What is the "Holy Grail" for a digital camera?

[meanstreak]

tclune wrote:

However, the reality is that the main rule of thumb continues to be "when in doubt, use a tripod." The two stops youcan supposedly get with IS is just not large enough to change my region of doubt.

I'm not trying to change your region of doubt, but that's just it, we don't want to use a tripod. It also allows me to get away with less light where a tripod doesn't make sense. That's why people who have itprefer IS. What about those times where you need the shot now and setting up the tripod means losing the shot? Also, have you ever had to take pictures that require a tripod, but there are signs prohibting the use of a tripod? Those scenarios may not apply toeveryone.

There are other features that have been added over the years that we could do without, but why would we want to?

The only reasons not to have IS that I can think of are:

The camera you really want doesn't offer it.

You feel like carrying and setting up a tripod.

The camera you want has IS lenses availablebut you can't justify paying extra for it.

You are afraid adding an extra feature like IS is just one meore thing to go wrong.

I'm not trying to change your region of doubt, just trying to put it all in perspective for the newbies that stumble across these threads and are scratching their heads wondering if they really need ISor does it make a camera one step closer to the holy grail?

The short answer is you don't need it. Hell, I don't need it either... I just want it and won't get a DSLR without it.

[JimC]

Try the Acme 3000 (or even better, the newer Acme 4000).

BillDrew has made some posts about the features they have from time to time if you search for them. Here are some excerpts from couple of threads:

You need the Acme 3000 digicam with quantum level anti-shake correction and the Uri Geller faith based rangefinder. It also has a 30-30,000 mm (equiv) zoom and an noise-free ISO range of 10-300,000 with a 20 stop dynamic range. It is mounted in a stud that can be placed in your eye-brow, following the motion of your eye. With a thought controlled shutter release and negative lag time (it captures a bird that was there up to ten seconds ago) you will never miss.

The major drawback of this camera is its tendency to randomly convert itself into an aardvark-antiaardvark pair while sucking up enough dark matter to increase its mass to something like ten times that of the moon. Kinda hard on your eye-brow, but that only happens about once/fortnight. It can be found at many photo shops in Brooklyn: just send them your credit card info (all cards), you bank account number, and a signed blank check. They will know what you want without telling them, just send the money. All your money.

The Acme 3000 is the only camera that is likely to satify you. (The 3000 refers to the MegaPixel count of the sensor.)

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/v...c.php?id=46128

Not only can ittake a photo ofa black cat in a coal cellar, but also of a blackcat in a black hole and wirelessly transmit it via Hawkins radiation. It does work best when shooting Schrodinger's cat.

http://www.stevesforums.com/forums/v...c.php?id=83356

[BenjaminXYZ]

Another holy grail for me:

An image sensor that has such a good high ISO performance; that P.P. is not required for high ISO shots captured by it. In the first place, it is already so good.

An image sensor and lens combination that yields images so good in quality; thatthey can straightaway be used~ presented at once.

I would definitely like to know that my camera/lens, can capture images great enough to be used straightaway. :|

This will be the holy grail formy photography in future.

[tmoreau]

BenjaminXYZ wrote:

Another holy grail for me:

An image sensor that has such a good high ISO performance; that P.P. is not required for high ISO shots captured by it. In the first place, it is already so good.

An image sensor and lens combination that yields images so good in quality; thatthey can straightaway be used~ presented at once.

I would definitely like to know that my camera/lens, can capture images great enough to be used straightaway. :|

This will be the holy grail formy photography in future.

I have basicly achieved this with my 7D and prime lens collection. This picture is being printed at 13x19 right now, 1/20 handheld at iso800 and it looks great. Of course when going to that extreme with 6mp (150ppi native) a little careful post processing is needed, and every image needs a little USM after downsampling the resolution for web display. But for iso800, there is no visible noise. Resolution and detail are very good.

Put a good lens in front of a good sensor and the rest is up to you.

[BenjaminXYZ]

I have basicly achieved this with my 7D and prime lens collection. This picture is being printed at 13x19 right now, 1/20 handheld at iso800 and it looks great. Of course when going to that extreme with 6mp (150ppi native) a little careful post processing is needed, and every image needs a little USM after downsampling the resolution for web display. But for iso800, there is no visible noise. Resolution and detail are very good.

Put a good lens in front of a good sensor and the rest is up to you.

Heck! If your KM-M 7D can achieve that, then it shouldn't be a problem for a Nikon D70s with a good glass as well!

Anyway, I like to think up of practical "Holy Grails" not some that sounds like science fiction! At least, it seems to me that my holy grailsare the ones that sounds realistic in here; compared to some others.