Alex’s Blog

I had the opportunity to let my hair down (ok, I have super short hair, but that’s not the point) when I attended my department’s Christmas party in Parkroyal last Tuesday. But since so many “budding photographers” in my department have their own dSLR (even 1 guy with L lenses), I decided not to bring mine and just take some snapshots with my N95 instead.

Granted, there’s no way on earth a cameraphone’s teeny-tiny sensor can match a real camera (dSLR or even just a basic PnS) in terms of detail resolution, dynamic range and ISO noise performance. Nor do U get the experience and enjoyment of shooting with a dSLR on a cameraphone. But…

What I’m trying to say is that by shooting with a super-duper dSLR doesn’t automatically mean U will have great pictures. In these times when dSLRs are getting cheaper and cheaper, a lot of noobs/rich kids will just go out, buy one and go “Hey lookie here I got a dSLR and U are still using a stupid compact ha ha ha”. Same thing applies to those with super-duper L/gold-ring lenses or elite f/2.8 tele that looks down on kit lens users. It really pisses me off when these kids/rich guys who knows jack shite about photography or how a dSLR works comes showing off their gear, but with no good pictures to share, only under-exposed, framed like a donkey’s backside or worse still, super blur ones then they go asking “Eh how come my RM10,000 lens got IS/VR but the picture still blur har?”. Worst of all, some of these people don’t even know how shutter speed, aperature and exposure are all related. LMAO

So boys and girls, it doesn’t matter if some rich kid comes up to U and brags about his super elite gear U would have to sell an arm and a leg (or maybe all your limbs) to afford. Show them what U can do with your camera and shut them up. Remember, only gearheads talk about camera, photographers talk about the pictures. Ken Rockwell also sort of talks about this in his Seven Levels of Photographers and The Two Kinds of Photographers articles he wrote a long time ago. Although some of his articles on Nikon’s greatness is so far fetched, I have to admit I do agree with him on both articles.

I also have a great story about a hammer and a bridge, but let’s save that for another day when I feel like ranting again.

Oh yeah…and Merry Christmas!