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Camera
by Philip
Greenspun
Home : Learn : Making Photographs : One Article
We've arrived at the last and, to my mind, least important chapter in the text. As noted on the cover
page, this is where most photography textbooks start. Generally your choice of camera will not have
much effect on the final image. Certainly the brand of camera that you choose will have virtually no
effect. However, if you're a nerd like me, there is a certain satisfaction in knowing what tools are
available to the photographer and how they work.
Here are the factors that go into the choice of a camera for a project:
1. What is the required final image quality?
2. At what magnification will the image be viewed?
3. How much weight can you carry to the subject?
4. How much time do you have to take the picture?
Suppose that your project demands high image quality and high magnification. For example, you are
going to make a 20 x 24 inch enlargement and display it in a corridor where people can walk right up to
it to check out fine detail. This requirement pushes you toward using a large piece of film for the
original exposure. The large piece of film will require a large relatively heavy camera surrounding it,
which gets us into Factor 3: "How much weight can you carry to the subject?"
Annie Liebowitz goes to a portrait session with several assistants carrying her heavy Mamiya camera
that exposes a 6 x 7 cm negative (4.5 times the area of a 35mm negative). Ansel Adams would pack his
8 x 10 inch camera into the Sierra with a mule. If you're the mule and your subject isn't in your home or
photo studio, think about whether you'll have the energy to take any pictures after carrying around a
particular camera and its accessories.
Different cameras work at different speeds. With the latest Canon or Nikon autofocus systems, you
might be able to capture an unanticipated event on a soccer field. Ansel Adams could not have done this
http://www.photo.net/making-photographs/camera (1 of 9)7/3/2005 2:22:21 AM