Why Go To DSLR?

[Ronnoco]

"What is making digital cameras somewhat disposable is that the technology is still not there yet and at different levels they are still dealing with problems."

the implication being that when it is "there" we wont have to keep buying new cameras.. ???

i think u are living in the past ron.. the technolgy will never "be there" so to speak.. its the modern age and they do have to keep making money..

we live in a disposable age.

trog.

You are partially correct but the change from film to digital has been taking a long time and some pros are still using large format film cameras for some of their work.

The $30,000 or so dollar Hassablad with 39 megapixel photos is certainly not making inroads into main stream photography very quickly for obvious reasons. Moreover the technology to edit 39 megapixel photos quickly and efficiently is not there yet either.

It basically comes down to what you as a photographer really want in terms of equipment. A good quality Contax with Zeiss lenses, a Leica or a Hassablad were and are really the best for certain types of film photography despite any changes that occured.

The cream will eventually rise to the top in digital cameras as well. It may be Canon, but Sony with Zeiss lenses, Leica or Hassablad are still in contention as well, Prices however have to come to down to a more relatively reasonable level.

I think what most photographers want is the ability to create a very sharp photo with rich colours and great dynamic tonal range that they can blow up to a certain size on screen or in print form and retain what they consider to be top quality. Once they get what they want they will be slower to move to newer technology.

As far as living in the past, I notice that some of the best photographers used the best but not necessarily the newest technology.

As a photographer, you need to know when to change and adapt to new technology and when to realize that it is not time yet....but perhaps soon.

Money and time also become factors as well. Some felt and feel that picking up a DSLR and learning the technology despite the fact that they were and are far from perfect was and is a worthwhile expenditure of money and time. Then from what they have learned, they can make a better decision about what they should look for in a digital SLR and pick up a top quality one as their next purchase.

Personally, I do not think that any camera purchase is a bad move, as long as you learn from it and use it to its potential.

Ronnoco

[oldgearhead]

For me it was five things:
1) No shutter lag.
2) I already had two film SLR's (Nikon F, and F3HP).
3) I already had some Nikon lenses.
4) Home digital darkrooms are far more advanced than film ones.
5) The insanely fast flash sync speed of my D70 (1/1000th second with RF triggers,
and 1/4000th second with wire. Too bad Nikon obsoleted this feature.

If I resist the urge to switch from my 18-200VR, I have a range of 10:1+, and no dust problem.