Better Cameras, Part One

I don't believe in the idea of a "best" camera, and I'm weaning myself off of the word "better" as well. Cameras are certainly different, which is a good thing, as otherwise I wouldn't be able to justify owning so many of them. But to call one camera "better" than another is to impose a value judgement, and assumes needs or criteria that are far from universal. Sometimes quite large differences can completely fail to be significant.

I have a functional definition of "significant difference". If a difference is big enough that I would choose one something over another, then it's significant. If my goal is to produce finely detailed hand-holdable prints, typically from 6x8 to 8x10" sizes, then the resolution difference between my five megapixel Olympus E-1, built in 2003, and my shiny new thirty-six megapixel Nikon D800 isn't significant. If I control the light and choose the subject, which I typically do, then the other generational differences can go away as well. Both cameras will produce excellent, if not indistinguishable, results.

If all other factors stay the same, but I want to change the print to a finely detailed 16x20, then the resolution difference becomes significant. If the light goes down, or the subject moves, the other generational differences become huge. Working with the D800 does open a huge range of options to me, although that's also a subject for another day. Overwhelmingly, the latest-and-greatest isn't even stressed in conditions that weren't even possible five or ten years ago – although it's fair to point out that moving the goalposts doesn't mean that it's a new game.

It seems absurd to resist calling the D800 "better" than the E-1. In almost every measure it's a far superior camera. But my E-1 is still what I choose when I need a tough and quiet digital SLR, giving me the ability to take photos that I otherwise wouldn't have. And I also use it for other reasons that can't be measured or compared: there are times when I simply want the experience of using it, and there are times when I want the particular look and temperament that it provides to the photographs.

How can I call the D800 "better" than my E-1 – or F5, or XA, or Zeiss Ikon, or Hasselblad, or Fujis, or Panasonics – when I still chose to put it down and pick up something else?


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