This essay (Canadian - yes, Canadians are a smart bunch!) on ultra-high end digital photo equipment is the best piece I've read anywhere in the past year, and I read a lot. Anyone who is into D-SLR's and PhaseOne medium format backs, this essay is well worth reading.
I encourage you to read the piece via the link as there are photos to look at and charts too. However, if you would rather read a text version here, I'm pasting it below.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/quality-vs-value.shtml
Quality vs. Value
When is Enough Enough?
We are coming to a significant crossroad in the evolution of digital photography. There is a convergence of factors underway that is changing the way in which we perceive the merits and value of the equipment that we purchase.
On the one hand we have a rapidly flattening slope on the image quality side of the ledger, where it takes a serious additional expenditure to derive what is often only a moderate increase in image quality.
On the other we have the worst global economic environment in our lifetimes, which is causing photographers to more seriously evaluate the value proposition of their purchases than ever before.
The third hand holds the issue of numeric analysis vs. the evidence of ones eyes. What do we do when the test numbers tell us one thing and ours eyes tell us another?
That Was Then
As photographers we are constantly searching for cameras and lenses that will produce the highest quality images. In the days before digital this search for the holy grail of image quality meant using the finest grained and highest resolving B&W films available, along with the best lenses that money could buy. Of course we also would shoot with the largest format that we could, along with using the best shooting techniques to optimize image quality.
But all of this came with a price – a practical one more often than financial. Yes, a 4X5" view camera could produce much higher image quality than a 35mm, but bulk and practicality were sacrificed for many applications. ASA 25 film had very fine grain, but didn't lend itself well to hand-held shooting. Top-of-the-line lenses cost an arm and a leg, as they still do today, and primes not zooms were always the order of the day. Slow films along with large formats usually meant tripods, and optimum shooting techniques were a must if highest quality images were to be achieved.
This is Now
During the past ten years photography has undergone a massive shakeup. Many of the old rules have been turned on their heads, but others are as true today as they were before the turn of the past century, just nine years ago.
Whereas 35mm film was rarely able to produce high quality prints above 11X14", today with 21-25 Megapixel sensors 35mm DSLRs we can routinely produce 20X24" prints of excellent quality by almost any standard. This quality would once have been the domain of the best medium format systems.
Medium format backs are now available offering between 39 and 60 Megapixels, at a full 15-16 bit bit-depth. Such files, again – when shot with the best lenses and appropriate technique – can produce 30X40" prints that not just rival but easily surpass the quality possible from large format sheet film.
Price Not Size as a Determinant
More so that ever before though, price is a significant determining factor in what one can achieve when it comes to an image's technical quality. In fact, unlike in the days of film when exceptional technical quality was possible from often modest systems – as long as the largest possible film sizes were used – the goodness of today's sensor-based imaging system's quality correlates most directly with cost rather than size.
So, putting aside common factors such as the use of quality lenses, appropriate shooting technique, and optimum post processing and printing, what we come down to is a paradigm shift. Yes, size does matter, but cost is a more significant determining factor when it comes to technical quality than in the pre-digital days where, all other things being equal, film size was the most significant factor. Then, a used $500 4X5" camera with a decent lens could produce a print which was technically head and shoulders better than that from the best and most expensive small format systems. Godzilla was right – size mattered.
The Value Factor
Today though, there is a direct link between image quality and price. Using the same lens a 1960's $200 Nikkormat and a $1,500 Nikon F would produce identical image quality. The camera itself hardly contributed to image quality. It was the type of film and especially the film format's size that mattered most.
This is definitely not the case when it comes to today's DSLRs. Continuing the Nikon analogy, a D40 and a D3x produce different image quality but are separated by more than an order of magnitude in price!
Now we get to the crux of the matter. How big is that image quality difference? At a price ratio of 10X does this mean that the D3x is ten times better than a D40 in terms of image quality? Similarly, and so I'm not accused of Nikon bashing (I'm an equal opportunity basher) is a Canon 1Ds MKIII worth 10X the price of a Canon Rebel XS?
Since it's obvious that today's photographer contends with a different size / performance and price / performance paradigm than in the past, now more than ever we need to consider what I'm calling the value factor.
I shook up (actually pissed-off is more like it) a lot of people late last year when I compared the image quality possible from a $500 15 Megapixel Canon G10 with a $40,000 Phase One P45+ 39 Megapixel back on a Hasselblad H2. My little test showed that on a selection of 13X19" prints a panel of industry pros couldn't differentiate between the two more than roughly 50% of the time. What the hell was that about?
The answer is the value factor, and the extent to which it is becoming a significant issue in the photographic industry.
Nikon fans were both excited and depressed when the D3x was announced. It appeared to be an exciting new flagship for the company, breaking Canon's nearly eight-year-long dominance of high resolution pro-level camera bodies, but at over $8,000 the price seemed a bridge too far, as I called it at the time.
