Mike Broadway – PhotoBlog

Still Death, Bull Creek, Austin

I read Kirk Tuck’s post on The Online Photographer today in which he described his experiences writing what sounded to be the perfect photography blog, The Visual Science Lab. By perfect I mean that it is exactly the kind of blog that I want to read where gear comes second to the process and inspiration for making photographs. So I followed the link and started to scan the page.

I must have been living under the proverbial rock! Not only is it indeed the kind of blog that I want to read but the man lives in my town. Today’s post on using the Nikon V1 is illustrated with images from the 5th and Lamar neighborhood that I work in, and his text is litered with references to places and events I know.

Kirk Tuck likes the V1 too and that makes me feel smarter for sticking up for it. It’s hard not to like someone that makes you feel smarter :-)

The Visual Science Lab will join The Online Photographer as part of my daily fare.

Wounded, Laguna Gloria, Austin

Wikipedia, in a nice turn of phrase, describes Sturm und Drang as an 18th Century German artistic movement in which:

“individual subjectivity and, in particular, extremes of emotion were given free expression in reaction to the perceived constraints of rationalism imposed by the Enlightenment.”

The Sturm und Drang in the photographic world this week has been over the announcement of the Nikon 1 System, Nikon’s entry into the the mirrorless interchangeable lens camera (ILC) battleground. Enthusiast photographers have reacted en masse with disappointment, horror, derision, despair, disgust, a resounding collective raspberry and predictions of the fall of Nikon. The sensor is smaller than they expected, the lens apertures are slower than they wanted, and there are not enough buttons and wheels – no M, P, S, A dial. Clearly, they say, Nikon missed the mark and missed badly.

But hold the phone. Did Nikon really tie on a blind fold and jump off a cliff?

All this negativity reminds me of the reaction of some of my fellow software developers to the original iPad launch; they wanted all the bells and whistles of their Mac Book Pros in a compact tablet form factor and therefore considered the iPad a failure and a lost opportunity. I thought that they had missed the point; we all know how it turned out. Apple understood that the market for the iPad was not professional software technologists, and Nikon understands the that the high volume, high profit market segment for mirrorless ILCs is not enthusiasts looking for a second camera.

I, an enthusiast, complained recently about the lack of an upgrade path from my Panasonic GF1 / Leica M9 surrogate, the ultimate cause of which is that Panasonic is prioritizing the same market that Nikon is aiming for. To wit, the much larger number of point-and-shoot users that hanker for something more capable without the perceived learning curve and bulk of an SLR. Nikon sees Panasonic, Olympus, Sony and Samsung threatening to take away its entry level SLR audience and it is fighting back with a camera that can take 60 frames a second and let you select the one keeper with the perfect smile. Eat that Cartier-Bresson!

Would I buy an Nikon V1 for myself? Probably not. Would I advise my dad to consider one? That’s a definite yes. Would I buy one for each of my artist daughters as a graduation present? I might well. The Nikon V1 looks to be a talented single shot camera with excellent video capabilities that will allow my non-expert but motivated family and friends to produce great photographs and movies. I might not purchase one for myself but I can think of a dozen people I could influence in that direction.

Thom Hogan, a well connected and insightful observer of Nikon developments, offered a balanced and detailed “Don’t Undersell What the Nikon 1 Can Do” commentary on his by thom site. And dpreview.com has offered an explanation for Why make a small-sensor mirrorless camera?, acknowledging that Nikon might perceive some good reasons to do so.

Meanwhile, what is an enthusiast to do? Thom Hogan has a quote for that too:

“Everyone’s looking for redemption in a new camera. The old ones work pretty well.”