The Switch to Sony - Still the Best Idea Yet

Antigua, Guatemala, Sony A7MkII f/8, 1/500 at ISO 100

"Without change there is no innovation, creativity, or incentive for improvement. Those who initiate change will have a better opportunity to manage the change that is inevitable."

~ William Pollard

So its been since this past December that I made that move, ala #SwitchHappens, when I picked up the Sony A7s. Then in February, right before I left for Central America, I packed the Sony A7MarkII in a new ThinkTank Retrospective 30 bag. As for lenses, I've had to make a few switches that finally worked for me, especially in the wide-angle market. I initially went for the Rokinon 14mm T3.1 as I owned with my Nikon D800E (which was absolutely superb). But after a few weeks of use, I didn't think it was my best bet. What proved to pass the test with flying colors was the Sony 16-35mm f/4 wide-angle zoom lens. The sharpness and quick auto-focus won me over, even though I was initially settled on prime lenses only. I had to pick up a portrait prime, the 55mm 1.8 and these two have proven to be the one-two punch I was looking to travel with. Not a complaint, one.

So here are my TOP FIVE reasons the switch is best for me and why I think you'll benefit as well.

El Salvador, Sony A7S f/5.6, 4 seconds at ISO 1600

1. Size and Weight - This is the obvious benefit so I begin with the easiest. Back in the day, it was difficult to be taken seriously unless you had a bigger, heavier camera. This tended to be a natural barrier to entry to female photographers who may have stuck with rangefinders. After spending a little time working in B&C Camera, I also learned that amateur and pro photogs alike would add on a battery grip to give that extra heft and appearance that says "I am serious. I am a pro" look. I know this to be fact as I have heard it admitted quite often. The lenses are also just as small for the most part.

But today, this isn't necessary. Even for someone with large hands, you quickly get used to the size of the Sony mirrorless systems. You don't go out to eat and request the XXL forks, just because you have big hands. You'll get used to it. As of yet, I have not seen nor heard of a single photographer that makes the switch and then later goes back to the DSLR. Not one. There's no need to pack extra weight just because. Because what? If you can get the same exact results or better in a smaller package, why not do it and save yourself the carpel tunnel, tennis elbow, and chiropractor visits for your bad back. And you know what else? People aren't as intimidated when I pull this camera out for street photography. You can't say as much as when you level a big DSLR in their faces.

2. Sensor quality - Okay, when the first high resolution DSLR came out, do you know who made the sensor. It was in the Nikon D800/800E, yes. But the sensor was made by Sony. Sony has been a premier sensor maker for quite some time and even makes medium format sensors. That bad ass 51MP Pentax 645Z? Yep, that's a Sony sensor. Is that an iPhone 6 or 6 Plus in your pocket. Yeah, Sony's got that sensor too. If you look at the top sensors rated by DXOMark.com, Sony has 5 of the top 6. Only the top-rated D810 (score of 97) is not a Sony manufactured sensor as far as I know and I hadn't been able to verify the Nikon D750. None of the Canon sensors have ever been rated above a score of 87 and that includes new 50MP full-frame sensors in the Canon 5DS and 5DSR.

"Sony owns an estimated 40.2 percent share of image sensor market - According to market research estimates, in 2014 Sony made 40.2 percent of all image sensors, leaving its rivals in the sector far behind. Presumably, this figure includes sensors made for things like automotive and industrial uses, but there's no doubt that it also accounts for the front and back sensors in Apple's iPhone 6 models, both made by Sony."

Sony A7s, f/11, 1/640 ISO 1600

3. Chock Full of Features I Can and Do Use - Who's ever heard of focus peaking? Ever have that with your DSLR? No you haven't. The Electronic Viewfinder is good even in the dark. It switches from LCD screen mode to Viewfinder mode automatically as soon as I look through the viewfinder. I can view the replay of my images or video through the viewfinder even in bright sunshine. Again...Not on a DSLR. Here's one feature a DSLR has that a mirrorless camera doesn't...Mirror Lock-Up. Why? Because there is no mirror to begin with. How about wireless control with my iPhone 6Plus? Yep. I got that. Know what else I can run on my camera, Apps. Yeah, just like my phone. I can put my A7s in silent mode and there is actually no sound produced when I take a picture. I likes. In addition to that, I can record 4K video on my A7s (to an external output recorder) and when the A7rMkII comes out this month, it will do it too (straight to the SD card!). See what I mean? Full of features.

