more megapixels, more problems

MoreMegapixels,

More Problems

October 14, 2015 By Eric Kim

Stockholm, 2015. Film Leica shoton Tri-X pushed to 1600

Dear friend,

It is 7:20am in New Orleans,and I just downed a MissTracys Addiction (Double

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More Megapixels, More Problems http://erickimphotography.com/blog/2015/10/14/more-megapi...

1 de 28 18/10/15 21:18

Addiction Co!ee and Imfeeling good. Had a nice chatwith Dave, the barista here,and ready to do some writingto share with you some ideas.

Just as a random note, I wasthinking about this articlefor the last day, and woke upsuper-early for you (6:30amafter sleeping at 1am),because I felt it could be ofuse for you.

Im currently staying at anAirbnb with my friend Toddand Neil, and Chris (newfriend, who is also aworkshop participant at myweek-long streetphotography workshop herein New Orleans). All three ofthem have the new SonyA7RII (the 40+ megapixelmonster), with Neil andChris bringing both of them.

When the camera "rst gotannounced, there was so

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like the dream camera: 40+megapixels (almost amedium-format digitalcamera), full-frame, smallsize, M-mount adapter,high-ISO capabilities, fasterautofocus, and these otherfeatures. I rememberthinking to myself, Thismight be a better solutionthan getting a digital LeicaM240. I lusted after thecamera for about a few daysand daydreamed aboutgetting one, and then Ithought to myself: No Eric,what are you thinking. Dontwaste money on a camerayou dont need. Be happywith your Ricoh GR, whichis much lighter andconvenient to use. So Ibanished the thought frommy mind.

Anyways, Todd and Chrishave the Sony A7RII, and Ihad no real desire to use thecamera. I thought to myself,

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have gotten pretty big 1218prints o! of 2-megapixelscans from my "lm camera,and they looked great.

The other day, we had co!eeat Cafe Du Monde (the mostfamous beignet and co!eeshop in New Orleans), and Ihooked up my homie Simonwho is attending theworkshop with my Ricoh GRto test out. He brought abulky DSLR and wasthinking of trying a smallercamera, and I o!ered him mycamera to test for the day.Long story short, he fell inlove with it, and will be usingit for the rest of the week.

I then needed a camera, so Iasked Chris if I could borrowhis Sony a7RII to shoot withfor the day (he also has aFuji"lm x100T). I thenwalked around with them inthe Frenchman market, and Itook some street portraits of

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The a7RII is a solid camera,and I think for the money, itis a much better value thanthe Leica M240. But honestlyat the end of the day, I used itfor about an hour, and wasover the camera. Comparedto the Ricoh GR, it felt like abrick, and I dont think thephotos look that di!erent onthe screen at the end of theday.

So I downloaded the RAW"les at the end of the day,and processed the images.None of the shots I took thatday were any good, but thething that surprised me mostwas this: on my screen(zoomed out) I couldnt tellany di!erence between theSony A7RII and the RicohGR. Of course if you zoomin 100% you can see massiveamounts of detail with theA7RII, but do you reallyneed all of those megapixels?

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landscape photographerswho blow up their photos forbillboards and whatnot, butfor us street photographers,it is totally unnecessary. Ifanything, if you areinterested in Sony, I wouldmuch recommend the Sonya7SII that is coming out(fewer megapixels, butinsane high-ISOcapabilities).

New Orleans, 2015. Sony a7RIIand 40mm Voigtlander lens

I then returned the Sony

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More megapixels,more problems.

When I was working on the"nal draft of the free e-book:Learn From the Masters ofStreet Photography Ineeded a laptop. Believe it ornot, all of the rough draftswere designed on an iPad air.I also wrote 90% of the bookon Evernote on mysmartphone. I havent owneda real laptop the last 2months (ever since I got mylaptop stolen in Paris), so I"nally succumbed, took atrip to the Apple store, andpicked up a 13 MacBookpro).

Even with this maxed-outspecced MacBook pro (13Retina, 16GB, 3.1 gHz i7processor), processing theSony A7RII "les took quite along time in Lightroom CC.

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myself, if I ever owned acamera like this, I wouldhave to waste money buyingan (even) faster computer(probably a desktop), tons ofhard drives, and otheradditional complicationsthat happens with huge "les.

Why do we need so manymegapixels? Honestly 99.9%of us dont (especially usstreet photographers). At theend of the day, it is amarketing ploy. WeAmericans love more. BigStarbucks co!ees, big SUVs,big-ass houses. More is more.

But honestly friend, at theend of the day, be happy withthe camera and equipmentyou already own.

I recently gave away all of mycameras to friends whoneeded them more than me,and also donated them topeople in need. I am not

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yyoouu ccaann nneevveerr sshhoooott mmoorreetthhaann oonnee ccaammeerraa aatt oonnccee.

I got this idea from someRoman philosopher I readwho told the following story(I am paraphrasing):

There was once afabulously wealthyking withthousands of villasall around thekingdom. But oneday he woke upwith the frustrationthat no matter howrich he was, hecould only eversleep in one of hisivory-crusted andgolden beds atonce.

