so back when the 40d (10mp) and 5d (12mp) were king things were great. you were using digital and getting better quality then film there was no need for anything bigger!  i could easily make clean and clear 20x30in prints with most every shot. now i have a 7d (18mp) and a 5d ii (21mp). so why all the extra mega pixels?? no reason at all they are now more of a boost.  because there are so many mp's its actually hard to tell the difference in image quality of the sensor.  so now at these levels it matters what lens you.  we compare lens quality and sensor quality. not your image quality.  so the only reason photographers get these cameras is to look at the pictures at 100% zoom pixel by pixel.  pixels are like computer code. nothing to do with image quality.  if you look at pictures from my canon 40d and my 5d ii printed on a 20x30in posters the look the same. no different.  so there is no reason for the mp.  anything over 6mp is fine for most everything. and on the pro end 12mp is about all we need.

 so what about pixel peeper competitors how dose that small an odd computer photographers.  but its funny because the higher mp isnt making higher quality pictures just bigger pictures. but thats all relative. because you can print out at different ppi. 72 to 300 range the cameras are set at 72ppi in jpeg mode.  you convert when you print that also changes image quality probably more so then the sensor.  you cant really see the difference on a pc. 72ppi vs 300ppi cant be seen on a pc.  and you cant see a difference on posters.  so where can you see the difference.  on your pc a click away from forums!!  so now there is is large group of people that think what is on the forums is real or what professional photographers actually ever use.  Professional photographers dont pixel peep.  we just take the best picture quality.  i cheat and my cameras will always win. so here is what you do.  so many people think that mp will help you win.  yes and no. my canon 40d (10mp) will out perform my canon 7d (18mp). now this isnt always the case depends on the actual picture. iso, f stop contrast of the scene.  these are all that you cant see in real life photography. as in posters and anything on line or in a magazine or anywhere a professional would sell a print.  so again pixel peeping is just a special sport for an odd croud of non photo photographers.  so if 10mp is the same as 18mg why do we have the mp war of who has more.  pixel wars.  bigger is better right so we zoom in to the picture bigger then you can see with the human eye.  we zoom in with our software.  a program that lets you see the picture bigger then you could with the naked eye.  like looking at art with a micro scope cuz they all look identical to the naked eye.  now at these magnified looks we can see what isnt meant to ever be seen. and what do we see!!! there is a difference some do better then others at different levels.  how do i win. will i take my canon 7d that dosent shoot as crisp as my 40d. but thats because its shooting at its standard mp of 18mp. to many mega pixels for the sensor to fit.  but thats only for the mp war. the 7d beats the 40d. win for the 7d it gets bigger pics. but now with this extra mp the image quality isnt as good as the smaller 10mp 40d. so how do we fix this.  we fight fare. the canon 40d set at 10mp its max. and we set the canon 7d to shoot at 8mp. same size sensor that is more sensitive the the 40d. no need to shoot at 18mp!  its a waist.  shoot at 8mp and thats big enough for anything on the web anything that would be printed out that you could see with the naked eye. now to compare the 7d beats the 40d by a land slide. pixel peep winner is the 7d. so anyone that says the 40d is crisper then the 7d is just not fighting fare. 

Marketing 101 as from what i have noticed. i am by no means a professional marketer for canon or nikon.

 so as i see it as a professional photographer cameras for canon have peeks for professional use. the canon 40d and 5d are where things topped out. these came out a long time ago. so how do we get people to buy new cameras? nikon and canon and kenrockwell all work together to create a new market. not for professional photographers but for computer photographers.  ken now i use ken because he is one of the biggest out there.  he test cameras. and really just test image quality on a level only pixel peepers can see.  so the rule in life is that a professional photographer needs to have the best camera out. thats what clients want from a pro they want the best.  but in the real world where a pro could use his 5d classic for the rest of his life with no need for anything else. they need computer peeps to think its not good enough. thats how marketing works you convince someone that what they have isnt good enough and the will be a better person if they fix there problem.  well canon 5d needed an upgrade to keep the company going. they they make the picture even better then what the naked eye can see.  so the inter net is the main marketing for cameras no question. they develop pixel peepers. and now not just the photographer can see but the photographer post his finding to the internet.  ken have found out that the newer cameras are so much better then the old ones! so people looking for a camera go online and read kens site and find out what is the best camera. not whats actually best but what pixel peepers think is best. there is now a buz about what is the best. and professionals as photographers needing the best have to upgrade from there perfectly good camera to the newer and better model.  poof a market.

