Jean-Baptiste Queru ([info]jbq) wrote,
@ 2009-05-23 18:54:00
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What I look for in a camera
Echoing Eugenia's post about important features in a video-recording camera, here are my priorities when looking at a still camera, in this specific order.


  1. How large is the sensor?
  2. Does it have fast prime lenses that match the sensor size?
  3. Does it have aperture control?
  4. Does it have sensitivity control?
  5. How many pixels does it have?


The first two are really important: they are the ones that most fundamentally influence the final image quality (in terms of sharpness, low-light characteristics, and background blur).

Notice how the pixel count is at the bottom of the list. Yup. It doesn't matter. If you have a camera with a large sensor, a good prime lens, aperture control and sensitivity control, you're usually fine. Get your hands on a used 5D, stick a 50/1.8 on it, set the aperture around f/7, use the lowest sensitivity you can get away with, and you'll have files that can print to just about any size.

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(Anonymous)
2009-09-29 07:51 pm UTC (link)
LOL, nice hint. Finally somebody sane that doesn't get driven by the mad-pìxel-count. But... did you really have to go up to a 5D for a nice sensor? you're sybaritic ;)

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[info]jbq
2009-09-30 02:06 am UTC (link)
I do believe that a large sensor does make a very significant difference as soon as you're willing to move a bit beyond the cheapest lenses. I'd bet that e.g. a 85/1.8 on a 5D beats a 50/1.2 on any small-sensor body, and the price difference on one such lens justifies the expense of the large-sensor body.

Also, if you want a fast normal lens, a 50/1.4 on a 5D is simply unmatched on any small-sensor body.

That's all an opinion, of course.

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