Just waking up. Guatemala. A7S, F/4, 125, ISO 5000

4. Lens Quality - This is the spot that has taken a little time. I'd have been on the mirrorless bandwagon a while back, but its taken a liiittle bit of time to develop all the E-mount lenses, especially for the full frame versions. Two years after the debut, WALLA!! Everything I need, PLUS some. But let me get to the plus in a second. My main needs are wide-angle and portrait. Well, they have that in spades. The 16-35mm f/4 covers the gamut on my wide needs well enough to keep me from looking any further. And Portrait? Zeiss glass that has come to the rescue like a knight in shining armor. No kidding on that. Especially the primes. But Zeiss has also designed zooms for Sony. I'll likely be mostly prime-oriented though. Next purchase, the 90mm 2.8 macro. Gotta have it. After that, I'll likely be looking at the Zeiss Batis Series in both the 85mm 1.8 and the 25mm f/2. And just to play, I may work with the Voigtlander Nocton 50mm f/1.1 just for giggles. Remember that aforementioned "PLUS", well because of the short flange focal distance, there is pretty much an adapter that can fit to mount any other manufacturer lens. Got Canon lenses you don't wanna give up...maybe like the EF 85mm 1.2? Well, you can get a Metabones adapter and use Canon glass on the Sony full frames. Yes, you heard me correctly.

5. Corporate Sensibilities - I like options. Like... a lot. Very much so. And I gotta give it up to Sony for being the top innovator as it relates to Digital Cameras, IMHO. Working in a camera store, I get to see many of the different manufacturers and it still amazes me that the ones at the top (Canon and Nikon) still ignore the changing of the guard, much to the same chagrin as Kodak which held onto film a little bit too long. Kodak was the original pioneer in digital and yet failed to see its true worth. Nikon and Canon fail to see the advent of the mirrorless systems and thus continue to produce predictable systems as if the Megapixel and ISO race is still valid. So here is a quick rundown of how Sony as a corporate philosophy has garnered my attention.

Sony A7S f/4, 1/30, ISO 160

First, they don't give me pro cameras in a vertical hierarchy. With DSLR manufacturers, my options are limited to budgetary concerns. Get the best you can afford. You buy a DSLR in your price range and you either get the best or sacrifice options. With Sony, the hierarchy is horizontal. I don't need all of Canon's full-frame systems which are PRICE-based. However, I can very much see owning all of Sony's full-frame systems because they are NEEDS-based. If I only need a general use system, I can get the A7MarkII. But what happens when I'm doing lowlight work or need to be discrete with streetphoto work? Well, I can get the A7s which has the best high ISO performance of any camera on the market and has an absolutely soundless shutter in silent mode. OR, if I need high resolution, I can opt for the new 42MP A7RMarkII coming out next week sometime. That's 3 full-frame systems that I can justify owning and they don't sacrifice features or options. I don't get less of a camera because I get the general use A7MarkII. These systems back up each other as well as compliment each other. And yes, I will own all 3.

I also like the fact that Sony has not been afraid to spend money in R&D and bring new products to market. The Q-systems was a lens that could utilize the sensor on your smartphone via NFC. They developed 2 or 3 different ones. We sold several at B&C Camera, but they never really caught on. It didn't make them gun shy. They went on with the next thing. The NEX system eventually gave way to the Alpha system. They developed a market and then cultivated it over 5 years. Real innovation is encouraged as opposed to several other camera manufacturers which elect to stay traditional and conventional, ignoring market concerns. As I mentioned. I watch people switch ALL. THE. TIME. I know pros and amateurs alike who WANT to switch, but can't quite get past the notion of trading out all their old investment in DSLRs and lenses. I also introduce new consumers who only know Canon or Nikon to Sony and see the reaction on their faces when I tell them the A6000 is a less costly, smaller yet viable 11- frames per second direct competitor to ANY  DSLR crop (DX) system. All I have to do is put it in their hands. The look in their eyes tell the story.