Why? Because of two things. The D3 camera, which is absolutely identical to the D3x other than for its sensor, costs $4,000. This means that the sensor alone in the D3x is costing us a cool $4 grand. But the Sony A900 also has a 25 Megapixel sensor and sells for under $3,000 – less than the cost of the Nikon sensor alone! What's with that, especially since it is now known that these two camera's sensors share the same underlying Sony fabricated silicon, so chip yield can't be a significant factor?
Exacerbate this with Canon simultaneously shipping the 5D MKII, a sub-$3,000 21 Megapixel camera, and photographers were left wondering about a lot of things. Further compound this with the worst economic downturn in a lifetime, and the plot thickens.
Value vs. Perceived Quality
All of this was on my mind during the first three weeks of January during my Antarctic Photographic Expedition. Here were 77 photographers working together on a ship almost 24 hours a day for 13 days. These people were primarily advanced amateurs and pros, and more to the point, were affluent enough to have afforded a trip which, with travel expenses, cost close to $15,000.
Looking at the mix of camera system represented, about 70% were shooting Canon and some 30% were shooting Nikon – with lots of D700's represented in that group. Of the Canon shooters a surprising 50%, a total of 26 people, had the new Canon 5D MKII, while among the Nikon shooters there was just one D3x (other than the test sample I was carrying).
Looking at the 50 Canon photographers we saw that the vast majority also had various expensive 1 Series bodies, and among the total group there were also eleven people shooting with medium format systems as well as their DSLRs. These consisted of ten Phase One backs mounted on a mix of Phase One and Hasselblad bodies, with one older Imacon (Hasselblad) back as well. Incidentally, this count did not include either me or Kevin Raber, who were also shooting with Phase One systems.
One last point of interest. Kevin and I were each shooting with the just-released 60 Megapixel P65+ back, and were loaning them to anyone on the trip that cared to try them. Of the ten people already shooting with medium format backs I know that six have now committed to upgrading to the P65+ after seeing what it was capable of – a very high percentage, and at not an inconsiderable expenditure.
The point I'm making is that this relatively affluent group of ardent amateurs and pros seemed through their purchases to be expressing a very clear bias toward a combination of both image quality and value. The value proposition of the Canon 5D MKII clearly appealed to many since 50% of them had bought one for this trip along with whatever other Canon cameras that they already owned, mostly 1 Series. Conversely, the perceived image quality proposition represented by the P65+ obviously appealed to existing Phase One owners on the trip, though the price of an upgrade is considerable – more in fact than the price of any current DSLR!
The take-away from this, at least to my mind, is that those that can afford cameras that produce the best image quality will spend the money, but there has to be both perceived as well as actual value. Value in this instance is a multifaceted metric, representing a balance between dollars and performance
I encourage you to read the piece via the link as there are photos to look at and charts too. However, if you would rather read a text version here, I'm pasting it below.
http://www.luminous-landscape.com/essays/quality-vs-value.shtml
Quality vs. Value
When is Enough Enough?
We are coming to a significant crossroad in the evolution of digital photography. There is a convergence of factors underway that is changing the way in which we perceive the merits and value of the equipment that we purchase.
On the one hand we have a rapidly flattening slope on the image quality side of the ledger, where it takes a serious additional expenditure to derive what is often only a moderate increase in image quality.
On the other we have the worst global economic environment in our lifetimes, which is causing photographers to more seriously evaluate the value proposition of their purchases than ever before.
The third hand holds the issue of numeric analysis vs. the evidence of ones eyes. What do we do when the test numbers tell us one thing and ours eyes tell us another?
That Was Then
As photographers we are constantly searching for cameras and lenses that will produce the highest quality images. In the days before digital this search for the holy grail of image quality meant using the finest grained and highest resolving B&W films available, along with the best lenses that money could buy. Of course we also would shoot with the largest format that we could, along with using the best shooting techniques to optimize image quality.
But all of this came with a price – a practical one more often than financial. Yes, a 4X5" view camera could produce much higher image quality than a 35mm, but bulk and practicality were sacrificed for many applications. ASA 25 film had very fine grain, but didn't lend itself well to hand-held shooting. Top-of-the-line lenses cost an arm and a leg, as they still do today, and primes not zooms were always the order of the day. Slow films along with large formats usually meant tripods, and optimum shooting techniques were a must if highest quality images were to be achieved.
This is Now
During the past ten years photography has undergone a massive shakeup. Many of the old rules have been turned on their heads, but others are as true today as they were before the turn of the past century, just nine years ago.
Whereas 35mm film was rarely able to produce high quality prints above 11X14", today with 21-25 Megapixel sensors 35mm DSLRs we can routinely produce 20X24" prints of excellent quality by almost any standard. This quality would once have been the domain of the best medium format systems.
Medium format backs are now available offering between 39 and 60 Megapixels, at a full 15-16 bit bit-depth. Such files, again – when shot with the best lenses and appropriate technique – can produce 30X40" prints that not just rival but easily surpass the quality possible from large format sheet film.
