It all started a few weeks ago with a simple question. “Why did you choose your camera?“. Over those weeks and longer I’ve taken note of the answers and I’ve had some incredible conversations.
What follows are paraphrased examples of the most common answers, which pretty much seemed to be unanimous in each category. These were people with cameras (not always classing themselves as photographers), some people young, many over 60 years old, some people very serious into photography and others just enjoying the hobby.
“Micro four thirds”
Without a doubt, micro four thirds owners came up with the most unanimous answer instantly when asked the question, and if comes as no surprise.
“My camera and lenses now fit in a tiny bag“. Yes, size matters, especially it seems in the over 60s category. It was the first and foremost answer to come from owners of these smaller sensor cameras.
Often (and almost always straight after) this was followed up with “the image quality is just fantastic” and “I see no difference in image quality to when I had my full frame camera“.
“APS-C”
The middle ground between sensor size, camera price and performance. Owners of these cameras genuinely had a mixed bag of answers.
“It’s a Fuji!” Was often the comment, or “It was a good price“. Many times into conversion they would say “the image quality is great too“, usually as an after-thought, without the need to defend the sensor size at all.
The aps-c size cameras definitely had the advantage of numbers of users, but seemingly they really didn’t try and defend the camera they chose or make much fuss if them. It was a workhorse that just got on with it’s job.
“Full frame”
The final group of photographers were those with full frame cameras. Generally speaking these were owned by those doing a lot more work than the other users, be it frequently photographing family events or actually working in photography, along with those photographers who had worked their way through the camera sensor sizes and were now at the full frame stage.
“It’s the image quality” followed by “I need it for the extra light capabilities” were almost always the first answers. Quite often the answers would be more technical, delving into megapixels, superior auto-focus and even camera ergonomics “it feels right in the hand“. For some, the larger size mattered.
“The results”
One thing was a constant in every group, an answer that they all said. “Image quality“. Each and every sensor type owner almost on-queue when in conversion mentioned how their cameras had amazing image quality.
But surely they can’t all be right? Can they?
Well yes, they can! If you’ve bought a camera in the last decade, chances are the image quality, in general use, in most situations is going to be incredible. Most people only use one camera, two at most, so they can’t compare camera images side-by-side to spot any small differences. On your monitor, your images are going to be great.
There are reasons why professional photographers generally use full frame cameras over smaller sensors, and it’s not always about the fact that they are better in low light. Quite often the autofocus can operate very fast and accurate in even the lowest of light situations, there is more dynamic range for pulling back shadows and highlights and raw files are generally just much more malleable with less chance of banding and more natural gradation of colours (it’s physics).
But… And it’s a big but. Most people, most of the time simply will not need, and maybe even not able to see the difference in the real world on most images. And that is why they all say that the camera they had offered great image quality!
Other factors, especially the size and weight of the equipment far outweigh any minimal perceived differences. And something that I really notice working with photography and dealing with so many people is simply pier-pressure. My friend has this camera, and I want the same…
“Conclusion”
Photography is not about the competition of which is the best camera. It’s not about one being an underdog and one being a popular choice, it’s about choosing a camera that fits your needs. They are all fantastic, and many people go through many different cameras and sensor sizes as they improve their skill and find what they enjoy.
No camera system is perfect for everyone, but there is a perfect camera for you. When you inevitably post your images to social media, or your website, or print that special photo for your wall, nobody will know what camera or lens you used, and most importantly most people (not a select few of photography nerds) simply won’t care because composition is king.
A beautiful photo, regardless if it’s taken on your mobile phone or the latest and greatest camera should always be the objective. The tool you’ve chosen is not important to anyone else. Your image quality is going to be just fine!
Go out, take photos and stop worrying about image quality.
My name is Mark G Adams and I run Photography By Mark G Adams. I am a professional photographer from South Wales, shooting weddings, events and portraits as well as running meets and workshops. For fun I like to shoot landscapes, wildlife and occasionally do street photography. Enjoy my website as I share my knowledge learned over decades of working and having fun in photography.
You can find all the latest articles and blogs on my homepage here.
My main photography social media page is my Photography By Mark G Adams page.
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One Camera One Lens Photography 
Interesting read, Mark.
If this was inspired by my recent article, I should probably clarify that I have absolutely nothing against full frame. Some of the finest cameras I’ve used or admired have been full frame cameras.
My curiosity has always been less about whether differences exist, and more about how we interpret those differences and how much importance we assign to them in the real world.
On that point, I think we may actually agree more than we disagree.
In fact, I suspect that is one of the reasons you enjoyed my website when you first discovered it. I’ve always tried to offer an alternative perspective, not because the mainstream view is necessarily wrong, but because I think it is healthy to occasionally question the assumptions we all tend to make.
P.S. Unless my browser is having one of its moments, I think the article may have been pasted twice.
Have a nice and sunny day, Mark.
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As you can see, this is totally backing up everything you have said. I work constantly with photographers in real-use situations and workshop environments, and it is always the same answers.
It is something I have been working on for a while, and after yesterdays workshop where I had a nice cross-section of people, I thought it was time to put it up.
Thanks Marc.
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Thanks, Mark.
That is what struck me as well. You arrived there through real-world workshops and conversations, while I tend to approach it from the technical side. Yet we seem to reach a very similar conclusion.
The differences exist, but most photographers appear perfectly happy with the image quality they get from their chosen system. Perhaps that tells us something.
And just to be clear, I hope you never take any of my articles personally, because that is certainly not my intention. My observations are generally aimed more at the Tony R’s of the world, and the photographers who sometimes repeat those absolute conclusions without questioning them, rather than at people who are simply sharing their own experiences. 🙂
Thanks for sharing your observations.
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That’s it. Of course I am very technical and clinical and work daily with raw files from different cameras and of course use many different cameras. But real use experience is always the most important. No amount of test charts make up for real world use, in the use that that person wants it for.
Thanks Marc.
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👍
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