aka. my complex relationship with pro level DSLRs

One of our associate editors came and asked some photos of our editing office. I chose to pick employer’s camera for this quick assignment, Nikon D3 with 24-70 Nikkor. I shot about 30 frames, no flash, only existing fluorescent light – it means, quite bad lighting conditions which means quite high ISO (2000 actually). Loaded pics to Bridge, picked three, quick edit in Photoshop and imported them to our content managing system and called editor that her photos are ready. Fifteen minutes. Fast and effective.

What impresses me in D3 and other camera bodies like that, is their ability to produce practically noiseless images even in very poor light. That’s really the big difference between pro level bodies and consumer or prosumer cameras, or whatever they now are called.

It’s also obvious that their autofocus systems are very secure and their light metering systems very sophisticated. I think that D3 is almost idiot secure camera. Put it to Program and give to any snapper and images seem to be great. You have to be hit by lightning or something to fail. I’ve sometimes said that D3 is the best point-and-shoot body I’ve ever seen.

And that’s the problem.

I suppose that as a photo editor I must be categorized as pro in these photographic ranks. But my philosophy and attitude is like Hasta la amateurism, siempre! – amateur forever. I love that exitement when I load photos from card to computer (or take first look to processed slides), are they good or bad, have I succeed or have I failed. If camera I’m using is so good that when hitting the release I already know that images are going to be excellent, there is nothing to rise exitement.

Pleasure of photography for me is in noticing that my photos are good, when there has been a possibility of failure. If that possibility is removed, so is the pleasure as well. I think I will never buy a modern pro-DSLR for myself. Or at least not in nearest future. Maybe some day some company will introduce a camera body that is capable to produce that impressive image quality, but still gives me feeling that  as aphotographer I am still in charge.