Photokina
Well Photokina 2006 is almost here, and the flood of announcements, and the accompanying debates/flame wars on photography forums, get to provide much entertainment & frustration.
“Frustration?” you say.
Well yes, frustration. Internet forums are a double edged sword; one the one hand they provide a ton of useful information, with breaking news being reported on so quickly that you are never behind the times; and the occasionally helpful post can cut learning times by years (or at least months). Then there are the flame wars, pointless posts, blatantly uninformed advice, and of course, don’t forget the never ending Nikon vs Canon war. Sometimes I think I should just sell my meager collection of canon gear and get myself an ancient 8×10, at least then I’d have no reason to read all these forums (yes I’m weak willed, I cannot help but read all the trolls drivel once I’m there).
Anyway, it was around this time in 2004 that I was first getting interested in purchasing my first DSLR, so naturally I started reading several photography forums. If I’d gone with what was being said there, I may well have ended up with a 35mm film SLR and then been horribly disappointed when my shots using ISO 400 didn’t look nearly as nice as an 8MP camera when the “experts” had assured everyone that “all film was far better than digital and you’d need at least 22mp before you could come close”. Of course I couldn’t use either a cheap Canon or Nikon because the Canons were “impossible to use” and “felt like they’d fall apart in your hands” while the Nikon “photo quality was terrible in anything but perfect light”.
Okay so perhaps I make it sound worse than it was, but all of the ridiculous comments above were in fact posted at least once and usually several times more. Thankfully I waited a year, read as many reviews as I could, learnt which forum users wrote serious posts using quantifiable facts, and which ones would just say whatever came to their head at that moment. With a year of careful consideration behind me, I decided on a camera that was just right for me (with, unfortunately, price being a deciding factor). Does that mean my camera is better than the opponents? Yes and no; it is better for me, but I guarantee you that for someone else it isn’t.
Well, back to the cause of the increased uproar, Photokina. With new entry level cameras making an appearance, and rumors about all sorts of other offerings to come from other manufacturers, it’s looking to be an interesting few months for the photo equipment enthusiast. Note I said photo equipment enthusiast. I’m sure those of us who hope to be photography enthusiasts instead will also be interested, but I feel no need to jump onto forums claiming the downfall and defeat of this or that manufacturer or model of camera.
There is going to be a ton of new things for the new photographer looking to get his/her first digital SLR to examine. Prices of existing equipment will drop, and some past and present market leading devices will be deposed. And if you feel the need to jump into a forum topic declaring that product A is completely and undeniably better than product B, why not pick up your camera instead and go take some photos.
