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There's no 'just', it's... I’m a professional travel photographer specializing in historical and modern architecture, landscapes and reflections. Whenever I’m processing pictures on my laptop where I’m staying, the staff or other travellers will look over my shoulder and ask me about them. Sometimes I’ll show them my current favourites from the ‘splash page’ on this website, which is designed to showcase some of my best. And they’ll usually say something like, “Those are really good, what camera do you use?” I have photographer friends who get irritated when they’re asked this. “You wouldn’t ask a writer which word processor they used,” they’ll snap. I’m more amused than irritated when asked, but my slightly facetious response is generally “a black one with a big expensive round thing on the front.” There’s a related debate about the merits of Nikon vs. Canon. I came across a contributor to one of the photography forums online whose signature was, “I want to paint like Michelangelo. What brand of paintbrush should I use?” When someone tells me, “I’m ready to buy a serious camera, should I buy Nikon or Canon?” my instant response is “Yes.” Because if you are serious, those two have the biggest number of lenses, accessories and long term support. But buying an expensive dSLR doesn’t mean you’ll automatically get great photos… Setting up my tripod for some sunrise shots in Nepal, another trekker looked at my equipment and sighed. “If I had a camera like that, I’d get much better pictures,” he said. “No you wouldn’t,” I replied. “You’d get exactly the same pictures, only they’d cost you more.” He looked doubtful. “What are you using?” I asked. “Oh, it’s just a point and shoot.” “You mean it’s a point and shoot. There’s no ‘just’. The unofficial Rule One of photography is that the camera doesn’t matter.” He still looked doubtful. So I borrowed his camera, took the same shot that I was taking, then we compared his to mine. “So which one is better?” I asked. He looked at the two displays. “They look the same…” “That’s because they are. This is an excellent camera – so unless you’re planning to make huge enlargements, you’re better off spending the money on a holiday where you can take loads of photos. The unofficial Rule Two of photography is if you want to take better pictures, take more pictures...”
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