Best camera for an a beginning enthusiast?

[expat]

Anyway here's an interesting article on why your camera doesn't matter

He's right about a number of things, especially pixel count.

My own view on that: a good 35mm film will correspond to say 15 Mp. Put it in a plastic point-and-shoot from the 1970s found in a charity shop: 15Mp. Put it in a Leica: 15Mp. Do you really think the two results will be the same? There was a time when pixel count was an estimate of the limitations of a given digital camera, but from about 3 or 4Mp days that has not been so; it is, as it always was, the lens that makes the difference in quality.

Year before last I took a shot of a landscape in the Scottish highlands, with lots of distant detail that I wanted reproduced finely, and with subtle rather than glaring colours. I used the 2-1/4 square 120 camera, on a tripod of course. I also took a shot with a pocket point-and-shoot (Panasonic Lumix DMC-LZ6), since I had it out anyway: I use it as an exposure meter for the big brute.

Later, looking at a print (30cm x 20cm, i.e. 12" x 8") I mentioned to my OH how good the quality of the 120 camera was, how much colour definition you got from the larger film, etc, how worthwhile it was to lug the camera and tripod up a hill. Then (of course!) I checked, and it was from the point-and-shoot!

OK, the shooting conditions were easy, and I didn't examine the print in fine detail: but I was stunned that the pocket camera could even appear to give the 120 a run for its money.

[realityhack]

Anyway here's an interesting article on why your camera doesn't matter

Very interesting, cheers for that.

Cameras don't take pictures, photographers do. Cameras are just another artist's tool.

Why is it that even though everyone knows that Photoshop can be used to take any bad image and turn it into a masterpiece, that even after hours of massaging these images look worse than when one started?

Maybe because it's entirely an artist's eye, patience and skill that makes an image and not his tools. Even Ansel said "The single most important component
of a camera is the twelve inches behind it."

A camera catches your imagination. No imagination, no photo - just crap. The word "image" comes from the word "imagination." It doesn't come come from "lens sharpness" or "noise levels." David LaChapelle's work is all about his imagination, not his camera. Setting up these crazy shots is the hard part. Once set up, any camera could catch them. Give me David LaChapelle's camera and I won't get anything like he does, even if you give me the same star performers.

Couldn't agree more.

Just about any camera, regardless of how good or bad it is, can be used to create outstanding photographs for magazine covers, winning photo contests and hanging in art galleries. The quality of a lens or camera has almost nothing do with the quality of images it can be used to produce.

Agree - to an extent. The better (faster, sharper) the lens and the better the image capture (film stock, resolution, RAW), the more flexible the tool is at the photographer's disposal, therefore the more options available.

[expat]

Anyway here's an interesting article on why your camera doesn't matter

I'd add another comment; the camera that you have with you always takes better photographs than the camera that you left at home.

[bogeyman]

I'd add another comment; the camera that you have with you always takes better photographs than the camera that you left at home.

I went out the other day to take a few piccies and discovered, after an hours driving, I'd left the camera battery in the charger.

[expat]

I went out the other day to take a few piccies and discovered, after an hours driving, I'd left the camera battery in the charger.

Aargh! Done similar.

[bogeyman]

Aargh! Done similar.

I was gutted because the light was really beautiful. Normally I carry a spare in the bag but went sans-bag on that day. Bummer.

[Pondlife]

My PITA moment is usually "No memory card found" Especially when diving.

It's happened before and it'll happen again. Most frustrating as it's often at a site you're you're not likely to visit again.

[bogeyman]

My PITA moment is usually "No memory card found" Especially when diving.

It's happened before and it'll happen again. Most frustrating as it's often at a site you're you're not likely to visit again.

Keep one in the glove box.

I will now keep a CF card AND a battery AND the car-charger in there.

Something else is bound to thwart me, I just don't know what it is yet.

[Pondlife]

Keep one in the glove box.

I will now keep a CF card AND a battery AND the car-charger in there.

Something else is bound to thwart me, I just don't know what it is yet.

Bit of a problem opening the case to put in the spare when you're underwater. Can't even rely on the missus having a spare in her handbag in that situation.

[bogeyman]

Bit of a problem opening the case to put in the spare when you're underwater. Can't even rely on the missus having a spare in her handbag in that situation.

Ah! A specialist.

What do you use?

Never done any underwater stuff although I've often wondered about it.

The cost of decent underwater housings for my Nikon gear seems awfully high, but the Canon PowerShot D10 looks pretty good:

http://www.dpreview.com/news/0902/09021805canond10.asp