Sony A7MarkII f/8, 1/250, ISO 100

So you definitely have some choices in the mirrorless market. Behind Sony, I like the Fujifilm system and lenses. Then there is the micro-four thirds systems by Panasonic and Olympus. I recently picked up the Panasonic G7 as in inexpensive option to help me, as on option with some of my video work and moments when I don't want to risk my main systems and investment in Sony. But make no mistake, for now, Sony is still my best idea to date in a camera. Of all the systems I have ever owned, its by far my favorite.

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Another New Paradigm - The Sony A7s

Art Model, Kristi C ©2014 Terrell Neasley

“Without deviation from the norm, progress is not possible.” ― Frank Zappa

Its happened. I've made another major change in my photographic evolution. For the first time in my photographic life, I'm DSLR-less. Or more commonly stated. I've gone Mirrorless. So this makes the third time I've made a metamorphosis like this. It first started when I chose to leave film and jump into the digital world in the fall of 2007. I was already a Canon user and felt no real reason to NOT be Canon just because I no longer used film and darkroom techniques to create my images. That was a hard switch, but I felt the Canon 40D did the job as about as good as I could get in film and stay within a budget. I think I paid about $1500 or so and got some speedlites and umbrellas to put on stands for my lighting gear. That's how I started. I used the Canon ST-E2 Infrared transmitters to trigger my 430EXII Speedlights. I quickly learned its limitations and rented the Canon 5DMarkII full frame system and fell in love with it. I paired it with a 7D and felt unstoppable. I eventually acquired a full line-up of Canon L-Series lenses, to include the 24mm Tilt-Shift (which made me money by simply having the lens ON my camera. It got attention and got me gigs), as well as my favorite the 85mm 1.2. The 70-200mm f/2.8L IS II was by far my sharpest and fastest lens to focus with, but the shallow depth of field of the 85mm 1.2 held my heart.

Art Model, Kristi C ©2014 Terrell Neasley

And so it came, as all things must, the end of my fellowship with Canon. My desire to travel quickly became a priority and my intention was to go medium format. And then Nikon came out with the D800/D800E. I was disappointed in the Canon 5DMarkIII. It just didn't have the resolution and detail I desired for my artwork. A friend of mine showed me what the D800E could do and I quickly noted that what I saw was exactly what went on in my head. Oddly enough I paired it with a Tamron 24-70mm f/2.8 image stabilized lens and it served me far better than Nikon's own 24-70. I took it to Guatemala and Belize in 2012 and got exactly what I wanted. Match made in Heaven, right. Well, kinda...

The D800E fit my hands well. The size and weight were great for what I do here in the US...but abroad? Not so much. I thought I could carry fewer lenses by packing the 28-300mm and the 50mm 1.4. The 50mm did work. The 28-300mm did as well, but not quite as well. I began to see extensive Chromatic Aberation problems with the lens when the lighting conditions were higher in contrast such as the bright sun coming through the trees. This meant that I could no longer cut corners and would have to bring out the good stuff and carry more and more costly lenses on my next trip. But this notion did not appeal to me. I backpack. I don't have roller bags when I travel. Carrying all that heavy gear in Guatemala, the D800E and the 2 lenses were already bothersome. I just couldn't imagine carrying even more gear.

So then I got the Fujifilm X-E2 for my next trip to Central America. Right before I left, I picked up the camera kit, which came with the metal barrel 18-55mm f/2.8-4 and aperture ring, along with the 35mm 1.4. Fuji has an excellent line-up of cameras and especially lenses. I came back after almost 3 months in Nicaragua with EXCELLENT work. I even took it on a pro gig in L.A. on my way back to Las Vegas. The Fujifilm X-E2 is the first mirrorless camera that I purchased, but I still worked with my D800E in and around Vegas.

Art Model, Kristi C ©2014 Terrell Neasley

But now, that's all changed since I'm doing more work with low-light, nighttime, and astronomy...particularly with shooting nudes in these settings. This is where Sony has solved this problem. There's not another camera on the planet that have these attributes better than the A7s. Its another learning curve to get used to, but frankly, I like it. As of last week, I made my 3rd evolution and ventured into the little-known world of Mirrorless Interchangeble Lens Cameras as my sole system of choice. I still have the APS-C sensor Fujifilm X-E2, but I no longer have my Nikon D800E. I am 100% Mirrorless. My needs have changed and I had no problem with making the adjustment...again. I needed lighter weight systems and I needed the ability to shoot better in lower light. Usually, all that's necessary is a tripod, a cable-release and some patience. But sometimes the elements in my composition would move, such as the clouds, and I needed much shorter shutter times. And then there are a few other reasons I won't get into at the moment, but suffice to say, I think this is special. The full-frame A7s simply gives me what I need in order to get what's in my head to in front of my eyes. I've had a few people speak negatively on my decisions in this regard, but I'll save that for another post.

