One of the hoariest old chestnuts in photography is the statement immediately above. Every time I read it chills run down my spine. It seems that whenever someone asks on an online forum whether lens A or B is superior, or if camera A is better than camera B, someone drags out this ancient aphorism. Its purpose, I suppose, is to show superiority of intellect, but basically it's just plain wrong-headed.

Driller. Ontario, October, 2006Canon G7. ISO 400Photography is both an art and a craft. One can not deny the craft side, or if one does, one reduces photography to a hobby at best. Nothing wrong with a hobby, or pictures of ones cats and kids. But we're not here to discuss that aspect of what people do with cameras, any more than we're interested in discussing the camera onboard the Mars Rover.

A photograph is an amalgam of the photographer's talent and equipment, as well as light, atmospherics, and of course, subject. All need to be present to some degree. Let's take the pho...