Photography is strange. There is a constant battle raging, and the truth is, it does not need to be because as individuals, we are all very different. It is micro four thirds versus aps-c versus full frame versus medium format. It is raw vs jpeg. It is my editing software is better than your editing software. It is my lighting set-up is superior to your lighting set-up. It is one constant one-up on other photographers around us.
As someone who has been involved in photography for decades, and has been working and teaching photography for the last decade in one way or another I look at these “versus battles” laugh to myself. I have shot extensively with tiny CCD sensors, 1” sensors, micro four thirds, aps-c and full frame sensors, and each camera and sensor size offers something unique, also something very similar. They all do the same things, the main thing that separates them is the light gathering capabilities, although many people arguing there is not much difference, there really is, because as photographers light is the one thing we capture.
However, the point is, there is literally no need to be part of the “versus” war. No need to be jealous of other photographers. But it seems that since the introduction of YouTube into our everyday lives, GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) has been increasing, and people are being drawn into the “versus” war because of the huge sales wagon that is YouTube.
In this day and age, it is “us against them” because YouTube (being the main antagonist). It is as simple as that. So called “photographers” who uploaded weekly, or daily with shows showing us new cameras, new accessories, reasons why they believe this is better or that is better. Everyone knows, that real, working photographers, are generally way too busy to be making videos. Those very few “real” photographers on YouTube have sponsorship and affiliate links, and need to push those to make money. It is “us against them”, because they create the urge for you to get this or get that.
My own digital journey seen me starting with aps-c, going full frame, going aps-c again, going micro four thirds (alongside aps-c) and back to full frame. I have gone that route because I have needed the extra capabilities that full frame offer over aps-c and micro four thirds. Could I manage without full frame? Of course I could, but it would be a compromise for the photography that I do, and the quality I want to achieve.
In the real “fun and hobbyist/amateur” world (away from my work environment), walking in groups where people own a multitude of difference cameras and sensor sizes, and sitting in bird hides where yet again people are there with various equipment (literally every type of camera from modern bridge cameras like the Nikon P110 to full frame!)), everyone chats about equipment, but there is no envy, and it is never us against them. People know that people own various cameras because of various reasons, be it financial reasons, size reasons, capability reasons or whatever. We are all very different.
Professional and semi-professional (part-time) photographers know that they need a camera for the task in hand. They won’t always have the latest and greatest cameras, and quite a few will have very old cameras, because they know that it is things like skill, lenses and lighting that are far more important.
So, is it really “us against them”? The answer is NO, it is not. It is US taking our own individual paths because of the photography we choose to do as amateurs, hobbyists and professionals. The arguments are caused by the many (not all) pretend photographers who are selling something to you on YouTube.
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Really enjoyed reading this, Mark – it’s a thoughtful take on something that tends to divide people far more than it should. I like how you frame photography as a personal journey rather than a competition.
For me, that’s exactly it: every system, from Micro Four Thirds to APS-C to full frame, simply reflects different priorities. Some value portability, others prefer larger sensors, and both approaches make perfect sense depending on what we shoot and how we work.
I’ve always appreciated the variety – it keeps photography interesting and accessible. What matters most is how we use the tools we have, and how they fit the way we see the world.
In the end, it’s all about the images we create and the moments we capture, not the gear we use to get there.
Really well written, Mark – keep these articles coming.
All the best,
Marc
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