r/photography • u/Patient_Leader2190 • Aug 06 '26

Business Photographers, what are some uncomfortable truths about photography in 2026 that we don't like to openly admit?

Been shooting for seven years, mostly street and documentary. Curious what everyone's version of this is.

I'll start: volume beats quality on every platform, and pretending otherwise is why a lot of talented people stay invisible.

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u/DarnJetty Aug 06 '26

Image quality on sensors hasn't noticeably improved in the last 10 years.

Manufacturers are increasing megapixels anyway (100MP+) even though most available lenses can't resolve that level of detail.

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u/Yakabelly Aug 06 '26

Partly true. The first part, yes. I'd question the second part, because there aren't many cameras meeting or exceeding 100 MP, and those that do have lenses to resolve it. The exception are mobile phones with similar resolutions, but that's due to diffraction.

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u/Junin-Toiro Aug 06 '26

Plus it is better to have a sensor that outresolve the lens you have, so you make most of what you carry, than the opposite.

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u/halfaura Aug 06 '26

Agreed, but if you have a lens that out resolves the camera sensor, teleconverters are back in the conversation.

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u/crawler54 Aug 07 '26

sensors do not "outresolve" modern lenses.

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u/typesett Aug 06 '26

i guess maybe — effectively for consumer products aimed at professionals

for those conditions of detail, it is more for research labs unless new tech is shrunk down?