I see that David has finally taken the plunge and bought a Phase One camera and P25+ back.
I'm not really surprised.
Though I must admit I'm a little surprised and disappointed by some of the harsh comments on his blog.
But whatever your views it is after all just a camera, albeit a very good one.
But what I always say to anyone who is considering taking the plunge into the Phase One world, this camera system is not like so many others that seek to flatter and turn the average shooter into a talented photographer.
I refer to it as the ultimate blank canvas.
Yes, thats right.
A blank canvas.
The sweet spot of the big sensor removing some of the constraints that a DSLR user faces.
A really good pen was not the making of William Shakespeare.
Living life, loving, losing and struggling had more to do with it than the pen.
And so it is with photography.
You may have the best camera in the world but no amount of megapixels, gigabytes and frames per second are going to MAKE the photograph.
Do they help? Well they can but I sometimes think we forget about the end result and focus way too much on how we get there...
To this end I believe Nikon with the D4 and Canon with the 1DX have created two totally brilliant camera's which are aimed at a diminishing end of the market.
The sports and news shooters who need a trazillion frames a second, and autofocus which knows where the subject is going before the subject does.
How much R&D budget has been expended on these giants of the high speed world heaven only knows.
I'm not sure how much they will recoup either.
One can only speculate how much the timing of the release of these camera's has to do with the Olympics this summer.
Make no mistake, this camera is made for AP, Getty and the like, along with the wedding shooters who enslave themselves to an age of post production with 30,000 images from a single wedding...yes my friends they DO exist.
It is all about the right tool for the job.
David decided he did not need a digital chain gun, look at his photography.
In the same breath any sports shooter who sat on the touch line of a ball game with a Phase One might well be asking for trouble.
Very interested to hear he likes Capture One, it is a great piece of software which has matured into a real gem.
And all I was going to blog about was 'Turning Pro'
Next on my list.
4 comments:
I have a Blad H4D, I share space with 2 other photographers who will not go anywhere near it. Fantastic camera and blank canvas as you say. I love the way it makes you think through a shot. I think David thinks the same way.
I do wonder that his fans will soon leave when they cannot replicate his setups and use the excuse that it is the fault of the camera.
I am a wet film era photographer and you need a wet film mentality to handle MF, love to see how many cameras Phase 1 soon sell.
Anyhow looking forward to the results, Rich
Hey Richard
Thanks for your insightful comment.
The Phase One is a brilliant camera, but it is still just a camera.
David may or may not loose followers as a result of this.
A huge break through in my photography came when I learned how to truly harness light.
And those followers who appreciate that will stay.
I think.
Regards
Drew
...I do wonder that his fans will soon leave when they cannot replicate his setups and use the excuse that it is the fault of the camera...
Yes Richard, there will probably be some. But these will be the people that when constantly directed to his Lighting 101 and 102 modules, then will refuse to read them. Hell I read them. Some want the Magic Settings and the press of a button to do the work. Wrong reason to be involved with photography, because it's all about the light and not much else.
A few years ago an acquaintance of mine bet me that I couldn't do a studio setup with A Panasonic LX2. He was wrong - I did. In 2003 or so I shot an entire hardware catalog with a 5MP Olympus C5050. And the company is still using the images, because the parts haven't changed, and they only needed 1200x1200 for print.
While David has provided some great technique education to many, the turn his posts have taken only reinforces the premise that there is a time to be done with handholding. The only way you become a better shooter is to find your own way and work, no matter what the camera. I've seen this coming from David for awhile. He was posting on some projects personal to him, about being creative with his subjects and finding the light, and yet people still begged for the Magic Settings. That's in a way very sad.
I respect David's decision to go Big Back and also publicly state it. Because his blog appeals to so many of the gadget hounds, kind of a risky move. I was maligned by my own circle when I bought a Leica M8. Don't care and I still love it. It may be similar with David, that he always wanted MF capability, and he was going to get it no matter what anyone said.
Hi Ohnostudio
Spot on.
He may lose some followers, but i suspect he will not miss them so much.
David is nothing if not brave, and he is true to himself.
Following his heart on this one will serve him well I think.
Drew
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