Do you get better photos with a better camera?

Light leaves, originally uploaded by jiihaa.

My wife commented yesterday that she didn't expect the photos get any better with a new camera, but now she thinks they have, "They are more precise".

I hadn't looked at my photos in that kind of sense, but I must admit there is something in the LX3 which makes the photos have a kind of exactness, or quality. It is not a matter of resolution - four megapixels in the Ixus 400 vs. ten megapixels in the LX3 - but more about the colors and the dynamic range, and the better control you have as a photographer to make decisions.

I haven't done much printouts of my photos, except sometimes with my Canon i455 inkjet, and occasionally using the photo printout services on the net - usually photos of family members to be given to relatives.

Today I ordered some prints from Qoop.com, up to 8 x 12 inch size. Have to see whether they are any good. The price was at least reasonable, even with the current exchange rate of euro vs. US dollar.

Additional note: One thing which certainly has changed since getting the LX3 is an interest in other cameras. Canon G10, Canon SD880 IS, Nikon P6000 - these were interesting to speculate earlier, but now that I have a new tool, I no longer look at the announcements and reviews so keenly.