Which camera did I use? Here are the answers
Friday 8 January 2021, 16:32 by Nando Harmsen | 6,974 views | 15 commentsThis article was translated from Dutch with the help of AI. Read the original.
In the previous article The camera you use matters less than you might think I showed 21 photos, each taken with a different camera. Your challenge was to guess the right camera.
There were a lot of responses, and quite a few people said that this was an impossible task. And they are absolutely right. Nobody can tell from a photo which camera it was taken with, especially after it has been edited to taste.
Even identifying a brand from an unedited raw image is barely, if at all, possible. Even if that were possible, it would be completely impossible after post-processing. A large print would not reveal the brand either. I know this from experience.
When the image is then also reduced to a usable size for the internet and social media, it becomes completely impossible. By that point, so much has changed in the photo that it can no longer reveal where it came from. But the question I asked does make you think about the point of all the brand rivalry among photographers.
Some responses to the answers from the previous article
First of all, I want to point out that nothing has been 'added' to these photos. For example, there is no Moon photoshopped in, or any other manipulation. They are raw photos from the camera, edited in Lightroom Classic, with a few merged as HDR images.
Some people say that the lens also determines what the photo will look like. That is true, but not when comparing cameras from different brands where various types of lenses have been used. Finally, post-processing will also eliminate any differences in quality, if they were visible at all.
For your information, all the photos were taken with high-quality lenses. That is why I am convinced that the lens no longer plays any role in this context when it comes to comparisons. I also listed the lens used with the photos.
Someone commented on black-and-white photos, which supposedly came from a Leica nine times out of ten. Photographers who use these types of cameras may choose black and white more often than others. Leica is also used more often in certain genres than in others, where black and white often dominates.
.jpg "Nando RF70 200 review(1)")
Bart wrote in his response that he expected the photo of the jumping dog to have been taken with the Nikon D500, and he was absolutely right. But perhaps he recognised the photo from an old review? Still, it is nice that you guessed this correctly.
The comparison was called a con, which I can actually understand. Still, what I am showing here is something from real life. It is about the end result, not pixel peeping at raw images taken under exactly the same conditions and with the same optics. That is not realistic photography. Nobody takes photos that way, do they?
Finally, I want to point out that it is a shame that Pentax is conspicuous by its absence. Unfortunately, I have not yet had the opportunity to use this brand. But I am convinced that a photo taken with this camera would not have been recognised either.
I want to thank everyone for the responses, answers, thoughts and opinions. The message of the article was clear: do not worry about the brand or type of camera, just go and take the best photos you can. And enjoy taking photos. Oh, and it is perfectly fine to be proud of your camera, there is nothing wrong with that. Not even in 2021.
The answer revealed
About the author
Nando Harmsen has been photographing for more than 40 years. He specialises in wedding photography and landscape photography. Nando also gives talks, workshops, masterclasses and photo trips, and regularly reviews new and interesting equipment.
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15 comments
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Donald Willemsen
wrote on Sunday 10 January 2021 at 23:41
| reply
Hello Nando, you write the following. I quote: 'Recognizing a brand is hardly or not possible even with an unedited raw image.' That is not entirely true. Virtually every camera brand has its own extension in the name of the RAW file. For example, Canon uses the .CR2 and .CR3 extensions. Nikon uses the .NEF extension. That is incidentally the only way to discover which camera a RAW file was made with. If you convert all RAW files from all brands to .DNG, then it can no longer be found out anyway.
Translated from Dutch.
But you are right, you cannot recognize that from a print of the photo. -
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Donald Willemsen
wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 10:29
| reply
@Nando, yes of course. Without the filename with the original extension, it is impossible to determine which camera an image was made with.
Translated from Dutch.
My comment was more to indicate that recognizing a camera brand is only possible if you also have the EXIF data, in which case you can see from the extension of the RAW file which camera it comes from. -
Stefan ALEN wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 11:07
| reply
Very nice setup and very putting things into perspective, but above all very beautiful images showing that the man behind the camera is the decisive factor and not the equipment. My compliments!
Translated from Dutch. -
Johan Hahn wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 11:36 | replyThe camera (incl. all peripheral equipment) is an optical aid (a kind of 'machine', that is) with which I can capture the image I have in my head, so that third parties can see it. To me, a camera is no more or less than, for example, a pencil, a fountain pen, a typewriter or a laptop: I also can't tell from the book I'm reading what it was written with.
Translated from Dutch.
For me, the camera is, incidentally, an effective weapon! But that's beside the point here. -
Herman wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 12:45 | replyDear Nando,
Translated from Dutch.
I only know and see the following. All the photos exhibited here are top-notch in my opinion. Whether they were taken with camera x or camera y is "So what" I think there are no bad cameras anymore and finding out which camera these were shot with is the least of my concerns, once again all the photos here are wonderful examples. -
Robert wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 13:34 | replyToo bad Pentax is missing again
Translated from Dutch. -
Nando
wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 13:59
| reply
@Robert;
Translated from Dutch.
Why is that a shame? You can't see it in the photo anyway. Brand doesn't matter, that's the gist of the story.
By the way; I also think it's a shame that I myself don't have any experience using Pentax yet. Maybe I should finally give it a try this year. -
Cees v.d Coevering wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 16:38 | replyNando,
Translated from Dutch.
You write that Pentax shines by its absence. That is indeed a shame. I have been using this brand to my satisfaction for several years now. A new model from Pentax will be released soon, with Pentax having indicated that it intends to stick with the SLR system for the time being. It concerns the Pentax K3 Mark III. Perhaps a good opportunity to test this camera as well? -
Guy wrote on Tuesday 12 January 2021 at 17:53 | replyI think you're right regarding this set of photos. Determining which photos from an extensive set were taken with an equal number of different cameras is a difficult one.
Translated from Dutch.
I myself switched from Canon FF with L lenses to Fuji XT with F lenses.
The differences in character (colour, sharpness, ...) and way of editing are definitely there. I can notice a difference both in pre and post. If the Canon photo is edited to look like a Fuji photo, then it indeed cannot be distinguished.
So compare 10 photos with a choice of 2 cameras they were taken with. The experts on those cameras will still get more correct combinations.
BUT I am also convinced that it is mainly the photographer who determines 99.99% what a photo looks like. -
Stefan ALEN wrote on Wednesday 13 January 2021 at 00:28
| reply
@Guy: I think this may apply to camera-generated images but not to RAW images.
Translated from Dutch. -
Ronald Maas wrote on Wednesday 13 January 2021 at 00:51 | replyGreat test, this shows that tests in photography magazines actually mean very little. A subsequent test with different sensor resolutions and all images printed at the same size also seems like a challenge to me to assess.
Translated from Dutch.
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Leo wrote on Wednesday 13 January 2021 at 10:35 | replyBased on the end result, I see no differences between the various brands. FF or APS-C, weight, menu system, range of lenses, the nature and timing of updates and "feeling/sympathy" are therefore the only important selection criteria left when buying. I wanted an APS-C as light as possible with lenses with a good reputation and ended up with a Fuji XT3. Looking back, I see no difference between my Canon photos and the Fuji shots.
Translated from Dutch. -
Matt H. Imaging wrote on Tuesday 16 February 2021 at 09:37
| reply
It would have been nice to include a few photos taken not with a mirrorless camera or DSLR. So a photo taken with, for example, a Sony RX10IV or a Sony from the compact RX100 series.
Translated from Dutch. -
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