1. Why carry a big camera, when an iPhone (or iPad) will do: By
far, this is the biggest trend. It seems people in droves are leaving their
DSLRs, and in many cases, point and shoot cameras at home in favor of smart
phones ant tablets. In a way, you can’t blame them – we’re not getting 4X6
prints made or putting images into photo albums anymore collect dust on our
coffee tables (except for a select few). The majority of our shots nowadays are
being housed on computers, phones, tablets or in the Cloud. Plus, the cameras
built into the latest generation Apple or Samsung products are absolutely
outstanding (note to Motorola: The camera in your Razr series is worthless).
And there’s another benefit: they’re light weight. Why carry a pack full of
photo gear, when you can carry a phone that’s a shade less than four ounces?
2. I want it all, but in a small and affordable package: Bridge
cameras – the cross between the ease of a small point and shoot, coupled with a
mongo lens (like 24-1200mm range) that’s wrapped in a compact body. Mostly carried
by people who used to haul around an SLR and a couple of lenses, the bridge
camera provides everything their kit used to, in a compact, lightweight
package. Bridges are a jack of all trades, giving you a nice wide angle view
for landscapes, and an extreme telephoto for capturing the kids down field at a
soccer game. But they’re a master of none, meaning that you’ll get good images,
but shutter lag is generally an issue, the telephoto drives are imprecise and
they’re slow to focus. You can do a whole lot better with a DSLR and a couple
of lenses.
3. Yeah, my camera bag weight 30-pounds, but my images will
look great: These are my peeps, their numbers are small, compared to SPSers
(Smart Phone Shooters), but they’re a dedicated bunch. They’re the ones with
the Lowepro backpack strapped to their backs, carrying a Canon 5D MARK III or a
Nikon D800 with a 24-70mm or 16-35mm attached. During the Humpback Whale
season, you’ll see a fair share of 70-200 f/2.8 lenses bayoneted to a 1D MARK
IV, or a 100-400 f/3.5-5.6 if more range is desired. Once in a while, there are
the whale paparazzi with a couple 1Dx bodies, which shoot at a photo Gatling
gun speed of 13 fps. One carrying a 400mm DO lens, the other with a 70-200.
These select few solidly believe in the “no pain, no gain” ideal – you’ll come
back with great shots, but it’ll cost a couple hundred bucks in massage therapy
back at the resort, which a small price to pay if you come back with killer
images.
So what does it all mean? Well, nothing, yet everything.
Photography has moved from silver-smeared glass plates and tin, to all sorts of
film, and now we’re capturing images as a mass of ones and zeros. Our darkrooms
have transformed from a wet process (with a myriad of chemicals) to one of
computers and desktop printers. Our cameras have shrunk from 8X10 film plane to
cell phones with a quarter-inch lens.
We’ve seen a transformation of photography that’s
unprecedented: From manually mastering the nuances of capturing light, to miniature
computers that eliminate the thought process of making images. Our cameras have
progressively gotten smaller, yet richer in functionality. Photography’s
evolution has brought photography to the masses, albeit today, in-between sending
a text or posting to your Facebook page.
What will we be shooting with tomorrow, a year, or five
years? Almost anything you can possibly imaging. There will be one thing that
will remain constant: The capture of light.
No comments:
Post a Comment