Art Model, Kristi C ©2014 Terrell Neasley

For now, I'll have images edited before long and I'll continue to test and learn this new system. I still have another body, another lens, and a couple more things to get to prepare me for my next adventure. I think that'll be the new A7MarkII or a new Fujifilm system. I'm pretty sure, that'll be it. I picked up the 35mm 2.8 yesterday and still need the 55mm 1.8, along with at least 1 Rokinon lens, but maybe two. Over the past few months, you've seen me blog about what I thought were shortcomings in the lack of innovation of Canon and Nikon. Well, now I've put my money with my words and made that change.

What Will the Future Pro Camera (DSLR) Look Like?

Art Model Katherine and Hades, ©2008 Terrell Neasley

"Progress is impossible without change, and those who cannot change their minds cannot change anything."

~ George Bernard Shaw

This is one of the debates that spawn rumors about the demise of the DSLR. Every since the Mirrorless systems have been on the market and gaining steam, the question has been on whether or not the DSLR will survive. But I pose a different question... WHY do we CARE??

I guess the people who care most about this question will be the DSLR loyalists who can't make the transition to something new. These will be the Canon or Nikon users who swear by their larger full frame systems and large fast glass. The DSLR has been around since the mid-1930's and has been successful since the '60's as the go-to system over the rangefinder. Its transition to digital in the early 90's has spawned an out of control evolution, dare I say REVOLUTION in the field of photography. But the main feature of the DSLR, which gives it its TTL benefits, is the MIRROR. The mirror sits in a mirror box and reflects the image the camera sees into a pentaprism that bounces the image up to be seen through the viewfinder. This mirror box accounts for the size of the DSLR, even though technology has allowed many of them to be smaller than the cameras they replace.

But here are a few things I think the pro camera will have in the next 6 years and the DSLR will go the way of the twin lens reflex. Sure it'll be around, but it will not be mainstream.

Art Model, Mary ©2006 Terrell Neasley

1. No Mirror Box
Well, I think this is first and most obvious. Current mirrorless systems are gaining ground fast. 3 things that kept DSLRs above the Mirrorless systems this same time last year were Speed WITH auto focus AND metering between shots, full frame resolution, and again with speed with respects to frames per second. Well, we now have full frame mirrorless systems with the Sony A7/A7R systems. The A7R boasts a sensor pretty much the same as what's in Nikon's 36MP D800E. In fact, Sony MAKES the sensor for the D800's. They are also gaining in frames per second since the Olympus OM-D EM-1 will shoot at 10fps, but the problem is that is can only do this at a locked AF and exposure. Trust me, somebody's gonna be promoting that feature within the year. By proving the mirror box as an antiquated system, I predict most cameras being sold in 6 years will not have one.

2. No Shutter
I think this too will disappear before long as tech improves. Cameras are quickly becoming computers that take pictures. Firmware updates come as about as frequently as ones for your desktop, (although not quite as much for iPhones). So how will we take pics? Simple...the sensor will soon easily turn on and off in blinding speeds and eliminate the restrictions of an 1/8000 shutter speed. You'll be able to get 1/128,000 shutter speed on your new pro camera and stop a bullet in flight as it is discharged from a firearm, provided you had enough light. But who's shooting above 1/8000th of a second shutter anyway? The main gig the faster shutter will be used for shall be frames per second. With a sensor that cuts on and off with blinding speed, you be looking at sports photographers who'll be able to shoot 100 frames a second. Yeah, media capacity will have to increase as well.