Price Not Size as a Determinant
More so that ever before though, price is a significant determining factor in what one can achieve when it comes to an image's technical quality. In fact, unlike in the days of film when exceptional technical quality was possible from often modest systems – as long as the largest possible film sizes were used – the goodness of today's sensor-based imaging system's quality correlates most directly with cost rather than size.
So, putting aside common factors such as the use of quality lenses, appropriate shooting technique, and optimum post processing and printing, what we come down to is a paradigm shift. Yes, size does matter, but cost is a more significant determining factor when it comes to technical quality than in the pre-digital days where, all other things being equal, film size was the most significant factor. Then, a used $500 4X5" camera with a decent lens could produce a print which was technically head and shoulders better than that from the best and most expensive small format systems. Godzilla was right – size mattered.
The Value Factor
Today though, there is a direct link between image quality and price. Using the same lens a 1960's $200 Nikkormat and a $1,500 Nikon F would produce identical image quality. The camera itself hardly contributed to image quality. It was the type of film and especially the film format's size that mattered most.
This is definitely not the case when it comes to today's DSLRs. Continuing the Nikon analogy, a D40 and a D3x produce different image quality but are separated by more than an order of magnitude in price!
Now we get to the crux of the matter. How big is that image quality difference? At a price ratio of 10X does this mean that the D3x is ten times better than a D40 in terms of image quality? Similarly, and so I'm not accused of Nikon bashing (I'm an equal opportunity basher) is a Canon 1Ds MKIII worth 10X the price of a Canon Rebel XS?
Since it's obvious that today's photographer contends with a different size / performance and price / performance paradigm than in the past, now more than ever we need to consider what I'm calling the value factor.
I shook up (actually pissed-off is more like it) a lot of people late last year when I compared the image quality possible from a $500 15 Megapixel Canon G10 with a $40,000 Phase One P45+ 39 Megapixel back on a Hasselblad H2. My little test showed that on a selection of 13X19" prints a panel of industry pros couldn't differentiate between the two more than roughly 50% of the time. What the hell was that about?
The answer is the value factor, and the extent to which it is becoming a significant issue in the photographic industry.
Nikon fans were both excited and depressed when the D3x was announced. It appeared to be an exciting new flagship for the company, breaking Canon's nearly eight-year-long dominance of high resolution pro-level camera bodies, but at over $8,000 the price seemed a bridge too far, as I called it at the time.
Why? Because of two things. The D3 camera, which is absolutely identical to the D3x other than for its sensor, costs $4,000. This means that the sensor alone in the D3x is costing us a cool $4 grand. But the Sony A900 also has a 25 Megapixel sensor and sells for under $3,000 – less than the cost of the Nikon sensor alone! What's with that, especially since it is now known that these two camera's sensors share the same underlying Sony fabricated silicon, so chip yield can't be a significant factor?
Exacerbate this with Canon simultaneously shipping the 5D MKII, a sub-$3,000 21 Megapixel camera, and photographers were left wondering about a lot of things. Further compound this with the worst economic downturn in a lifetime, and the plot thickens.
Value vs. Perceived Quality
All of this was on my mind during the first three weeks of January during my Antarctic Photographic Expedition. Here were 77 photographers working together on a ship almost 24 hours a day for 13 days. These people were primarily advanced amateurs and pros, and more to the point, were affluent enough to have afforded a trip which, with travel expenses, cost close to $15,000.
Looking at the mix of camera system represented, about 70% were shooting Canon and some 30% were shooting Nikon – with lots of D700's represented in that group. Of the Canon shooters a surprising 50%, a total of 26 people, had the new Canon 5D MKII, while among the Nikon shooters there was just one D3x (other than the test sample I was carrying).
Looking at the 50 Canon photographers we saw that the vast majority also had various expensive 1 Series bodies, and among the total group there were also eleven people shooting with medium format systems as well as their DSLRs. These consisted of ten Phase One backs mounted on a mix of Phase One and Hasselblad bodies, with one older Imacon (Hasselblad) back as well. Incidentally, this count did not include either me or Kevin Raber, who were also shooting with Phase One systems.
One last point of interest. Kevin and I were each shooting with the just-released 60 Megapixel P65+ back, and were loaning them to anyone on the trip that cared to try them. Of the ten people already shooting with medium format backs I know that six have now committed to upgrading to the P65+ after seeing what it was capable of – a very high percentage, and at not an inconsiderable expenditure.
The point I'm making is that this relatively affluent group of ardent amateurs and pros seemed through their purchases to be expressing a very clear bias toward a combination of both image quality and value. The value proposition of the Canon 5D MKII clearly appealed to many since 50% of them had bought one for this trip along with whatever other Canon cameras that they already owned, mostly 1 Series. Conversely, the perceived image quality proposition represented by the P65+ obviously appealed to existing Phase One owners on the trip, though the price of an upgrade is considerable – more in fact than the price of any current DSLR!
The take-away from this, at least to my mind, is that those that can afford cameras that produce the best image quality will spend the money, but there has to be both perceived as well as actual value. Value in this instance is a multifaceted metric, representing a balance between dollars and performance