Sorry this is so long, but I didn't have time to make it short. Today is a Red-Letter day here at TOP Rural World Headquarters! Today marks six weeks since my heart procedure, and starting today I don't have to restrict the use of my left arm any more. So the ceremonial unlocking of the pool shed happened this a.m., and I am very much looking forward to finding out how much rust has set in.
Anyway, just one little point about the 10 Best Enthusiast Cameras list we're working on: it'll be an article. A piece of written entertainment and possibly instruction. It has to work on that level, as an article, and that's its purpose.
What manner of camera be this? Look closely.
It's getting so a lot of "best this-or-that" lists repopulating the internet were built by the Borg. In video form they have robot voices that sound human until they make some odd mispronunciation that only an alien (one from another planet, not another country) would make, and generic illustrations that look like they came from all kinds of disparate sources, because they did. A few of the illos have that weird kinda twisted shiny look that AI-generated images have. (You think the "person" above is actually holding the viewfinder over his eye, or not quite?) The lists make no sense—there's no internal consistency—and some of the choices make sense but others do not. But of course there are plenty of links. They'll be happy to harvest a spiff off you. (So am I, but I want to earn it.) The verbiage that goes with each of the choices is mindless boilerplate. Some of it draws you in and almost fools you, some sounds borderline demented.
Jumping-off points
On an actual authored list, the selections of the cameras are just jumping-off points. I pick things because they allow me to discuss considerations that will enlighten the nonspecialist reader about the broader picture. So if I pick the K3 III Mono, naturally the first place I'd go would be to say that the first dilemma facing the buyer who likes B&W will be whether to get the monochrome version or the color version. Although I can talk about Pentax's long history of making sturdy, no-nonsense workhorse cameras in either case (which in turn might give me an opportunity to mention the K-1 Mark II in the article), I can also use the opportunity to imply a bit of the argument about the advantages of a dedicated tool (the Monochrome) versus a versatile tool (the regular K-3 III). So while the choice is the Monochrome, it's really an entry for both K3 III's. Same thing with the choice of the Canon 6D II; it will give me a chance to visit the differences between optical finders versus EVF finders for those who don't know about that, and mention the great FF Mirrorless shift of 2018 when all the major makers followed Sony into FF-M. Along with a sentence or two about Canon's long dominance in SLRs. Along the way I'd contrast it with whatever mirrorless R model we think parallels the 6D II. Even the fact that the 6D II might be on the way to discontinuation, as Ken said, is a nice detail, as it mirrors (er, sorry) the fact that flipping-mirror cameras are gradually on the way out.
What you're trying to do with a thoughtful, well-considered list is not just to exalt one choice over another possible choice; it isn't actually a contest. There are no cash prizes. And no reader will consider themselves blocked in by the choices, prevented from getting the camera they really want because it didn't "win." No one will say, "Well, I wanted an R5, but this list I read on the internet said the 6D II was better, so I had to get that." At best, the person with her heart set on the R5 might consider the 6D II. And might well reject the argument for it. As the list-maker you try to pick great cameras, of course, but you're really trying to do the reader a service by covering the bases and giving him or her a meaningful overview.
And at best, you introduce the reader to something he didn't even know about before, and he goes in that new direction and ends up happy.
But don't worry too much if you think I chose the wrong camera. If I pick the Q3 as the fixed-lens choice, it doesn't mean I can't mention the viral enthusiasm for the X100[x] among young people sparked by Instagram. With either, I can write a few sentences about the advantages and disadvantages of fixed-lens cameras. I might mention that the X100VI is chronically hard to get, and perhaps even say that otherwise it might have won the palm. A place on the list doesn't slam the gavel down and sentence non-winners to oblivion. And it doesn't mean other cameras can't be mentioned and included that way. It's all of a piece; it goes together like a jigsaw puzzle. The point is to make the list a good read, and informative overall. To put a broad variety of options into perspective. Mindfully, not mindlessly—it's not just the links that matter.
Yr. (all too) human Ed.
I can't compete with AI for productivity. But I'm an old prospector who's panned a lot of dirt in them thar hills, and it ain't caught up to me yet. I'm clever. And wily, like a coyote. I've been writing best camera lists since AI was still named Hal. I'll show AI that I'm better at building a list than it is! It can take its mindless clickbait internet pollution and slink back into the slimy cave it came out of. None o' that for Yr. Not-So Hmbl., proudly human Ed....nor for his proudly human readers. ;-)
And now, at 1:35 (!), breakfast. Then, to the shed!
Mike
Original contents copyright 2024 by Michael C. Johnston and/or the bylined author. All Rights Reserved. Links in this post may be to our affiliates; sales through affiliate links may benefit this site. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. (To see all the comments, click on the "Comments" link below or on the title of this post.)
Featured Comments from:
Steve W: "Lists are fun! And I look forward to the article, and I like how you have included readers feedback too, very nice. This isn't (necessarily) for the list, but I have to confess the more I use my iPhone 15 Pro, the less I use my Fuji X-T4 (a camera I love). AI is upon us! (For better and for worse I think)."
