Don't complain too much...

Are you complaining about sensors, lenses and how sharp they are in the border areas wide open and other details of the newest gear?

I am at a hotel at the moment enjoying some spa and the frozen beach of the Baltic Sea. The hotel has a little library where you can browse through different kinds of books. I found two photo books about China from 1985 in the shelf and the photographer did a great job in capturing landscapes, people and architecture of this beautiful country.

Analogue

But compared to the photos today most of the photos looked a bit dull, under exposed (false colors) and not tac sharp like digital photos today. Most photos are lacking shadow or highlight details. But they are still great. Because it is the content that counts.

Today we can do so much more with super sharp glass, 14 bit sensors and ISO up to 50.000 (automatic without changing a roll of film). But we are not satisfied and want better quality nearly every year.

Digital

Here is a little exercise to get over this useless feelings. Get yourself an old top notch photo book from 25 years ago and flip through the pages. And then look at (your) modern photography. And don't get me wrong again. A good composed photo will still touch your heart no matter in which century it was taken. But the possibilities and the quality have changed a lot. Think about the little powerhouse you hold in your hands today and what you can do with it (dynamic range, panoramas, ISO, Colors).

Don't waste too much time with the last drop of quality. Try to take some photos with heart and soul. Technology will always getting better without a doubt. These small changes are not as important as the big change from analogue to digital. You don't have to buy a new cam ever two years.
And a well composed photo will always shine regardless of what kind of camera you've used.

Cheers,
Nils

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