less hollowing if "the best camera" was corrected to "the best lens".
But even so, all these arguing and wondering conspire to a prevailing trend: a large part of the photography community is being reduced to the camera community. Some posters on the Taiwanese forum revealed the startling number of expensive cameras owned by them. That could be a reason why Panasonic comes up with such a nice codename for the new camera. Well, you know, the Girl Friend no. 1. Wives, girl friends and concubines.
The legitimate reasons to own so many advanced cameras you may consider are to make money by selling photographs and to give fodders for a habit of collection. Otherwise, the case of my sister could be prophetic.
She is in the popular habit of changing to the newest cell phone model every now and then. The one she is using is the top Sony model which promises users an unprecedented experience of viewing videos and playing audios. It sports a chip to take 8MP photos. On its dedicated speaker console, it looks like a miniature video player with great audio output. It is a truly exciting phone which she uses 100% for making phone calls only!
What do you actually use your troops of cameras for?
(Photos by courtesy of SY Hsu, a popular photographer from Taiwan)
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