Is the newest equipment always necessary?

This article is a year old now but, to my mind, is still very relevant today. Do we all rush blindly on trying to upgrade our equipment in the hope the brand new model will somehow make our photos better?


WDYT



With all the talk out there from Nikon, Canon and Sony about high resolution and high quality, high ISO performance it’s easy to get caught up in the race to buy new equipment. There have been countless times that I’ve wondered if I should upgrade my 5D to the 5D mkII or the D700, that’s actually what spurred this article. So with that in mind I wanted to take a step back from the constant push to upgrade cameras and always have the newest and the best to see what I’m really missing.

To me before you upgrade any equipment you own you should be asking yourself alot of questions. For me these three have been a good starting point, they make the decision less about want and more about need.

• What shot will this new camera get me that my current one won’t?
• Will X or Y feature lead to more sales or more assignments?
• WIll I take more photos because of it?

But looking at the forums on the internet I see lots of people asking about upgrading their cameras thinking that and that alone lead to better pictures. Looking at my purchases and really asking what has made me better at photography I can honestly say it’s not the camera I’m using now or the camera I was using before. Some lenses have made my shots better, and on occasion I’ve gotten the shot because my lens was fast or my camera nailed the exposure. But those are the rare cases, with modern cameras you can count on your hands the occasions you’ve had where you’ve needed a 1Ds or D3 vs the camera you already own. All current DSLR’s are great at taking photos, you don’t get a huge advantage with one camera body over another for most shots.
I know there are pros and some amateurs out there shooting things where these cameras are necessary, I don’t doubt the uses of these cameras, I just doubt them in the context of every day shooting. Can you honestly tell me that you need to upgrade your perfectly good X or Y DSLR to a new high powered one to shoot the family portrait or the candid of your kids, the evening sunset? I didn’t think so, it just does not make sense to be spending thousands on cameras for use cases where hundreds can do just as well.
Back to the title of this article, is the Canon 5D still good enough in today’s world of the 5D MkII and the numerous other cameras in this category? As a whole I’d say yeah the Canon 5D is just as good of a camera today as it was when it was released 5 years ago. It still shoots pictures just as well as it did then and conceivably will for the next 5 years. So unless you absolutely have to have the latest and greatest, or a specific feature that your camera is missing put it off.
Rather then spending your money spend your time, invest in the time to take the pictures you have always hoped to take, invest in photographic education, in a vacation to take more photos. Do anything you can do to get out and actually take the pictures you’ve always dreamed of taking and don’t let your equipment slow you down.
http://www.knowphoto.com/2010/03/is-the-canon-5d-enough/


Steve

Great read.
Some people will always want the newest thing around. Mobile phones are a great example of this.
I do want to upgrade when I have the money to get first my DSLR. I've had my bridge camera for about a year and it has taught me a few good things. For me, personally, I'd like a camera with a lens that makes things like birds clear and sharp.

I agree Skyline. There comes a time when an upgrade is desirable because it will give you better quality, more useful features etc. but we all fall into the trap of sometimes upgrading just for the sake of it, and I include myself in that

Steve

You can't help but move on with some things as some technologies and the abilities of certain devices become obsolete. Cameras, well sensor technology is moving on... the latest sensors used on DSLRs are more foregiving than those of three or four years ago, with wider lattitude. However, there comes a point when you have to ask, do i really need more megapixels? My D300 and D700 are 'only' 12, but pro's were selling fantastic images from only 6 a few years ago, and there are plenty of weddings and full page advertisements done on Nikon 12MP sensors without anyone suggesting they are near the limit.

Times do move on but I wouldn't be looking to change my camera in the near future. New features, well often these just automate something that could be done anyway.

Im ok until some one shows me their new camera and I want one
I throw all my toys out until I get it
I worked my way through a whole range of Canons new and secondhand
then one day while I was fishing a chap in the next swim showed me a Nikon D80 and I was blown away by the build quality and size this thing looked like a camera should.
so once home I was on the net looking for the cheapest and it turned out to be argos in Stevenage so over I went and purchased one.
two weeks later a mate phoned up who writes fishing books offered me a secondhand D200 that he had used just to illistrate his latest book ,so Cakey being Cakey thinks that camera must me the nuts to use the pictures in a book so I advertised the D80 and sold it for 50 quid more than the Argos price and brought the D200 .
then the git that sold me the D200 turns up at the next fishing do with a D300 and said "do me a favour Im in the match could you walk round and take pictures for me" ,well after a day with the 300 the 200 was out the window so it was swap around time again .
I managed to resist a year later when he turned up with a D700
cant see me losing the D300 for a while as I love it and think its better than sex hahahahahaha

I don't agree with getting a new camera just for more megapixels - I've always been happy with my D40's 6 - but I do think other features are worth getting, like the higher ISO abilities of the newer cameras. I guess you have to ask whether you want/need features of newer cameras

I'm happy with what I've got - I did upgrade from the D80 and have never looked back, as I couldn't do a number of things I wanted to with it - the ISO performance was very poor - even the D300s is stretched on many things I want to do... but certainly, I was unable to upgrade lens due to financial things, and for one reason and another it made sense to upgrade the camera, which did improve the images somewhat. I have to say though, glass is what I'd be saving for!

xx

Good article.

I use a Canon 40D and a Canon 1D Mark II both of which are a few years old.

I don't need more than 10MP so certainly no need to upgrade on that front but I do know for a fact that with better ISO performance I could use very fast shutter speeds for the birds in conditions other than great light.

Good article

I think it's a temptation to want the latest, new shiney thing that comes on the market, especially when starting out, I went nuts, and then sold most of the stuff I bought within a year. Now I spend my money on glass, as cameras bodies change so frequently, quality glass stays the same, as long as you take care of it. I am happy with my camera, had it two years now, though I feel I am ready to upgrade, I'm in no rush.

I have a thing about sharp images so to me it worth upgrading for the megapixels. Having just got the 600D I'm really happy with the IQ compared to my previous 400D & 450D. Not sure that I'll upgrade again for a while. A reason some people upgrade is because they didn't choose wisely in first place (I'm included in this) due to inexperience and budget and then after time want what they perceive to be the better product.

Paul