Ha. I still have a copy of that "Photo Techniques" issue. Because on the cover you showed most of my personal 35mm kit at that time... Leica M3, 50/2 DR-Summicron, and 35/2 RF-Summicron.
I was hugely amused that under the "25 Best Cameras" headline was gear that was at minimum, 32 years old- but I didn't disagree.
Of course, on the job I used Nikons when 35mm was called for, and I had a Nikon or two at home, but the Leica was still my favorite.
Posted by: Mark Sampson | Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 02:05 PM
I am a TG-7 Conscientious Objector. Sort of.
1. It cannot be in the list, because if you wear sunglasses, its screen goes black (in standard orientation). Really? In 2024? On an outdoorsy adverturey action camera?
This was confirmed by https://seriouslyphotography.com/2023/09/hands-on-with-om-systems-tough-tg-7-rugged-camera
2. It's IQ is just too low. I won't get all sciencey, but yeah, it's not at the point of sufficiency. DxO Photolab can drag 3 stops of it back (once DxO support its raw file format - which they still don't), but the processing overhead is huge to unsmear those raws.
3. Its macro chops only really stand out from the crowd, when you work with focus stacking. And that requires a non moving subject that won't mind the camera being an inch from the lens. Which is not likely in the natural world of wind (flowers) and bugs.
4. Its accessories are fragile - given the use case promoted by the camera. The ring lights, extra tricky lens cap, etcetera. And of course, they are ridiculously expensive.
Yes. It has great ergonomics for it genre. Yes. It's apocalypse proof. Has great battery life in the real world. Is responsive and well designed.
But if I have to take off my sunglasses in bright light, to get to see what I'm framing, and if the IQ can't come even halfway close to my (non Apple) phone, it's not right and proper Mike.
Dagnabit! (prospector reference intended).
For Australians, Camera House (the real world bricks and mortar retailer) has the TG-7 for sale at under AUD$600 as of today. Red and black. Use code MAR15 at checkout to get that price.
https://www.ebay.com.au/str/camerahouse
Posted by: Kye Wood | Tuesday, 05 March 2024 at 06:53 PM
Terrific recovery news! And that sounds like an ambitious list indeed. Rack 'em up!
Fankly, I'm a bit surprised to find that the "pocketable" camera segment survives; less surprised that it's a mix of video-centric upstarts and venerable stills-era model lines, with apparently nothing in what I'd consider the "budget" range.
I guess it's old news that smartphones and social media have weeded out all but the "enthusiast", "novelty/retro" and video-centric (and combinations thereof) models from the non-pro camera market. (Does that make an "enthusiast" list easier or harder to compile?) Maybe that's one reason I'm thinking more than ever about the difference between "photography enthusiast" and "camera enthusiast", and about where and how they overlap and diverge (or do they?). Hoping your list might shed some light here.
Posted by: robert e | Wednesday, 06 March 2024 at 11:00 AM
I still have that Photo Techniques issue. Thanks to it I got my first and second M3’s. I was reading it when a colleague told me that his father had one of those. I asked him if he would be interested in selling and he said “maybe”. Long story short, I went to his father’s house, he showed me the camera and a few lenses ( everything full of fungus ) and I bought it. The camera was cleaned by Steve Choi from Camera Service in Los Angeles and I still have it.
Posted by: David Lee | Wednesday, 06 March 2024 at 11:18 AM
"Sorry this is so long, but I didn't have time to make it short."
I love this line! There's a concise history of it at Quote Investigator https://quoteinvestigator.com/2012/04/28/shorter-letter/
Posted by: robert e | Wednesday, 06 March 2024 at 12:11 PM
Hi Mike,
Thanks for explaining your approach to the list.
Could I please suggest you consider Thom’s “best all round”, aka Jack-of-all-trades ILCs. Currently the Nikon Z8, previously the D850.
My reasoning is that you can discuss the compromises involved in deciding what to buy, and that something deemed ‘best’ may not be the best option for certain needs / wants.
I.e. the high pixel cameras creates larger files. They are also more demanding of lenses and therefore require more expensive, and often bigger and heavier, lenses, to squeeze out all the image quality potential.
As a sweeping generalisation, wedding photographers that shoot Nikon generally opted for the D750 over the D850, at the time, for many of the reasons outlined above.
Or, landscape shooters that want to maximise detail would need the PCE and other top end lenses (14-24mm f/2.8), plus a substantial tripod, to support the bigger / heavier lenses and bodies. That’s OK if you can drive to the shooting location. But, if someone has to hike into the shooting location, then weight becomes a significant factor, and people will look to alternatives.
As an aside, the D780 may be unique in being a transitional mix of DSLR (OVF with traditional PD AF), and mirrorless equivalent (EVF and on-sensor AF via Live View). But that may not meet your column needs. I didn’t use the term hybrid as it seems to refer to stills & video these days.
Disclosure - I obviously shoot Nikon, but have only used one of the bodies mentioned above.
Posted by: Not THAT Ross Cameron | Wednesday, 06 March 2024 at 10:35 PM