018 - Camera Ecosystems: What are you Really Buying?
This week we are going to talk about something that I’ve always found true with photography and is an important idea to help you understand what you are purchasing with your camera gear. We are going to talk about two of the things I look at really closely when looking at camera gear and companies. And that I think are just as critical as the camera body itself.
So often I hear people debating about new cameras and the tech they have and how they are investing in this camera body or that camera body. But to me, these people are kind of missing the point of camera equipment. There is such a focus on which camera body to buy that people often forget about all the other aspects of camera equipment. You are buying into an ecosystem, not just one camera body.
But what does that mean?
Well, camera ecosystems are comprised of all the parts of a camera, the camera body, the camera lenses, the lighting equipment, the ergonomics, the menu system, and so many more little intangibles. But there is a tendency to focus on just the camera body and its tech specs, especially by people who are just starting to purchase their first camera or are making the jump into a professional-grade body. To me, this is just crazy. Because you aren’t really investing in a camera body, you are investing in an entire ecosystem that you will likely be using for years to come.
Lenses
Let’s start by talking about the most obvious part of this ecosystem; lenses. Because, if you turn into like most photographers, you will likely change over your camera body once every two to four years. But you likely won’t be doing that with the lenses a company produces. Mostly, once you have bought a certain high-quality lens you will keep using that lens until it breaks (or the company produces a substantial upgrade, but those don’t tend to happen very often). This is something very important to think about when you are choosing which camera to purchase. You need to think about the lenses available for the camera you are buying and the lenses that may be available in the future.
When you buy one company’s camera you are buying into their lens mount and the R&D they put into those lenses and that mount.
Now, there is a caveat to this, and it’s that you can get adapters that allow you to use any lens on any camera body. But I’ve mostly found these adapters do a poor job of keeping up with how native lenses function on their native camera bodies. Essentially, what I mean is that a Canon lens on a Canon camera is going to produce better results than a Sony lens on a Canon body or a Canon lens on a Sony body. Basically, keeping your gear within their intended lens mounts helps image quality.
Most Mirrorless Lenses Right Now
Right now, if you are looking to buy a full-frame mirrorless camera that has a massive range of lenses available to it, you should be looking straight at Sony and their alpha series. They’ve had 5+ years to develop a massive lens arsenal that covers the gamut for photographers. Canon, Nikon and others are just now playing catch-up to this lens lineup and they’ve got a fair amount of ground to make up.
The L-Mount Alliance
The L-Mount Alliance is a partnership between Leica, Sigma and Panasonic, designed to provide photographers with one unified lens mount. Developed by Leica, the L-Mount allows photographers to combine lenses and cameras made by any of the three partner companies. So this means you could use a Leica camera body with L-Mount lenses made by Leica, or Sigma or Panasonic. You could use Sigma’s Foveon sensor cameras with Leica or Panasonic lenses. This is a revolutionary breakthrough in how camera companies operate. Because, in the digital age, there has only been one other time something like this has happened and it was during the development of the Micro four thirds camera system when Panasonic and Olympus teamed up. But this is so much broader because there are now three companies involved and a variety of camera sizes and styles. Not just one micro four thirds system.
The L-Mount Alliance is trying to make you think twice about buying into one of the other camera companies by opening up your options to not just one developer but three, including one of the most renowned camera manufacturers ever.
Canon’s Full Investment in the RF Mount
A few months ago, Canon announced they were no longer making EF Mount lenses and their focus was entirely on RF lenses. Canon is making full use of this newly revived R&D focus by producing some of the most innovative lenses we’ve seen from a major manufacturer in a while. This includes totally rebuilding the 70-200 f/2.8 to make it smaller and lighter and building a never before seen 28-70 f/2 that has amazing sharpness, both of which are out now. They’ve also announced a slew of interesting and unique lenses never before seen on the market. Some of which may seem strange for professionals like the 100-500 f/4-7.1 lens. What this all says about Canon right now is they are building and innovating new ways to use the mirrorless system’s advantages.
Why am I talking with you about this? Because you need to think about the future of the mount you are buying into as well as the current camera body. If you are wanting the latest and greatest tech, you will need a company that will keep innovating. However, this is also a great opportunity to buy into other camera systems as professionals sell off their kits and buy into new gear. You can get some lenses and bodies for a fraction of the cost.
So, that’s the first bit about Camera ecosystems that is really important to think about. The lenses that will be available now and going forwards.
Ergonomics
The ergonomics is not something that a lot of people consider before dropping a lot of money on a new camera. They are more worried about specs. But, in my experience, for those of us traveling with our gear and exploring with it, we need something that feels like an extension of our hands. We need something that doesn’t slow us down or make us think about it. And if you buy a camera that constantly makes you think about where the buttons are or where settings are, you are going to regret it. One of the things that is very important is how that camera feels in your hands, if you can reach the dials comfortably while shooting and how intuitive it is for you to use.
This is one of the things that makes Fujifilm’s X-series so appealing to so many people. They have fantastic ergonomics and an intuitive handling system that makes them fun to shoot on. Routinely, I hear about people picking up these cameras and never going back to what they used to shoot on because they feel so good to them. This is how you want your camera to feel! So good you never want to put it down.
So, if you have the opportunity to hold a few different cameras before making that big purchase, you should. The ergonomics could make a huge difference between you wanting to carry that camera and you leaving it at home.
One Last Thing
If you’ve ever spent any time around photographers, the inevitable debate around camera companies and brands comes up. People will argue that Sony is better or Canon or Nikon, or whoever they use is the best for whatever reason. These fights are often childish and rather useless. Because no one company is unilaterally better than any other company.
Each camera company produces different styles and types of cameras. They have the things they do very well, the things they don’t do as well, it’s not brand specific. There are tradeoffs to everything. So don’t listen to the badgering trolls who tell you that X-camera company sucks and this one is so much better.
Go looking for a camera ecosystem that suits your needs and your budget as a photographer. Go and hold a couple, feel how they shoot, and look at the RAW files they produce. This will tell you so much more about the images you can produce with that camera than an internet troll ever will. Because, really, that new camera body is great and all but you are really investing into the glass a company produces and the way that camera feels. Because you will be able to upgrade that new camera body every couple of years anyway.
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