Neck Candy Cameras

Many young aspiring photographers worry about having the right brand camera rather than concentrating on developing their own

When seeking help one young lady apologized for having an Olympus point and shoot camera, as she felt Olympus are not a very good brand. This is despite Olympus having a long history of producing some very fine film SLR cameras.

There are other manufacturers producing cameras that are as good, if not better, than Nikon and Canon. Many knowledgeable photographers chose a Nikon or Canon because they are good cameras, and they best suited the photographer’s needs. This has led other lesser photographers to become belligerent supporters (or adolescent fanboys ) of one of these two brands without any consideration of the merits of other cameras.

The amount of digital noise in low light images worried her. It seems some of the negative impressions gained about Olympus had focused her attention on what the camera could not do, rather than how best to use what it can do. Image noise, and before that film grain, often helped convey the impression of age or distress in a subject. When shooting a historic bridge I rejected all the bright sunny day shots and went back for more shots on dull overcast winter afternoon. The light gave a softer older look to the structure; rather than the shiny new look bright light gave it.

Perhaps this is one of the problems; people are too concerned with fashion and technology and they are overlooking the basic photographic mission of telling a story with their images. While the more sophisticated digital cameras give a wider range of possibilities, there are still plenty of stories for the simpler cameras to tell.