Reflections in Infrared by Sam Bentley
New infrared images. More available at http://www.sambentleyphotography.co.uk/section612148.html
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Midlands based Photographer Sam Bentley specialises in Infrared and interior Commercial photography.
Phone: 07772745585
Email: Sambentley@gmx.com
French Infrared
This is my first infrared photograph created in the digital darkroom. Please let me know what you think.
Everybody has a camera… and more often than not, it’s a DSLR…
Ok, so this is just something that I wanted to get off my mind. Ill try not to go into a full blown rant about it. I should also stress that this refers to digital photography, as I know that this is not necessarily the case for film.
So, I recently got a fujifilm x100 professional compact camera. It truly exceeded all of my expectations. So much so that I have almost replaced both of my DSLRs with it. A friend of mine said ‘your not going to stop shooting with your slrs completely then are you?’. A completely valid question, and one which started a debate in my head.
One thing which has frustrated me for some time is how so many people want a camera, because of course, now everybody is a photographer. But they fall into the cliche of ignoring the cameras more suited to their needs and opting for a DSLR. This puzzles me. Before I became a full time photographer, I shot with a Kodak Easyshare compact, which cost about £80. I shot with this camera because it was all I needed. I was importing the photographs to my computer and viewing them there, occasionally posting them to facebook/twitter and a photography competition every now and then. This camera was fine for this! There was absolutely no need to buy a high-spec DSLR with all the options. Even to make prints, this small, cheap camera’s specifications were more than adequate to produce prints over A3 size! Looking back now, the control of the shot that I had was very very minimal, but the photographs were still great! Heres an example!
So why is it that people rush out to the nearest Jessops or even Argos and buy a DSLR? DSLRs are great, if you need one. If your new to photography, then maybe the DSLR isnt the best option… People buy DSLRs for better image quality. But these people often just make a small print, have it printed on canvas or look at it on the computer. And I know from experience that a cheap compact is more than enough to fulfill these needs.
Ok so I’m not saying that everyone should go out and buy a, lets face it, crappy camera, but just explore the options available to you. This goes out even to the amateurs and professionals, who buy a DSLR and dont need one. Ok, maybe not so much for professionals, but definitely amateurs. I’m not saying that DSLRs aren’t great, but there are so many other great options. DSLRs are just one type of camera, and so many more have so many more advantages.
Lets start with the advantages and disadvantages of DSLRs over other cameras.
ADVANTAGES;
•High quality images
•High level of control
•High compatibility with accessories
-To be honest, as a DSLR user, I myself am struggling to think of anything else at this point!
DISADVANTAGES;
•Large and clunky, and not to mention heavy
•Unefficient Battery life
•Very expensive
•Often unecessary
•Stupidly tiny viewfinders
I can see how at this point it may seem that I am against DSLRs, but its quite the opposite, I love DSLRs and love using them… as long as its necessary to! Very rarely do I take a DSLR out with me when I go on holiday or for a walk, as a film camera, or even my iPhone camera is more than enough for what I need!
I use a DSLR for wildlife shots and commercial work, but only for the interchangeable lenses. My new fuji may technically be a compact, but it has an APS-C size sensor that was specifically built for the 23mm lens which was specifically built for the sensor, which results in amazing image quality. I can control my aperture, shutter speed, flash sync, exposure compensation, focusing and everything else that you would expect to on an SLR. And the experience of doing this on the x100 is so much better than on a DSLR, especially with the hybrid viewfinder.
So what are the other options that I keep talking about?
Well, cameras such as the Olympus pen. This is a compact system camera with interchangeable lenses. Ok, to use it properly you’ll need to buy an external viewfinder but it still rivals a DSLR with high quality images, high control and interchangeable lenses, just like a DSLR, and its smaller, lighter and cheaper.
The new Nikon and Canon super compacts. Yeah so these are proper compacts with the stupid zoomy lens thing, but they still offer great control and image quality.
To me, Nikon and Canon seem to be forgetting about the user interface and bringing the soul back into photography and are in a megapixel race. An entry level DSLR such as the new Nikon 3200 just doesn’t need 24MP… are they going mad!?
When fuji released their S1, S2, S3 and S5 pro cameras, they opted for a smaller megapixel rating… why? Because they turned to improving the sensor, revolutionising dynamic range. This cameras had extra light sensors between the ones already in the sensor which detected the shadows and highlights. Interpolating to an image that was freakishly high in dynamic range. It was just luck that this interpolated image resulted in double the megapixels, but even this was only 6/12MP. (As a side note, this is why I trust Fujifilm more than other camera companies).
There are so many more cameras out there, so if you are new to photography, take a look at compacts. If your an amateur, take a look at super compacts. And if you are a professional, take a look at cameras such as the E-PL1 and the fujifilm x100/x10/x1 pro, to go alongside your DSLRs.
I have heard so many complaints about the x100 or other compacts, and even DSLRs from amateurs or beginners, simply because 1, they dont need the specs that these high quality cameras offer, and 2, they expected to buy a good camera and make good photographs. This just isn’t the case. Any camera needs to be learned first, and even then the photographe has to do all the work. We cannot simply rely on the camera. Yes good cameras have better specs, but this just means that it has a potential to make greater photographs.
I will end this article on this conclusion.
I know first hand how sometimes DSLRs just aren’t necessary. Sometimes they are, especially when connecting accessories, but for me at least, the majority of my photography can be sorted by my Fuji X100. Do some research before rushing out to buy the latest D4 or D800 or 5D mark III. Look at the other options which offer so much more than DSLRs, such as the new Sony, Olympus and Fujifilm cameras. Remember that photography doesnt have to be about DSLRs and doesn’t have to be about Canon and Nikon.
Thanks
S
