Photography is a wonderful discovery,
a science which occupies the highest intelligences,
an art that sharpens the most shrewd minds
and whose application is within the reach of the last of the fools!”
— Félix Tournachon, aka Nadar (1857) —
During a class for photography enthusiasts of college and university
levels, I explained that the very best and the very worst cameras are
of the “point and shoot” type. Best because they are ready at any ti-
me and worst because they produce rather lousy pictures.
So, if one wants to achieve higher quality photographs, greater invest-
meets must follow; providing extended everything from dynamic range
to ISO through brighter lenses, very fast shutter speeds, longer and so
much faster frame rates, auto-focus, etc, etc, etc. All the technical re-
finements must be included.
“Yes, I understand what you say but doesn’t that lead to ever more com-
plicated cameras?” asked a student.
“We all agree that photography is a science which occupies the higher
intelligences; it is those users that need all that stuff to accommodate
the artistic intents of their sharp, shrewd minds.” I answered.
Another asked: “Ok, let’s say that you have in front of you the flagships
of several cameras manufacturers which is the first and most important
feature you will be looking for, even trigger an eventual purchase?"
"All sections in the menus should have enough flexibility for me to confi-
gure all shooting parameters so it will behave like a good point & shoot!"