Now for nikon and Canon.  they are the best thing that ever happened to each other.  one make the best pro camera. now the other as the top manufacturer has to make one better. this has been going on for years. and different wars will break out. the image quality war. or the pm war. the new thing is iso war.  its all pretty silly and not a professional sport. it should never be in the olympics.  artist should be in the olympics.  art should be how we rate photographers not by what the social internet says is the best.  because then artist dont win as top photographers. people think ken is the best because he always has the best stuff so me must be a pro.  he puts on workshops and what he says is pretty much fact.  but now how did he become so good.  ask anyone have you ever seen a picture he has take.  I think he has a portfolio on his website.  some basic stuff great work about as good as any other joe out there.  but he created his name on his money. he at no point made his money with his photography he just did what most rich people do they market. they buy the best and market themselves as the best. so they rate things alwats the newest products that we must get.  why do we listen to this nonsense well because he is really good at what he does. he markets.  i read everything out of that mans mouth.  every new review i read and i wait for what he says and i decide most of my equipment by what he says.  ill even stand up for him when people put him down on other websites.  mostly because he made himself as a great photographer not by his work but by his amazing wealth and ability to market himself well.  but i dont like ken for his art i like him for his reviews him as a person seems to jell with how i like to shoot.  i wouldnt go to one of his workshops to learn. im pretty maxed out on that. i would go to get more info on my gear how to best use it in different situations to help now my gear better.   he has won the pixel war he always will.  he is the best because he told everyone he was and had the funds to make sure everyone knew.  now as an artist i think its sad as always that art isnt where it should be. most other countries are much better to there artist.  but the honest truth is that art and photography and pixel peeping are all different.  so how do i feel about ken. i like him. he is well written and knows his stuff.   the only negative this would be that he creates this market that i think slows down artist. making them feel as though what they have isnt good enough.  what i wish he would say is hey the best camera out there are these.the canon canon 20d for stills if you want the cheapest camera that has can make beautiful pro level art.  no artist should ever feel the need to upgrade forum a 20d if they dont need or want to. there should be no pressure to have the newest.  pixel peeps should be known as not the pro standard by any means.  even ken writes about what is really needed. if you search his site and find him writing about film being better then digital and why mp isnt a big deal.  but they never pop up in the google when you search something.  now ken claims to not be paid by nikon or canon or any other camera company.  but i am almost positive that nikon and canon both secretly pay google millions to promote his website.  it always pops up first but only when he talks about new gear. he is a puppet without even knowing it. the major companies like nikon and canon need people like ken telling people that they newer products are better. 

first canon ruler the world with its fancy censor and mega pixel worrier the 5d. then that was where the bar was at.  that was in 2002. 12 mega pixels was the best and nikon dedided to base there next 8 years on that perfect amount.  canon quickly said hey wait and poof 18-22mp was the canon standard.  and nikon pros said it doesnt matter and canon said well poo on you we win. and nikon was like it dont matter. now all the sudden nikon is like poof hey we win i was just kidding and the nikon d900 wins with 30plus mp. now it matters cuz canon sucks with only its puny 18-23mp range. nikon is now in the 30 plus and mp matter that that makes nikon the best so there. and nikon fans cheered as mp again mattered.  my gosh it will never end.  i do think nikon went to far. and thats why again they loose and the new 5d iii just gets better pictures.  and why ill buy they now even cheaper 5d ii what is better then i have ever needed or that i will ever need for all my needs. 

