Skip to main content

Thrifty Thursday: What's the Difference between a $200 and a $2,000 Camera?

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American



On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.


Consider the following pair of similar images: One was taken with a Canon 50D dSLR through a 100mm f/2.8 macro lens, costing slightly over $2000 for both lens and camera. The other, with an inexpensive Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS3 consumer digicam. Can you guess which is which? Yes? No? Does it matter? The hard work for [...]

Alex Wild is Curator of Entomology at the University of Texas at Austin, where he studies the evolutionary history of ants. In 2003 he founded a photography business as an aesthetic complement to his scientific work, and his natural history photographs appear in numerous museums, books and media outlets.

More by Alex Wild