Anonymous Art Model, ©2006 Terrell Neasley

3. Video Capture will be much more common
Every single camera made these days will do 1080p video. Well, except for Nikon's Df. The Canon 70D has features more attuned and designed for video use even more than photo. Video quality will improve and in 6 years, pro-level cameras will likely shoot 6K video. It might just be easier to shoot video instead of attempting to capture that decisive moment photographically and then pulling a single hi-res image from the video file. But I still believe video is gaining in popularity. Therefore more people will want to learn video capture the same way people are flocking to cameras and photo. Technology has made it easier to capture, edit, and share images. Vids will be no different.

4. Lytro Tech in Mid-Level Systems and Above
If you hadn't at least heard of the Lytro system, you're wrong. Lytro uses revolutionary tech to allow post capture focus points. Basically, with shallow depth of field compositions, you can elect to change the point of focus and chose something in the foreground or change it something in the background AFTER you've already taken the shot and are editing it in your post work. I'll let you read up on it instead of getting into a bunch of details when all I want is a paragraph for this post. But suffice to say, the company just announce its latest version of its light field capture camera. But I have a feeling that a major manufacturer will buy the company out and integrate its tech into its own systems. [Just came across this article about an MIT team using this same technique for cell phones.] Nikon hasn't shown this type of innovation in recent years and Canon tries to play it to safe stay traditional. I see Sony picking up this company in the next few years and integrating it into their mirrorless systems. Watch and see what I tell you.

Art Model Viki Vegas ©2011 Terrell Neasley

5. More Wireless Options
Wireless options will be the norm for any new camera coming out in about 3 years. Pro level systems will be no different. It will be a standard feature, but they will do more. Your camera will essentially be a phone that takes pictures instead of making calls with a 4G, LTE, or whatever they may be calling it in a few years. Simply put, it will have its own IP address and be able to connect to internet at will with wireless speeds that will be able to transmit directly to the cloud no matter the file size. Wireless capabilities will, before long, reach speeds and capabilities that far outpace the camera files sizes and it will be seemingly instant. Cameras will likely still have high capacity media cards, SD or otherwise, but images will have the ability to download straight to a cloud storage source instead of just to your phone or tablet.

Art Model, Tiffany ©2008 Terrell Neasley

6. Cameras with Apps and Touch Screen Functions
Menus are being simplified big time. Sony and Fujifilm have camera controls that are becoming more similar to App controls and it will continue. The Leica T is probably leading the pack in this regard. Our Leica rep for B&C Camera came by to update us on some Leica training. He introduced us to the Leica T system that has just hit the shelves. There are FOUR buttons on this thing. Everything else is operated via touch screen and app functions. In fact, let me just say that this system is probably the prototype for the rest of its systems. Likely the M-series will be modeled after this same tech in a few years. Its been Samsung who has been the spearhead in this regard, though. They started it with the Galaxy point and shoot cameras which has not evolved into their NX systems. The NX-30 is, in all likelihood, the camera that will most likely meet all of my predictions if they don't falter or get knocked out by competition...again, I'm thinking Sony.

In any case, I don't see the DSLR being in the picture in its present form anyway. But back to my original question. Why do we care? Cameras and photography has been in a constant state of evolution. The DSLR replaced the Film-based SLR. They are still around, but less and less people are shooting with them and manufacturers aren't producing them any longer. Prior to the SLR, pro photogs used entirely different systems. This link depicts early sport photography cameras that weighed in at 120 pounds. The thing looks like a howitzer. But my point is that technology drives change and cameras cannot stay the same. So why do we care whether or not the DSLR will still be here in 6 years. The DSLR is a tool in order to do photography. IMHO, its the photography that matters. How its captured, doesn't concern me as much as long as its good quality per my standards and looks like what I imagined it to.

Game Changer...The Newest Sony Line

Gorgeous Art Model, Jessica ©2013 Terrell Neasley

In my last post, I discussed some concepts in the evolution of photography and the transitions to come. This is another aspect of that change. Anyone who's paid attention to camera gear has, by now heard of the new Sony A7 & the A7R. These are the latest Mirrorless Cameras to be introduced and the first ones outside of Leica to incorporate Full Frame sensors. What's the significance of all this, you might ask? Well, its like this...