but as i pro i have to have the best and i do. and backups to boot.  but thats really has nothing to do with my art and more to do with my work as a professional photographer.  my clients want the best and i need the best with backups and my backups need to be better then everyone elses.  why is that. well because thats what people want they need a show more then the product.  i could shoot a whole wedding with a canon 20d with a 50mm f1.4 and my fuji x100. that would get every shot that i need and i would be happy.  but thats not what the bride always wants she wants the best she want her pixel peeper friends to check out her wedding pics and they have to be good for them too.  8.6x more equipment then i need i have. cuz pixel peepers. but thats doesnt mean thats what any artist needs. as a pro photographer i need the best thats why i have it.  but also as an artist i have to much.  i dont enjoy my pro grips shooting 2 cameras with 2.8 L lenses all around for every camera including extra L lenses for the back ups.  and then all the lighting! sheesh that is work. its not a bad job but its not what i would want to be doing if i had a choice.  for fun i shoot with my fuji x100.  its tiny and awesome. but that not the fun the fun would be road tripping around the u.s. i would be taking fun pictures everywhere. with miminal equipment.  maybe just the fuji.  shooting for people making art. just the camera and me. no pixel peepen just great art. make huge poster style prints. hang my art in some fancy gallery.  i have won jurors choice best of show. when i was homeless living in a van down by the river with just me and my camera.  looking at the huge print on canvas 30x40 inches with that fancy frame. step an inch away and focus as close as you can and its top quality.  cuz even though i didnt have 3 procameras i had one decent camera better then film and a 50mm lens. tecnolagy has cought up. its peeked and hasent needed to progress.  sensors for canon in 2002 reached perfection and probably 2008 for nikon (they were a little behind) anything newer from the top brands is going to get you everything you need.  you can get your tool for making top notch art. everything now is all fluff. wireless funtions on everything. i can wirelessly take my camera to my lights to my pc to my printer and to the internet all wirelessly with no cables. i can take a picture from either my pc on the camera or a wiresless remote or from my flash. i dont even need to touch the camera.  i can print straight from my camera to my printer. or to my big screen tv. and the video. i could make a high budget movie with my cameras but i have never once even turned it on.  but its all there. 

 i think its tough for artist to get started out. the main thing being this huge money making market telling us what is and isnt the best.  mary down the street shooting film and making art isnt taken serious because she isnt shooting what is the newest and the best. she knows thats ken has the best stuff cuz he is the market. but i have to say. ken bought his way in he started out filthy rich.  as rich people do they complain that they are not rich just spend wisely. Ken even has a spot on his site that talks about how to afford anything and talks about how easy it is. just skip a latte and poof you can live in his mansion and buy a new mercedes every other year.  have you seen the cars he drives. and every new camera he test is on a vacation in some tropical destination.  not even like where artist would go but tourist places rich people think are cool to go to.  your not going to see this guy hiking in the days to get the shot. he hill we at the 5 star motel with room service at the ring of a bell.  this guy is not what we as artist should think is something that is needed.  you dont need the money. in the seattle everett area where i live you will find hundreds of homes with my art in there homes or on there website they see my work in magazines.  i am in by no means better as an artist then ken rockwell.  but i am more known as an artist where i live then he is.  ask any photographer who kenrockwell is and they will know who he is.  he really only needs to sit in one spot in his yard cuz every photo i see of his is of his backyard of the same thing he must have taken that same picture thousands of times. every camera every lens every f stop at every iso. its not a great shot. its not going to win any awards. but it gets more advertizing then anything else i can think of. i think pepsi and coke do less advertizing then he does. this guy sneezes out money but that shouldnt be what your goal as an artist is.  its what people tell us we should be.  i consider myself as an artist.  i dont test out new lenses on vacations. i like making art with the tools i have.  i have was homeless and my gear was all stolen a few years back. my good friend  lent me a nikon d70 with a one lens and i had a nifty 50.  and looking back at the art i have made i cant tell the difference in what camera i had at the time.  weather it was a canon 1d (4mp), 20d (8mp), nikon d7, my dads d90, my new 7d or 5dii they all look the same image quality printed out on the web on the internet in magazines cd covers. used from wedding albums to half page adds in nationally printed magazines.  all the prints going through them i cant see a difference. so maybw what im saying to people just starting out is dont go online for how to take good pictures and what to do. cuz you might end up a pixel peeper and be hooked for life. some people play get hooked on tv, some get hooked on crack, some get hooked on pixel peeping, some get hooked on w.o.w.  (world of warcraft).  just sayen myself ill sometimes play pixel peep wars with my friends. but im not hooked i can walk away and still be an artist.  i can shoot with my fancy 5d ii in my studio but its not any different then then when i was homeless living in my van with my canon 20d.  its not the camera.  use what you have. go ahead and pixel peep but dont let it take over.  photographers get stuck online and never leave there box. all there money is spent on new lenses new cameras it consumes them.  just dont get hooked.

