Shopping around

[Guest Frank Wilkinson]

chas - 2007-01-06 12:20 PM Hi Frank- You say what ever our artistic ablities are we are stuck with them, and that my whole point, we are not. Learning to see a picture and knowing what it will print like is the sign of a good photographer. One only has to see some of the award winning photographs from photographers from say the old eastern block countrys, taken on Russian equipement using just a standard lens to understand this. Admittingly cameras that have adjustable settings ie aperature and shutter speeds are needed, exposure is created in the eye of the photographer. There was once a famous photographer who was talking to a famous game hunter , and the hunter was admiring the photograhers work to which he said you must have a marvelous camera to produce such good pictures. The photographer looked at all the animal trophys on the walls and said , you must also have a marvelous gun ! The point I am making is you can have a perfectly exposed technicaly correct picture which is boring and does not excite anyone. chas

Yes, but the whole point is that if you have better equipment you can take better photographs on many occasions. No matter how good a driver you are, in Grand Prix racing the car plays a significant part in a driver's success. Your post clearly implied that it's only the photographer that matters, when it obviously isn't. This is why some of the world's finest photographers use the world's finest equipment.

As for the Russian example you prove my point. Russian photographers used copies of Leicas and Contaxes (Feds, Zorkis, Leningrads and Zenith SLRs) all of which were cameras with full manual controls and as for fixed lenses there is no better lens in the world than a simple 4 or six element fixed lens!

It's when you start introducing multi-element zoom lenses that your problems start. Show me one ultra-wide-angle zoom lens that doesn't have some pin-cushion or barrel distortion.

My entire point is, that if people buy something better than the fully automatic happy-snapper models that are mainly sold today, learn to use them and even read the odd photography book, they can improve their pictures enormously. Any manual Russian camera will still take better pictures than any of the modern compact autos. They may not be made to the same precision but their optics are good.

It's a bit like comparing a Lada Niva four wheel drive, which is a basic Russian-built vehicle, with a BMW saloon. The BMW is automatic and better made, but which would a farmer choose for bringing in sheep from the fells?

To sum up - statements like "It's the photographer that matters" are incredibly simplistic. Of course it's the photographer that matters, that's a statement of the obvious! But if you've two photographers of equal ability, the one with the better equipment will take better pictures on some occasions, not all of course, because there are some where the equipment isn't important, but there are many where it is.

i.

[michele]

David bailey ear,

Looks like i will have a little look on e bay .......On that subject yesterday whilst doing online banking I noticed that a cheque had gone out for 1,923. i paniced obviously phoned the bank looked in the cheque book the cheque was for 19.23 for a item from e bay for the Navman .......i thought it may be the seller ? that he had changed the cheque . Turns out it was the bank . Just go's to show keep your eye on it ...

 

 

cheers by the way Frank

;-)

[Mel B]

Keep your eye on it ... Lizzy will have trouble, she's typing with her good one! (lol)

[flicka]

I'm going with Frank on this one, but from the other side.

From a professional point of view as a Buyer, I need to ensure continuity of supply and to enable Suppliers to do this they need to invest in their business.

I need to maintain my employers integrity with our Suppliers. My empoyer has a Moral code of conduct, but this was my standard practice before it's introduction. (This does not exclude looking elsewhere, but ensuring any decision is made fairly and that it is transparent.)

If I cut my Suppliers profit to far, their business eventually becomes unsustainable and I lose integrity, but more importantly I may put my employers business at risk - Result NO ONE BENEFITS.

Price is only one aspect of Supply and should not be the sole criteria in selection.

I do appreciate as individuals you do not have to comply with a Code of Conduct, but it's like your Doctor, he gets to know You as an individual and can offer the most appropriate action. Anyone with a long term medical condition would not appreciate constant change of their "service provider", who can be deemed to be your "Supplier".

Maybe not my best analogy, but I'm sure you will see the reasoning.

I get off my high horse, now.

Flicka