Gorgeous Art Model, Jessica ©2013 Terrell Neasley

To date, camera manufacturers have integrated large and heavy camera bodies into their lines every since the first Single Lens Reflex or SLR was introduced in 1948. All this means is that your eye in the viewfinder was seeing exactly what the lens is seeing. Prior to this, it was impossible as the viewfinder was located either just above the lens (Twin Lens Reflex) or to the side of the lens (rangefinders). So there was no way to view the subject the same way it was being captured on the film. While there have been medium format SLRs, the SLR has been primarily the purview of the 35mm format systems. To be an SLR, there has to be only one optical view for both the lens and the viewfinder, which is accomplished with two revolutionary features built into cameras...a mirror that pops up and down, and a penta-prism (penta-mirror in some cases). However there was a trade-off. Incorporating those two engineered components required an increase in the size of the camera. This increase also added to the weight. Weight was considered a viable trade-off because of the added stability when the camera is hand-held as well as the camera becoming more durable with stronger housings and shells.

And this has been the case for years. If you want the best of images, the SLR was your answer. As of the last 15 years, the Digital SLR, or DSLR has been king. At of the turn of the century, as more digital cameras were becoming lighter, we saw more and more female photographers entering the industry. The best cameras used to be suited for the large hands of men who also had the stamina to handle the weight. Aluminum alloys became the norm for frames. Polycarbonate shells (thermoplastic polymers) added reasonable strength without the weight for many of the consumer model cameras. Weight became less problematic to a degree, but you still had to contend with the large mirror box housing which has a tendency to be noisy, cause vibrations (requiring the mirror lock-up feature), as well as putting restrictions on frame rate. Sony was first to come up with the SLT, Single Lens Translucent mirror design, but it never really became the game-changer.

Gorgeous Art Model, Jessica
©2013 Terrell Neasley

There have been several new technologies that have come on the market in the last few years, which is another sign that the industry is ready for a new paradigm. Canon's Dual-Pixel Auto Focus system introduced in the EOS 70D was called a game-changer. Sony has introduced a lens to take pics without the camera with their QX system! But even Sony hasn't been the leader in mirrorless tech. That would instead be Olympus and Panasonic who have opted to combine technologies with their Mico Four-Thirds system sensors. And good Lord, they have caught on. The Olympus OMD-EM-5 hit the market to great fanfare just last year. A few months ago the introduced the OMD-EM-1. Nikon entered the market about 18 months ago with the Nikon 1 system. They havn't been as successful as Olympus who has chosen to forego their large DSLR line and put all their bank on the 4/3rds system. Canon was the industry lagger in this field and basically chose to BS with the EOS-M, which has really tanked. Rumor as it that they will try to make a comeback with a new version. Fujifilm is the other favorite contender with the X-series and the fixed lens X100s model.

Gorgeous Art Model, Jessica ©2013 Terrell Neasley

Sony has come out blazing with 3 additional lines not including its DSLRs. The NEX-system has been absolutely killer. With several models, they all include DX-size sensors like what you have in the Nikon D7000 DSLR. Then they came out with a fixed lens Cybershot R-Line which introduced their first full frame sensor in a compact camera. And now they have announced the A7 and the A7R which comes out this December. The A7 is 24MP and the A7R is 36MP...just like my Nikon D800E, and it has the Antialias filter removed... just like my Nikon D800E, but at HALF the weight. And guess who made the sensor for my 36MP Nikon D800E... Yes, Sony.

Gorgeous Art Model, Jessica
©2013 Terrell Neasley

Game changer? Yeah, I'd say so. I don't see Olympus abandoning their Micro 4/3rds systems in the near future, but I'm of the impression that Canon and Nikon are giving some serious looks to their R&D department heads. Is the Sony A7/A7R a DSLR-killer? Not quite yet. There are still necessities the mirrorless systems can't quite accommodate just yet. If you're a sports guy and need the frames per second, the DSLR is for you. If you're an avid outdoorsman needing the zoom beyond 300mm...DSLR. Or if you work much in extreme temperatures and harsh environmental conditions...DSLR. Wanna shoot WIDE open, like f/1.4...DSLR. But I would imagine those lenses are coming for the mirrorless systems. I'm sure speed will pick up. And the A7R is already weather sealed. Outside of those things, you can stay traditional, or give mirrorless a look, because it can pretty much hold its own in anything else. I know getting the Leica gear I want isn't as practical for my travel purposes at the moment. The A7R, however just might meet that need for now, however. Do I leave my D800E at home? I'm still thinking on that one.