use what you have and gp from there.  put your money into workshops or classes. into making canvas prints. into fancy websites to show your work.  if i had to start over now from scratch and i had a 2000 budget i would buy a film camera and get every option of lens and take the 1500 saved compared to buying one camera. i would put it into getting the film developed and art to actually be made. you can make a lot of art for people to see for the price of the newest tecnolagy.  maybe looking back i should have not bought that back up back up L lens and tooken some spelling and writing classes.  but thats not what i wanted. im not a writer im an artist. so i dont have to be rich or smart. i can either be rich and not have fun. or poor not work my butt off and have hella fun live life as a party.  poor = freedome. rich equals slave to the system.  not a bad system just a system. but the more work you put into it the more it will give back.  there is nothing wrong with being wealthy and having lots of toys.  that said there is nothen wrong with living in the van down by the river. you can devote yourself to art and be a great artist.  you wont be putting into the system so it wont be giving much back. put the art community will give back all you need. so dear the man give that poor artist some respect he dosent want a job and he likes his van. let him park on the beach let him be.  so cops stop being dicks let people sleep in vans on the streat. let people sleep under trees and park benches. they dont want to be a part of your system.  i found in my life that cops have never once helped me out. but have only been a curse to my life.  always been woken up by cops in the middle of the night sleeping in my van on the side of the road on a road trip or over night stay in the city.  let the people be free. let em drink a beer and wald down the streat in day light hours. let them buy beer in the middle of the night. let them grow whatever they want in there closet.

now my artist buddys give the man a break.  no need to rally against walmart cuz there big and dont do things your way. dont shop there thats the systems store. it works for them.  im againt the system but i am living with it.  i dont by beer at 3am in the morning and i dont buy vodla at am-pm. i understand that the system is the oposite or freedom. i understand that our government is based on slavery.  people all work for the man. the 99% as people like to say.   but there is no need to be stressing over it. should we really be fighting to take down the system. or should we fight to fix our own system. instead of gaining funds to take down the man how about make funds to help people out of the system.  comunity stores and farms. so how do farms relate to mega pixels.  well because mega pixels are the man and art is the people.  mega pixel aka the man want you to commit to the system that realy the only way to get what they say you need and they will keep you needing.   the goal should be to do whatever you want to do and get along with everyone. the system aka the man needs to let artist just be. let the pot head stoner be the best pot head stoner he can be. he isnt a criminal.  let the business man make ass much as he wants. let him work 80 hour weeks and use people that choose to be in the ststem in the system.  use whatever means they can to get what they need.  when things go bad is when people abuse the people that are not on there stystem.  let everyone do what they want to do. government should not control business and companies should not control art.  we all have our place in life and we need to figure out where it is. what camera to use what job to have to paint or to photograph, film or digital. 

so to sum up.  mega pixel dont mean poop its just marketing and gets you into the system somewhere you as an artist dont want to go. or maybe you do just know where you are going and what yoiu are doing. its your choice. 

this message was brought to you by mothers against mega pixels...

matt

ps.  mega pixels the new cult dont drink the grape fruit juice. why the d800 isnt better then the 20d. or why the 1dx isnt better then the d70.