He did not say it never matters. Quite the contrary, actually.
Well, it seems like you are mixing what two different groups of people are saying.
Not necessarily. Was the capabilities of the D80 exceeded by the scene and the final output? If not, then not better in any meaningfull sense, no. And there are plenty of moments and scenes where a D80 gives plenty good results. And, just as obvious, there are plenty of moments and scenes where a D810 gives better results - but that does not invalidate the other scenes.
But that is not what is being said here. It is being said that the gear is a means to an end - so basically you agree with each other. In a funny way, but still the same thing
But if the subject and the composition is pointless, dull, uninteresting, boring, then what's the point? The point it it would never be a great / famous photo because it was taken at ISO 25,600 in near darkness.
What sports photo is not about subject matter? Were it not, wouldn't it then be a
These are just about the only exceptions to the norm. Those shots made to demonstrate the technical capabilities, and they don't have to be old; they exist for any new camera. So that sort of invalidates the 'always', but then you can very easily argue that the shot is about the demonstration of those capabilities, and then we are back at the moment.
No. They are made to show space or the subatomic realm (not much photography going on there, but still).
You likely missed that the link you provided leads to Tom's part that is entirely focused towards the mobility of shooting and instantly sharing by exporting the pictures.
You likely missed that the link you provided leads to Tom's part that is entirely focused towards the mobility of shooting and instantly sharing by exporting the pictures.
And Tom likely missed the search for shooting with instant connectivity clip-on camera's for smartphones like the sony's and the olympus.
But hey! Have fun
Sure, and that's very true, but it still wouldn't matter if the pictures were awful. Subject, composition, timing, etc.
You likely missed that the link you provided leads to Tom's part that is entirely focused towards the mobility of shooting and instantly sharing by exporting the pictures.
And Tom likely missed the search for shooting with instant connectivity clip-on camera's for smartphones like the sony's and the olympus.
But hey! Have fun
I don't know if it's silly or not, but Thom seems to be suggesting that the lack of this capability is one of the things keeping ILC sales down. And I'm just not seeing that. It might boost sales of Rebel/D3000 kits if there are some 30-somethings out there who aren't buying their entry level DSLRs because they can't upload snaps to Facebook. But I think most ILC buyers either work around the limitation or don't consider it a limitation in the first place. I'll share a snap of something I find interesting with my phone, but that's more a "visual text" - it's not "photography". When I shoot with my DSLR, I wouldn't share anything until I get home, edit, post process (if necessary), choose which gallery to add to ... nothing I want to do from my camera in the field.
Did you actually read the article ? It's about gear.
That's just the title; you're making assumptions as to what the article is about.
No, it's not wrong - obviously not, in my opinion.
Interesting analogy, because I see Thom's proposed in-camera sharing as being similar to all the connected technology stuff that's being advertised in cars (Ford "Sync" and other systems that I just don't care enough to understand) ... and like that technology, I don't know enough to know whether it's really something the rest of the market wants, just because I only want a car/camera that excel at their primary functions.
Bingo ! Since getting an iPhone, I "get" the sharing thing to a degree. I'm not on any social media sites, but I stumble across things now & then that are fun to share via an email ... basically, a "visual text" to share something funny/interesting I saw. But that's not photography; that's ... chatting. And a cell phone is fine for that purpose. Photography starts when I pick up a camera and from there, I agree with everything you wrote here. All you have to do is capture the moment; the moment is fleeting, but once you've captured it, you have all the time in the world to share it.
I guess where I would disagree is with the idea that the average ILC user over the last decade is competent to the point that they are willing to learn cameras and work around limitations. I just get the feeling the bulk of DSLRs in circulation are on the lower end, bought by snapshooters who wanted higher IQ than what was otherwise available, to take photos to share. With the advent of social media and fast broadband combined with a market saturated by connectivity-limited cameras and the widespread availability of cheap fast cameraphones it's just kind of a perfect storm for next to no sales. Even when you factor in the connectivity aspect of new cameras, I don't think that's enough to get a 30-something to buy a 2nd DSLR when their 1st one is collecting dust. I'm one of those social media addicted 30 somethings, and I am planning to upgrade my ILC, but mainly for IQ and the availability of cheap full frame bodies, not necessarily connectivity (though that is a plus). I would not buy my NEX-C3 over again if it were the same camera with an NFC connection.
I don't think they were driven by those folks back during the boom because social media was not as prevalent as it is now. But to capture a new generation of kids completely immersed in it, ILCs definitely have to work around that paradigm. Maybe not every model, but definitely a body or two to whet appetites. The value of connectivity goes beyond those kids as well... photojournalism is heavily dependent on upload speeds.
It's definitely a tricky situation, and it's probably not right to tie the hopes of the whole industry on one feature. But I do think camera makers' inability or reluctance to embrace social media/connectivity early on was a huge mistake, and it may be too late for them to recover from that.
