BTW I also have some theory to share.
There is the definiton of systemic noise. It says roughly that a compensation of a fault cannot be done with another faulty (imperfect) value. Instead it will add up and multiply the fault - thus systemic noise.
Now trying to reach perfection on mechanical tolerances is impossible.
The system is by itself faulty (see also Rogers article) so the idea of getting better and better tolerances to eliminate the variation is by itself contraproductive. Instead the best way to eliminate noise is to simplify the system and reduce available tolerance causing steps or complications.
In case of the camera this means reduce it to the bare minimum and expect the outputof a focus calibration to be faulty anyway. But if you can directly control the fault (CMOS with electronic viewfinder and onchip autofocus and visual control) the flaws become meaningless.
Regards
Stefan Steib HCam.de
Hi Stefan - Thanks for posting about "systemic noise" because now I can better understand what is meant by the "the end of tolerances reached." The thread title appears to be an aphorism referring to what is known in some media theory as a break boundary.
My understanding is that the types of methods deployed against systemic noise are dependent upon the nature of the mediums involved. Mechanical and digital (electrical) mediums require two distinctly different approaches. Hybrid mediums need a combination of both and the tension created by the mixture leads to transformations and reversals of form. The moment that a medium hits a point where it can only evolve into a new form or revert back to a previous state is a break boundary.
The best way to eliminate noise in a mechanical medium is to simplify and this is what photographers refer to as the
purist approach. Mechanization is a linear process with a clear beginning and end. Purists eliminate steps within the sequence that are not necessary for achieving the final desired photographic outcome. They carefully make certain that every component has a clearly defined role and then tighten the tolerances as much as possible. It's important to remember that the purist approach in photography always begins with the user and ends with a still photograph. The photographer is never divorced from the process and each step of the sequence is completely derived from the applied technique of the user.
Digital mediums also eliminate noise by simplification, but they do it by converging steps in the sequence as opposed to removing them. The method of convergence is known to photographers as
integration and it differs from mechanical purism by the fact that the entire imaging process works towards becoming simultaneous rather than linear. This means that the user is no longer the starting point and a still photograph is not the end. In fact, the photographer is just another tolerance to reduce and the applied technique of the user turns into a variable to overcome. It's important to understand that digital's nature is to merge all digital mediums together into a single de-centralized and non-specialized form. Integration does not stop at the boundaries of the traditional still photographic medium and can continue undeterred until it combines with all other digital mediums (cellular phones, personal computers, internet browsers, email, video, GPS, digital audio etc.)
At the time of introduction, new mediums occupy roles that were originally filled by previously existing mediums and this arrangement can fool some into thinking that a progression is taking place. In photography, sensors replaced film to create a hybrid between mechanical and digital mediums. Many purists believed that the sensor was simply performing the task of a capture device and this led them to percieve each advance in megapixel resolution as a development similar to an increase in film format size. They took for granted that digital would limit itself to the traditional role of film and might be satisfied to remain a single specialized step in an already established process.
Digital's nature is not to assume roles and follow sequences. On the contrary, it's nature is to demolish roles and destroy sequences. The moment that sensors replaced film was also the instant that post-processing supplanted the user from the starting point of the photographic process. It also paved the way for the future addition of live view & video that are now displacing the still photograph from the end point of the process. Post-processing itself could eventually be reduced to just "processing" since there can be no "post" or "pre" once true simultaneity is achieved.
Many hybrid mediums can only exist in a perpetual state of civil war. The good news is that conflict provides an opportunity to better understand their true nature and use knowledge of causes to make more informed decisions. I think that your (Stefan) original premise is correct and that we are now entering a period in time where the differences between mechanical purism and digital integration are so apparent that they're impossible to ignore. Transformations and reversals of form are inevitable to occur. Digital photography could split into an entirely separate medium from traditional still photography and evolve into digital imaging. There is already precedent for a change like that take place because something similar happened over a century ago when the motion picture medium (cinema) separated from still photography. It's also possible that an extreme reversal of form could transpire that would lead many photographers to quit digital altogether and return to film.
I think that most people are already intuitively aware of the differences between mechanical purism and digital integration so none of what was just posted should be new information. But the past decade has presented so many seemingly rapid changes that most of us can't help but to feel a bit disoriented. Now might be a good time to reflect on recent experience and use it to clearly identify the unique qualities of mediums in order to fully grasp the root causes of current and potential future conflicts.
Mike - Thanks for that last one
>>>The photographer turned content producer actually becomes his own client and takes the final step towards total convergence between production and consumption.>>>
This is exactly what I´m doing now. And actually if you ask me when did I feel better than today- I´d say never before! I control the content that I want to photograph. I design my own website, I do my own flyers and CI.I had learned this for customers and now it falls into place for what I do for myself and our company now.
My main tool is the internet, I work internationally, my clients come from all over the planet. This is definitely a complete change of what I did before as a Studio Photographer working for large corporate customers and Advertising agencies.
That's a great example of what I meant by living a life of "realized art".... I hope that things continue to go well
"Where the whole man is involved there is no work. Work begins with the division of labor."
