I've always owned one or more full-sized [and full featured] cameras, and at least one smaller camera for casual use. Actually for quite a while I had a 4x5 outfit, a 6x6 twin lens, a couple of 6x6 and 6x7 SLR kits, a full 35mm SLR outfit, and then a couple of pocket 35s. Wow.
These days I keep a couple favorite film cameras in the safe for sentimental reasons, but shoot with [much to my surprise] just one DSLR kit and a smaller compact zoom. I'll rent a second DSLR body for important jobs, but that's it. Wow again.
With all of the great advancements in technology we now have compact cameras with capabilities far surpassing their earlier film-era cousins. These advancements, along with my diminishing role in photography, has had me contemplating a day when one compact zoom camera would be all I need. Downsizing and having one camera fill all my needs just seems so efficient, right?
And I'm thinking forward to future photo opportunities...that long-planned trip to Paris for instance, now with the little guy tagging along. Back in the day I'd have schlepped along a full Hasselblad kit. Ridiculous I know, but I've seen me do it! Not anymore...when I think about that trip now all I'm weighted down with is a compact.
So is it time to fire up eBay and get rid of the heavy iron? Well, the photo above was taken with a 400mm lens and then cropped in closer to a 600mm effective angle of view. It was captured on a full-frame, 50mp sensor DSLR that allowed for both mounting a lens of that length, and cropping with no loss of image quality. The compact camera still doesn't exist that can do this.
So, while I'll no doubt miss the big camera's capability a few times in exotic lands, it looks like both of my systems are safe. At least two systems do the trick...no more need for a third or fourth!
These days I keep a couple favorite film cameras in the safe for sentimental reasons, but shoot with [much to my surprise] just one DSLR kit and a smaller compact zoom. I'll rent a second DSLR body for important jobs, but that's it. Wow again.
With all of the great advancements in technology we now have compact cameras with capabilities far surpassing their earlier film-era cousins. These advancements, along with my diminishing role in photography, has had me contemplating a day when one compact zoom camera would be all I need. Downsizing and having one camera fill all my needs just seems so efficient, right?
And I'm thinking forward to future photo opportunities...that long-planned trip to Paris for instance, now with the little guy tagging along. Back in the day I'd have schlepped along a full Hasselblad kit. Ridiculous I know, but I've seen me do it! Not anymore...when I think about that trip now all I'm weighted down with is a compact.
So is it time to fire up eBay and get rid of the heavy iron? Well, the photo above was taken with a 400mm lens and then cropped in closer to a 600mm effective angle of view. It was captured on a full-frame, 50mp sensor DSLR that allowed for both mounting a lens of that length, and cropping with no loss of image quality. The compact camera still doesn't exist that can do this.
So, while I'll no doubt miss the big camera's capability a few times in exotic lands, it looks like both of my systems are safe. At least two systems do the trick...no more need for a third or fourth!
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