Relative quality

Relative quality

It’s a topic that keeps coming up wherever two photographers meet. What’s the better lens? Which camera is easiest to use for sport?

It’s a controversial issue in most parts of our lives. We tend to think in terms of wanting ‘the best’ without thinking whether that’s what we want (what we really, really want…) and whether we’re prepared to pay the price for it.

For instance, the other day I was out for a walk with a ‘good enough’ camera over my shoulder – a Nikon D7000. 16mp, fitted with a wide-range standard zoom, and ten years old. It’s solid, pretty weatherproof, and capable of a decent stab at most subjects with no additional kit, and around £250 on eBay.

And it’s a camera that I’d not be likely to take with me for serious shooting (unless specifically challenged to show what it can do, of course). My Alpha 7 is smaller, lighter, and with better lenses, not to mention a sight more quality in the images, because it’s got nearly three times as many megapixels. But it did cost ten times as much…

And as I walked, I saw a car nosing out of a drive. A 70-plate Bentley, with an interesting dark matt finish, if I remember rightly. Purring, smooth, quite wonderful, and Not Exactly Cheap. I honestly wouldn’t want one, because I’d be so scared of scratching it, especially on British roads. Stupendous performance, but so compromised by the cost.

Undoubtedly, it does everything better than my own car: but.



So there we have some sort of personal definition, my own break-point. I love driving, but not as much as I love taking pictures. And this introduces the concept of ‘good enough’ which I feel is important.
And honestly, it’s not a cop-out. In everything, working out what is good enough for a specific purpose is worthwhile, and will often save you money: even if you decide that you want to buy the better camera (or lens, or car) because otherwise you’ll buy the cheap one and regret and replace it later.

Accountants talk about cost-benefit analysis, and that’s what you’re doing when you size up which model in a range to choose. (Hint for novices photographing professional models – pick one with loads of positive references, because they’ll be better value!) It’s not about picking something that’s reassuringly expensive. It’s actually about getting the best result, at a personalised level.