I don't like cameras.

That might seem like an odd thing for a photographer to admit, but I've never been particularly interested in them. To me, a camera has always been a means to an end.

That might be because, for the most part, the camera was never the thing holding me back. 

My challenge has never been getting the most out of my camera. It has been finding interesting subjects, telling compelling stories and being in the right place at the right time.

Then, 18 months ago, for reasons I won't go into here, I switched systems. And very quickly, I came to realise something:

Gear doesn’t matter. Until it does.

Image Quality is Not the Problem

Many photographers obsess about image quality.

However, the truth is, almost any modern camera is capable of producing magazine-quality prints. Prioritising things like megapixels and dynamic range is a bit like choosing a car based on its top speed. It might be an impressive statistic, but none of us will ever use it. 

But my experience taught me something else. 

Image quality and file quality are not the same thing.

While I'm sure the camera was capable of producing excellent files, I struggled with the colour science and its compatibility with the editing software I use. In certain conditions, I simply couldn't get my photographs to look the way I wanted them to.

And that mattered more to me than image quality ever did.

More Than a Tool

It's easy to think of a camera as just a tool. But my experience has shown me there's more to it than that.

There is much more to photography than the photographs we create, and the camera is a key part of that experience.

My lack of faith in the system, combined with a few ergonomic frustrations, had a noticeable impact on the enjoyment I was getting from photography.

It's important to recognise that we don't buy cameras the way we buy washing machines. We buy them because they make photography more enjoyable.

And enjoyment is what it is all about.

What Makes a 'Good' Camera?

I hate the quote often attributed to Chase Jarvis: "The best camera is the one you have with you."

Partly because there is no way on God's green earth he was the first person to say it. But mostly because, for landscape photographers, it misses the point entirely.

It makes photography sound like a passive activity. As though we spend our days wandering around waiting for inspiration to strike, before whipping out whatever camera we happen to have stuffed in our pockets.

But it doesn't work like that.

The best camera is not the one you happen to have with you.

It's the one you feel most compelled to use.

The one that gets you out of bed at four o'clock in the morning. The one that persuades you to take a chance on the weather forecast. The one that makes you excited to go and create.

Because, ultimately, landscape photography isn't about cameras.

It's about showing up.

If you want a quote that more accurately captures the spirit of landscape photography, I refer you to Arthur Fellig, better known as Weegee:

"F8 and be there."

Image quality matters far less than most photographers think. 

The real question is not whether a camera can produce great photographs, but whether it makes you want to go out and create them in the first place. 

Choose the camera you enjoy using. 

And if that happens to be a £6,000 Hasselblad, I'd suggest running it past your partner first.