The new snapshot # 242-46 ~ "reinvented", my ass

hot dog guy ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

hot rod motor ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

Lonesome Bay ~ Lower Saranac Lake, NY - (embiggenable) • iPhone

hot rod pickup ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

Oh baby, let's go to the hop ~ (embiggenable) • iPhone

The interweb, Photo Division, is all a-buzz, re: the new Nikon mirrorless cameras as well as Nikon's ultimate-image-quality lenses which were introduced along with the cameras. However, for me, it's much a-do about not so much.

Nikon's claim that the cameras are "mirrorless reinvented" is ridiculous advertising sloganering. Mirrorless was invented and introduced in 2004. Since then quite a few mirrorless iterations have appeared on the market, each building upon what came before. That written, the formula remains the same ... compact body (relative to DSLRs) and lenses developed to maximize their application in conjunction with the mirrorless bodies. Various bells and whistles abound, but nevertheless, the basic formula remains the same.

I was an early adopter of the mirrorless camera, starting with an Olympus E-P1 and, over the years, moving up the iteration ladder (E-P2 > E-P5). Along the way, I assembled a nice 6 lens collection, although, 85% of my pictures a made with the same lens.

Would I ever be tempted to move the new Nikon mirrorless world? In a word, "No." But, you might ask, what about those "ultimate" image quality lenses? Don't I want the"ultimate" dynamic range, resolution / sharpness, color accuracy, et al? In a word, "No"

My reason for the word no is simple. iMo, "ultimate" image quality has nothing to do with "ultimate" dynamic range, resolution / sharpness, color accuracy, et al. Those qualities are of a technical nature and, although those qualities might be important in some picture making applications, iMo, those qualities, in and of themselves, do not an interesting picture make.

In today's picture making world, as in the past, the vast majority of really good picture makers, in their picture making, pay little or no attention to achieving "ultimate" image quality in the technical sense. In their picture making, their interests are directed toward other visual qualities which elevate their pictures above mere technical considerations.