CANON IS BUILDING A 120 MEGAPIXEL DSLR AND I DON'T CARE

The pixel packing race continues, as it always will. Nikon stunned us with the D800. Sony left us drooling with the a7R, and Canon upped the ante with the 5DS and the 5DS R. And now Canon has decided that just wasn't good enough. They've announced they are building a monstrous 120 megapixel CMOS sensor. Are you drooling yet? I'm not.

Canon also announced a 250 megapixel sensor that will be smaller than full frame, but larger than APS-C. While this sounds ridiculous, the camera is largely being geared towards industrial applications such as surveillance. Even though I can somewhat understand the reasoning behind this camera's development, I still scratch my head. At some point, it's just overkill. Why do we need all those megapixels? Are they really making our images better?

I've been on a less is more kick recently, and while I've always understood that ideal, I don't think it really ever sunk. I now find myself taking a hard look at my gear and questioning whether or not I really need it. More often than not, I don't. I have tons of modifiers that I don't use. I now have a DSLR that just sits, collecting dust, because I made the switch to mirrorless, and to be honest, I just haven't gotten around to putting it up on eBay yet. I'm a slacker, but that's a different story for a different time.

The American architect, Louis Sullivan coined the phrase, "form follows function". Do we really need all those megapixels packed inside a sensor? I feel the majority of the photographers and cinematographers would answer with a resounding, "YES!" Their reasoning being that the higher resolution will make better pictures or some such crap. My feelings on the subject have changed over the years. I really don't think it matters. Actually, it really doesn't. The images and video coming from iPhones and other comparable models, are really stunning. But they're packed with fewer pixels and a smaller sensor? Wait, that can't be! Oh, but it is.

Fuji hasn't changed their 16 megapixel sensor for some time and it's interesting to note that it out performed Canon's 5DIII in many areas. Again, smaller sensor and fewer pixels. Is there some kind of Fuji magic going on in there or is it just good old fashion science and engineering? It's probably the notion of, "fix the pixels you have instead of packing more in".

Time and time again we've seen artists in all mediums that have proven to us that it's not about the "gear" that makes the work, it's the person behind it. Or as my friend says, "It's not about the arrow. It's about the archer." So, while the world will wait, and sweat a little, for the announcement of  this monster pixel camera, I couldn't care less. I say get out there and make pictures with whatever you have. Tell a story. That's the most important thing. And to illustrate this perfectly, take a look at this video. You're welcome.