2. Understand Your Photography and
the Camera's Usability
Put aside those visions of new cameras for a moment, and look into
the mirror. Ask yourself what you might want or need, based on
your photography now and where you want to go with your photography.
Another simple way to think about this is to ask yourself whether
you more frequently want to make casual snapshots (visual mementos)
or create "art." (Now, I am defining "art" here as anything beyond
a picture whose purpose is simply to remind you that you were at
a certain place or looked a certain way at some point in time!)
Generally, there is a trade-off between convenience, control,
and quality. Here are some more ways to consider this topic:
What do you most frequently want to photograph?
Do you want the camera to be automatic, or do you want to have
some control over the result?
What role, if any, does technical picture quality play in your
photography?
What role, if any, does aesthetic picture quality have in your
photography?
How important are these factors relative to ease-of-use and portability?
Based on your answers to the questions above, what do you think
a camera should do to help you achieve your photographic goals?
The answers should help set your priorities when choosing a new
camera.
Let's take people who like landscapes as an example. Generally
speaking, they want both quality and control: maximum image sharpness,
pleasing color, and some manual control over exposure. They probably
also want a camera that isn't too heavy, that has low-distortion
wide-angle capabilities, that has long battery life, and that
is usable while they are wearing gloves in cold conditions. Not
too much to ask, right?
Well, these requirements would rule out just about the entire
new crop of ultra-compact, folding-optics-style cameras for the
landscape photographer. On the other hand, someone who just likes
to collect snapshots of friends would find much to like in one
of these new models.
The following are some subjects and labels to describe different
photographic interests. If one (or more) fits you, think about
how you actually go about making pictures. Where and when do you
photograph? Where do you keep your camera? How does it get to
where you take photos? How do you use the tool (e.g., with gloves
on)? Again, the answers may lead you to reconsider that fancy
new feature the camera-marketing department has done such a good
job of promoting!
Travel (lightweight, unobtrusive, easy to use, long zoom
range)
Landscapes/Nature (sharp pictures, manual control, wide-angle
lens)
Sports/Wildlife (fast shutter release, long telephoto lens,
fast aperture)
Macro-photography (close focusing distance, manual control
and focusing)
Portraits (fast shutter release, large-aperture lens, telephoto
zoom)
Everyday life (lightweight, carry-anywhere shape, fast
shutter release, fast power-on)
Hobbies (e.g., astronomy, aviation, architecture, botany,
etc.)
The idea here is to begin connecting your intent and how
you actually use your camera to the design and features
of a new model you might be interested in.
This is where usability comes in, and I think it is one of the
most important camera "features." Even if all you want is something
for snapshots, there will still be usability issues to think about.
It may take some time and digging to answer these questions, but
in the end it will be worth the effort. So now that you have reflected
on your photography a bit, let's get to the fun stuff: the toys.
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