The Reviews Are All In. Yippee! | Cameras and Photography Explained | Thom Hogan
Sony once again gets the marketing launch engine well revved.
An interesting (in my view at least) and perhaps timely read.
- Thread starter Paul T
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Great read, thanks for the link.
Love the takeaway at the bottom!
Love the takeaway at the bottom!
Thom thinks before he writes. He shares wisdom, no hype. A true credit to the photographic community
From elsewhere on his site... "10/21 — Sony Launches A7 Mark IV— A little more expensive, very much improved"
Very good, well thought out article, but I expect nothing less from Thom Hogan. Thanks for sharing.
I happen to agree that spending to develop your technique which "enroll in classes" essentially is should come before the latest and greatest camera or lens. What Thom Hogan doesn't seem to acknowledge is that sometimes a new camera is a game changer.
fcotterill
Well-known member
He's correct, and well reasoned criticisms. This bit resonates deeply.... "....join the Launch Enhancing Crowd and produce talking head videos with camera body fondling..." enhanced by the gaudy studio settings and histrionics.
I doubt any credible photographer has ever given any credence to these talking heads, although I grimace when I read one cited as an authoritative 'reviewer'.
I doubt any credible photographer has ever given any credence to these talking heads, although I grimace when I read one cited as an authoritative 'reviewer'.
“ What Thom Hogan doesn't seem to acknowledge is that sometimes a new camera is a game changer.”.
He certainly doesn’t in the article I provided a link to. However in other articles he certainly does, perhaps not in the exact words “game changer” but he does in some of his reviews make comment on a specific improvement in a camera regardless of brand.
I do agree with you however that he often makes the point that technology alone will not improve photographic skills and I think he is speaking about the artistic component of photography rather then the technical. So a much improved AF system will definitely help capture a greater number of crisply sharp images of birds in flight for example however how artistic those captures are is another matter.
He certainly doesn’t in the article I provided a link to. However in other articles he certainly does, perhaps not in the exact words “game changer” but he does in some of his reviews make comment on a specific improvement in a camera regardless of brand.
I do agree with you however that he often makes the point that technology alone will not improve photographic skills and I think he is speaking about the artistic component of photography rather then the technical. So a much improved AF system will definitely help capture a greater number of crisply sharp images of birds in flight for example however how artistic those captures are is another matter.
fcotterill
Well-known member
His term Halo Cloaking hits the proverbial nail on the hea. Not only the companies that propagate the distorted marketing speak, which grows into mythologies. The mainstream cameras ie Z6, Z7 and Zfc lines are far more significant to the status of Canikony and other camera companies, ".... as the quantities that will be sold and how they influence the actual market will be more important to the long-term viability of the camera companies....".
This despite it's been pointed out again and again the expensive flagship cameras (exotic lenses too) are restricted within niche markets: notwithstanding their prestige and some trickle down of features, especially into prosumer cameras. Collectively, this strategy has improved sales eg D5 tech in the D500 and D850 etc. The D4 sensor in the Df is another example, but again a niche camera Nikon sold at high markup.
Cutting edge features certainly help us in amateur sports and wildlife photography, but what percentage of the market do these genres fill? As it was decades ago, the overall system is what matters that's assembled around a camera mount. All the tools matter.... And the options, quality and costs of lenses remain as important today as in the film era. And above all, one never stops learning in this fascinating field.
This despite it's been pointed out again and again the expensive flagship cameras (exotic lenses too) are restricted within niche markets: notwithstanding their prestige and some trickle down of features, especially into prosumer cameras. Collectively, this strategy has improved sales eg D5 tech in the D500 and D850 etc. The D4 sensor in the Df is another example, but again a niche camera Nikon sold at high markup.
Cutting edge features certainly help us in amateur sports and wildlife photography, but what percentage of the market do these genres fill? As it was decades ago, the overall system is what matters that's assembled around a camera mount. All the tools matter.... And the options, quality and costs of lenses remain as important today as in the film era. And above all, one never stops learning in this fascinating field.