The Evolving Photographer

Art Model, SuzN ©2013 Terrell Neasley

"It's evolve or die, really, you have to evolve, you have to move on otherwise it just becomes stagnant."

~ Craig Charles 

None of us can remain stagnant in any of the different professions we work in. It used to be that you could work the same job or within the same company, at least until you were ready to retire and then the employer would take care of you throughout your golden years. That paradigm concluded when the industrial age gave way to the information age and the information age has been getting exponentially faster at an ever accelerating rate. I would wager that Moore's Law has even been halved, as well.

This has never been more true than in the photography trade. The former barriers to entry of the high price of gear and years of apprenticeship have given way to cheaper cameras and a flood of entrants that prefer full auto to learning the trade. Technology has not only leveled the playing field, but dropped it below sea level behind a dam that has cracks. 

Art Model, SuzN ©2013 Terrell Neasley

So what do we do now, fellow photographers? We change, that's what. We don't acquiesce to clients like the photogs who panic and start giving away their work for free. We don't abandon the print in favor of handing over Hi-Res images. But we do change. And that starts with CREATIVITY! Creativity brings back the craftsmanship to photography that we've dearly lost. This is no different of a time than when Polaroid came out with instant film. There was the same level of ire from "true" photogs towards instant film. It was the same with disposable cameras. Well, this is the digital age and its no different. Our clients and the general public are looking for the next evolution in the digital realm to see what we come up with next and its already happening when you look at the inspiring work of Benjamin Wong or Chase Jarvis. 

So how do you begin to make that next evolutionary step? You keep learning and stay open-minded. I learn from different sources, one of which are podcasts. Chances are, whenever I'm driving, I've got my earbuds in listening to TWIP (This Week in Photography), hosted by Frederick Van Johnson. Let me just focus on him for a second. Frederick Van Johnson is the owner of MediaBytes, a marketing and consulting firm and he hosts a varying panel of photographers and photo experts who discuss photography news and photo topics of interests. Lately, he has given a lot of focus to the Mirrorless genre, such as his latest episode, "Reflecting on Mirrorless". I've listened to it FIVE times now and I have to say, it's been very timely for me and here's why.

Art Model, SuzN ©2013 Terrell Neasley

"What's dangerous is not to evolve."

~ Jeff Bezos 

For myself, it began last Summer with my switch from Canon to Nikon. I used to carry two large camera bodies and just about every L-Series lens out there. But after switching to Nikon AND reorganizing my business more towards travel work, I felt the need to carry less gear. The Nikon D800E solved my needs for high resolution for fine art, but I could not invest in a second body at the time because I could not find a suitable complement from Nikon for my D800E. Today, the closest is the new D7100. I feel like I would love that camera, but I am still hesitant. 

Art Model, SuzN ©2013 Terrell Neasley

My real interest has been with the Sony RX-1r, the only compact full-frame camera on the market, which also has eliminated the anti-alias filter over the sensor like my D800E. Ideally, the Leica M Type 240 mated with a Summicron-M 35mm f/2 lens would be my choice, but I can't see shelling out $11K on that just yet. And the more I think about it, the Sony NEX-6 would also serve me well in the field. Both of those platforms have some features yet to be included that would make my choices more concrete. However if not for my need for the high resolution, I could potentially travel with just the Sony systems.

Art Model, SuzN ©2013 Terrell Neasley

So I have to change! I can't hold onto the idea of big DSLRs and heavy lenses. I'm not getting rid of my Nikon, but it will share time with Sony very soon, (and the Leica if God truly decides to bless me!) And I've got to step up my work. I've got to offer more. I've got to give my client something they haven't seen. Is this hard? Yes and no. I've already subscribed to the fact that my services are not for everyone. If you hire me, its because you want MY talents and are comfortable with my fees. Price-conscious clientele are probably not going to be as cool with me and I understand that. My creativity comes at a premium and I am not afraid to recognize that or ask for the sale. So as long as you know your market, you can stop wasting time outside of it.

So what about you? What are you doing to differentiate, evolve, and become more creative? That question needs to be answered every morning you get up. I know because I face it every day and do not always like to answer that question. But face it I must. Move on to the next gig and focus on the goals at hand.

Here is a Von Wong installment for your enjoyment: