Thoroughbred Colt on a collision course with a swerving bird. Canon EOS 1Ds MK II, April 2008. Versailles, Kentucy horse farm.

For those of you who have been around as long as I have, or perhaps something close to that, do you remember the days of high fidelity? I’m talking about stereo gear. Phrases such as “total harmonic distortion”, “wow & flutter” or other technical jargon related to how audio reproduction works? We (some of us) poured over these technical specs for amplifiers and receivers and speakers and such, looking for the finest details concerning how clean and distortion free our audio equipment was. Published tech data associated with this gear was a driving force in our consumer electronics purchase decisions.  Back in 1979, my Pioneer SX-1980 was rated for 270 watts per channel, at .03% total harmonic distortion. Just about any audio equipment was judged and ogled over for the technical specifications that gave us a really good idea of what we thought we were buying. Our Supertramp albums would sound better at .03% total harmonic distortion than some other receiver that could only obtain a .08% total harmonic distortion.

In those days, the audiophile press was as rampant as the digital photography press is today. We learned to worship technology and insignificant differences as if it was the most important aspect of listening to music. There were fanboys for every brand of gear. Only the most discerning of us could correctly acquire and appreciate the finer points of high fidelity.

Well, it was mostly marketing to people who didn’t have something better to do with their lives and things haven’t changed that much in over 40 years. People then and now still need to worship the technical gods when it comes to buying consumer electronics.

When I’m working, the last thing that enters my mind is the camera I’m using. My attention is always focused on seeing what’s in front of me and trying to capture the scene in the most compelling way possible. Do I have a good perspective, is the subject properly lit, is the background too busy? I put forth due diligence to make sure I have enough room on my camera memory chip, my battery is charged, and anything else that will interfere with my getting a photo on a moment’s notice.

I keep two cameras in my kit and those cameras never have the same lens as the other. It doesn’t matter to me which camera I use, it’s more a question of the focal length and which lens best suites the composition.

I don’t think about how many frames per second my camera will make, I don’t care about the resolution of the camera, it’s all about the scene and not the gear.

I been using the same two DSLR bodies for years now. The Nikon D810 and the Nikon D850. Both are capable of recording high resolution, quality images in just about any situation I encounter. Add to that the fact that I know both bodies controls and functions intimately, it’s almost second nature to me. I don’t really miss a lot of shots, once I see the shot.

We are now several years into the mirrorless era. I’ve studied the newer technology; I’ve handled a few mirrorless bodies and I’ve yet to figure out a solid reason for me to ditch my older DSLR bodies for the new technology. The new mirrorless cameras are technically superior in many ways. Higher frame rates, better video, smaller size, and by golly, I get the feeling that I’m missing out on technical greatness by sticking with my DSLR’s. The feeling soon passes though, once I get my DSLR images loaded on the computer and see that the photos I’m making are pretty darn good most of the time. My photos are hardly ever out of focus. My exposures are dead on, I don’t find a need for 20 frames per second, and as a matter of fact I find that 5-7 frames per second gets the job done. The battery life on the DSLR’s is outstanding. I can make over 3,000 photos on one battery charge using my D810. It’s rare that I ever have to swap out a dead battery in the field, even though I keep a fully charged spare with me.

My conclusion is that I don’t need the latest/greatest camera to get the job done. Why is that? It’s simple, the latest/greatest mirrorless camera can’t do the most important thing in photography any better than a Nikon D810 or any other DSLR, and that is make a good photographic composition. 95% of everything that makes a good photograph is the composition. No camera can compensate for a lack of photographic vision and solid compositional skills. Like an old musician, I have mastered my gear and how to play my trusty old instrument to the fullest, to the point that I don’t even have to look at the controls or stumble around with the settings, because I can tweak them without having to fumble around.

Something I’ve noticed when I’m working with other photographers is that often times, they don’t understand how to configure their gear. they’ll grind to a halt to make a settings change in their camera, poking around in the menu settings, never able to find the setting they want to change, eventually becoming frustrated and going into “fuck-it” mode. That never happens to me, because I know my camera controls intimately. One of the reasons I know my controls is because I don’t switch cameras every time a new camera hits the market. I’m never stuck in a learning mode when it comes to my camera. I trust my gear and my own skills and knowledge to the point that I seldom if ever even look at the images I’ve made while still in the field (chimping.) I don’t leave the information screen on the led panel either, I look at my settings from time to time just so there’s no surprises, I’ll review an image here or there to make sure I’m exposing properly, but 99% of my time in the field, I’m not draining my battery just to examine my own belly button lint. I work with supreme confidence.

Now one could argue that I could achieve that same level of confidence with a new mirrorless body, and I’m quite certain that I could learn it as well as any other camera I’ve ever used, but the question keeps entering my mind, “why do I need a new camera? I know how to use what I have. I don’t need to reset a learning curve just for the hell of it.”

For one thing, new is exciting. It’s always great to get that new camera dropped off on your porch and tear it open, charge the batteries and start firing off shots. The new factor is very compelling.

Bragging rights may come into play for some. Look at my new toy, it’s more desirable than my old toy. Worship my new camera like I do. Well, maybe that will hold some folks over for a while. At least until they realize that their new mirrorless camera hasn’t made them a better photographer.

I’ve swapped cameras and brands and models several times over the years and the excitement wears off. And my bank account gets a little smaller with every swap. The quality of my photographs has never been determined by how new my camera technology is, it’s always been a function of how well I’ve studied the art and improved my compositional skills. New camera technology doesn’t keep you from making the same old mistakes. In my old age, I’ve come to realize that it’s not about the camera, it’s about me.

So here we are, January of 2023. The technical gods have a new groove and it’s called Photography. Same situation as 1980 but only now we choose our favorite brand of camera with the most attractive technical specs, and we upgrade that gear until we spend a small fortune on multiple iterations of marketing BS until we hit the Nirvana zone and where has it got us?

If you’re chasing technical specifications or marketing and not learning to use what you have, you’ll never improve your photography. If you feel the need to dump your $20,000 DSLR kit for a few thousand dollars and then go out and splurge on a new $25,000 mirrorless kit at a 25% markup from what you invested in your old gear, then by all means, go for it. Sometimes shopping can be considered entertainment. But don’t be disappointed when your photos aren’t really any better.

As for me, I’ve learned to quit worshiping the technical gods and to use my old outdated, not quite as fancy, and definitely less expensive DSLR’s until they fall apart and can’t be fixed. I don’t like paying for the same real estate more than once.

I don’t’ worry about it either. Why? Because worrying is the equivalent to paying interest on a loan I never took.