Indeed, choosing one system inevitably means a decision against other system and there always is the angst that the other system might have been the better choice.
This is a matter of perception... and one born out of (IMHO) western, capitalistic thought. In attempting to not judge against those equipment choices that others have made, I truly feel that my choice is based out of
what works for me at this moment... not what doesn't. Would I like "better"? Sure....
What is better? What will 2011 bring, gear-wise, that meets this?
In my life, angst over
what could have been (and I have some non-photographic situations to which this applies in a pretty harrowing manner) has almost always lead to a crippling of my artistic output. Along these lines, although 2011 brings a multitude of choices, I no longer find it to be limiting... in that my images are being born from
intent that drives what I shoot with, not from what my gear is capable of.
This is where, on one level, the whole MF/35mm "pay for high quality" ideal rings false to me. I can, indeed, readily see the difference between an H-something, or S-something, and my own 35mm gear. Indeed, I'd LOVE a MF camera and think I could make it sing. BUT, in this day and age, what we have at our disposal... even with the lowly 5dii... is all so capable of high quality that the bar now has little to do with gear and mp IF compared to what was acceptable even 5 years ago in professional circles. I know arri primes are better... I know HC glass is probably better.... but what does it get me
for my output. That's the big question.
So, 2011, for me (and gear) is about making better images... my gear still has plenty of capacity for that. I actually bet that with nicer glass and a few other mods, my images will be better than ever this year... which will be a success IMO. I find that many of the images here that are oohhh'd anf ahhhh'd over and draw me in
seem compelling due to such careful use of the capabilities of the cameras (bit depth, sharpness, etc...)... but if the same images are often not burned into my memory as memorable as the content of these images seems to be lacking.
THAT, of course, is a personal assessment... and nothing meant personal as I surely turn out my share of artistic failures and many here put out great stuff week after week.
I guess what I'm saying is that all this talk of backfocus, bit-depth, and drawing style has a place... but it largely has superseded the content of the images with which it is often associated.
To tie this back onto the original topic... I'd love to see some discussion as to how this great 2011 gear is going to help one see better, or capture image that otherwise would have been compromised with other equipment (whatever that means to you).