Dont get me wrong, I lovemy material possessions. I ama sucker for advertising,brand names, just like any

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However, having more stu!in our lives creates morecomplications. Moremegapixels means moremoney spent on hardware(laptops, desktops, harddrives) and more headaches.

Kind of like how BiggieSmalls said:

Mo money, moproblems.

More money = more stressfrom dealing with how toinvest your money. Moremoney = worrying that yourtaxman or accountant isstealing your money. Moremoney = family alwaysasking you for money, andfriends trying to kiss ass toget at your money. Just thinkabout all the people whohave won the lottery in thepast whose lives have beenabsolutely ruined.

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I am not grateful for what Ihave. I always want more.

Ironically enough, tthhee kkeeyy ttoohhaappppiinneessss ffoorr mmee hhaass bbeeeenntthhee aavvooiiddaannccee ooffuunnhhaappppiinneessss,, wwhhiicchh hhaassbbeeeenn aaccccoommpplliisshheedd bbyyssuubbttrraaccttiinngg ((nnoott aaddddiinngg))tthhiinnggss iinn mmyy lliiffee.

One of the biggest takeawaysI got for traveling in Europefor 3 months with just a tinybackpack (ThinkTankPerception 15) is that I dontneed a lot of physicalpossessions for me to behappy. Honestly at the end ofthe day, even a laptop isoptional at this point. I wasable to make do with just mysmartphone, camera, 2 pairsof clothes (quick-dryingExO$cio boxers andUNIQLO Airism shirts), onepair of shoes, and one pair ofquick-drying shorts. Thefewer physical possessions I

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could walk around all-daywithout any strain andfrustration), and more energyto spend time with myfriends and loved ones.

Another thing: when we gotback from Europe, Cindysyounger sister Jenniferneeded a car, so we gave herour car. So we have beencar-less for about a month,and it has been the best thingin life. I have had a car since Iwas 16, and have always beena sucker for cars. Buthonestly after getting rid ofour car, I have been walkingmore, taking more photos,shopping more locally,saving money (not buyingtons of crap at Costco), andgetting to know people in theneighborhood.

At "rst I was afraid: but howcan I see my friends andloved ones? Ironicallyenough I have found that my

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Berkeley to see me. Soproblem solved.

Sorry friend, I got a littledistracted but to get backto the point at hand, I thinkaannootthheerr sseeccrreett ttoo hhaappppiinneessssiiss nnoott ttoo ffuull""llll aallll ooff oouurrddeessiirreess,, bbuutt ttoo kkiillll ddeessiirreeccoommpplleetteellyy.

Which means not to desirethings that we dont have,but for uuss ttoo ddeessiirree tthhee lliiffee((aanndd ccaammeerraa)) wwee aallrreeaaddyyhhaavvee.

Just try to remember howmuch you lusted for thecamera you currently own,how many camera reviewsyou read, and how excitedyou were for the camera youjust bought. Dont forgetthat, re-live that experience.Re-read old camera reviewsof your current camera, andre-inspire your love of yourcamera.

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to not change ourcircumstances in life (likequitting our job andtraveling the world), but tobe happy in the life andcircumstances we currentlyhave. Which means: ""nndd tthheebbeennee""ttss ooff yyoouurr ddaayy--jjoobb,,aanndd ssttiillll ""nndd ttiimmee ttoo ppuurrssuueeyyoouurr ppaassssiioonn((pphhoottooggrraapphhyy). I dont thinkwe should just quit our jobsthat we hate. Rather, weshould be satis"ed with thejobs we have, and "nd sometime before work, duringlunch-time, after work,weekends, to make time forour photography. I think formost people, it is better tohave a secure full-time job(provides you security, rentmoney, money to travel, buyphoto books, andexperiences) while pursuingyour photography as apassion (and not toprostitute the type ofphotography you love to

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And at the end of the day,Im not telling you to neverbuy anything. We need to berealistic and normal humanbeings need (some)possessions in life in modernsociety. Also it is foolish tokeep any digital device forlonger than 5 years for thesake of it. There arenecessary times to upgradeyour things in life.

But what I want to tell you isthis: if you have an already-capable camera inphotography, kill any sort ofdesire to upgrade yourcamera with moremegapixels, more functions,more buttons because itwill just add morecomplications for your life.

If you have a 5-year old bulkyass DSLR and you want toreduce your weight, Irecommend buying a RicohGR (not the new one which

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ssaavveedd mmoonneeyy ttoo bbuuyyeexxppeerriieenncceess,, ttrraavveell,, aannddeedduuccaattiioonn.

MMoonneeyy ccaann bbuuyy yyoouuhhaappppiinneessss oonnllyy iiff yyoouussppeenndd iitt oonn eexxppeerriieenncceess,,nnoott ssttuu!!.

I also dont say any of this tosound like I am on somehigh-horse. To be honest, Iam still a%icted with GAS(Gear AcquisitionSyndrome). But whenever Idesire a new camera, it isbecause I feel dissatis"edwith my photography andcreative abilities and I tellmyself, Eric, if you justbought that new camera, itwould open up all thesecreative possibilities foryou.

