Thursday, October 23, 2008

Hasselblad vs Canon

I've been saying how my little Canon pocket camera takes pictures as good as about any camera I've had (except in low light or with volatile subjects). Now hark at Mike Reichman, he compares a $600 Canon with a $40,000 Hasselblad.
"We can now find DVD players at the check-out counter at Best Buy for $20. Imagine what the price is leaving the factory. That $20 DVD player's retail price includes components, manufacturing, R&D, packaging, documentation, licensing and royalties, shipping half-way round the world, import duties, and retailer margin. Only a few years ago DVD players cost $1,000. Now they're $20. The camera industry isn't going to be much different soon.
The lesson here, especially for newbies and amateurs (the pros have always understood this) is – stop fussing over each new camera's image quality. Now, even sub-$1,000 cameras are able to produce exceptional image quality – likely far better than most photographers are able to execute. Buy high end gear if you need it or want it. But, don't think that the better camera is going to make you a better photographer. As I've written before – most cameras are better than most photographers. This has always been true, and now simply more so than ever."

It should be noted that the similarity in quality only applies to some situations, and only to small or middle-sized prints.
See also comments on SeriousCompacts.

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