But that is bullshit.

The true secret to creativityare constraints, or creative

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forces us to be hungry andcreative for solutions.

Think about it: all of yourfriends who were fed with asilver-spoon and neversu!ered in their life areany of them super-successfulentrepreneurs? No, most ofthem are playing World ofWarcraft and stuck inmiddle-management atboring corporations.

The real innovators are theones who have had strugglein life, "nancial woes,restrictions and had toinnovate out of necessity.

For me, I am glad that I grewup in poverty (notknowing if my mom wouldbe able to pay the rent moneybecause my Dad gambled itaway). Growing up poormeant that I didnt geteverything I wanted, and Ihad to work hard and hustle

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hunger and entrepreneurialdrive. Not only that, but I amso grateful for all thementors and guides I had inlife (school teachers, Sundayschool teachers, Boy Scoutsleaders, my tennis coach, andall of my other adultmentors) who gave me to me.I am also grateful to theAmerican government forproviding me with a freepublic education, withscholarships and loans forcollege, and the ability toeasily start my own business.So now I need to pay mysociety back by continuing togive away free open-sourceinformation to empower myfellow mankind.

Everyday is astruggle

Friend, everyday is a strugglein this battle of life. One nicequote I read from Seneca(Letters From a Stoic) is this:

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dancing.

Not only that, but Epictetus(Of Human Freedom) tells usalong the lines of:

Like a goodtrainer, Godmatches us up withdi$cult opponentsin life, not to giveus a hard time, butto train us tobecome strong, sowe can make it tothe Olympics andwin.

So no matter how di$cultyour lifes circumstances, bestrong. Know that it is thehard times, the struggles, thelack of money, the anxiety ofpaying the bills, the lack offree time, and stresses of lifewhich make life worth it.

If it wasnt for hunger, would

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would we enjoy the taste ofwater? If it werent formoments of boredom, wouldwe enjoy the moments ofcreativity?

I consider myself as a sickpatient in a hospital just likeyou. So let me share somesolutions and medicationsthat have worked for me:

Dont look atgear-review sites (everytime I visit one of thesesites, I get an urge for anew camera I dontneed)

1.

Re-read old camerareviews of the camerayou already own (andre-inspire a passion forthe gear you alreadyown)

2.

Think about what youcan donate and subtractfrom your life, ratherthan adding things toyour life (more stu!,

3.

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DDoonntt wwaassttee mmoonneeyy oonnssttuu!!,, bbuutt eexxppeerriieenncceess(travel, photographyclasses and workshops,taking your loved onesout to dinner)

4.

Memento mori:remember you are goingto die. Dont live a lifeaccording the rules andstandards of others, butfollow your inner-voice(no matter how scarythis might be)

5.

Shoot as if everydaywere your last (if youwent to bed tonight andknew you wouldntwake up the nextmorning, what wouldyou take photos of, orwhat kind of creativepursuits would youcontinue to pursue?)

6.

Everyday when youwake up, scream outloud: Thank God I amalive!, have adouble-shot of espresso,

7.

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(and please pleaseplease, do not checkyour email "rst thing inthe morning)Ask your local barista orserver What is yourname? and How areyou doing? with agenuine smile. Treatthem like humans,nobody ever does.

8.

Practice an attitude ofgratitude (rather thandesiring for things wedont have, let usappreciate what wealready have, like thelove of our friends,family, and thecomfortable life wealready have)

9.

Everyday uninstall oneapp from your phone(until you are left withthe essentials; this willhelp you be morepresent in your everydaylife)

10.

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I am still struggling everydayto be a (less horrible) humanbeing, and to be lessfrustrated as a creativeperson (writer,photographer, teacher).

But as long as we can make alittle progress everyday (1%everyday) we are both on theright track.

So friend, stay strong andknow that God (or the deityof your choice) is alwayswatching over you andsupporting you. Know thateverything happens for areason (even the shittythings in life), and wheneverlife gives you lemons, makelemonade.

Also know that I will alwaysbe here for you; sharing someof the ideas that have helpedme along the way. Know thatyour friends and loved ones

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are there for yourself. Thereis nobody stronger than you,full of inspiration, creativity.

You are limitless; nothingcan stop you but your ownmental blocks.

So break past those mentalblocks, and create the artthat you were destined to.

Farewell friend.

Love always,

Eric

Wed, 8:04am, at Addictionco!ee in New Orleans(seriously try out the MissTracys Addiction next timeyou are in town).

As a random note, I am superexcited to start my workshophere in New Orleans.Amazingly friendly people(Southern hospitality is real),

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only city in America that Ifeel like I am not in America(especially here in the FrenchQuarters).

For my fellow Americansreading this, traveling in thestates is seriouslyunderrated. Before you travelto Europe, come visit NewOrleans you will NOT bedisappointed.

Filed Under: Equipment Tagged With: gearacquisition syndrome,happiness

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more megapixels, more problems

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