Camera model chasing

realspeed

realspeed

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Bazza
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Yes I have done this from the Nikon D70s to D200 to D300 to D800, but I have stopped and given it some thought.

Is it really worth trying to keep up with the latest version of any make? After all most are just tweeks to entice .
Sitting back and looking at the speed different models of any make are being produced it seems to me that most of it is sales gimmics, and in reality does not make that much difference to the final end " THE PHOTOGRAPH"

Even if it did make a difference photo editing has come on so far to alter a picture to ones liking.

Maybe we are all fools to fall for these manufactures "tricks"? After all everyone would have been satisfied with the last model they purchased anyway, so why upgrade ?

The only reason I would do it now is if my existing cameras failed and became totally useless or were stolen or damaged beyond repair.
 
First camera was a D60, soon upgraded to a D300 as the D300s was released so picked up the last one in Doncaster. Once used to size D60 was sold as it felt too small but having had 2 for a while i picked up a Fuji S5pro as funds didnt allow a second D300. Added a Fuji X10 to the collection for travelling light and very happy with those. Saying that I've always wanted to try full frame and love motor sport so I should soon have a D3. I dont see any need to upgrade for a newer model unless a body fails, i dont need massive mp or high iso so D300/D3 is perfect for me.
 
personally I couldn't give two tosses about keeping up with the jones' so to speak, for me I buy the gear I need to make the money or what will make it easier.

We use 6D and 60D's for my wedding work, I could go for the big balls bragging rights and get a 5d3 but to what end?

The exact same image quality with functions that serve no purpose to me.

The only time in my eyes to change is when you need to... but I am super super tight. haha
 
In answer to your question, not bothered, still have a 1D MKII which was my second camera after the 20D, which died recently so I bought a 70D as replacement. The 1D does / did everything I wanted it to the reasons for the second body is so I don't have to swap lens, major purchases since buying 1D have been lenses, do I want the latest bodies, yes, do I need the latest bodies, no, because the camera does everything I need it too. If I was making money from photography, then perhaps my gear priorities would be different, but I do it for fun and would rather invest in lenses rather than camera bodies
 
realspeed said:
The only reason I would do it now is if my existing cameras failed and became totally useless or were stolen or damaged beyond repair.
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110% Agreed. The cameras I currently use get the images I want and I'am more than happy with the image quality they produce, You can always change the latest tech but if your happy with the cameras you have and use there is no point in changing them, It seems with some people having the latest camera/s these days is a badge of honour...

pete.rush said:
would rather invest in lenses rather than camera bodies
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:plus1:
 
Talking about proper cameras... D40, then a D90 but decided I wanted to do paid work so got a D300. Loved it but wanted FF and good ISO so got a D700. A D750 is now on its way as it's even better especially at higher ISO as well as a few useful things like 2 slots, video etc...

Never say never but will probably not get a new camera for a good 3 years.
 
Just remember what a pro friend said to me when I started out back in 2007 with digital cameras. Buy the top of the range body and attach a cr&p lens to it, it takes rubbish images. Buy a top lens and put it on an average body and you get great images. it's the lens that gets you the image not the camera body when it comes down to the average joe behind the camera.

Got a friend who's gone from 20D to 1DX with most of the bodies in between, I think sometimes because we're the harshes critics of our own work, some people get insecure with their photography and think the next camera body will make their images better, hence always wanting to upgrade. Just my thoughts on why certain people continually upgrade
 
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I think the only reason I went for the D800 is because I wanted a FF body. I would have gone for the D700 but by the time I had saved enough money Nikon ceased production and used ones most had a high shutter count.
I did seriously consider the D600 but glad I didn't go for it with the oil issues it originally had.

Suppose I was fortunate to come into a little money which just about enabled me to get the D800

Have to own up a bit and mention I only took my Panasonic HC-X900M to Brazil for stills and video because it is not a country to go flashing big expensive cameras and lenses in. This Panasonic fits into a pocket easily when the needs must and still takes 16 mp pictures as shown elsewhere on TP.


It has taken about 4/5 years building up my camera equipment ready for my now retirement, now on pensions etc I don't think I could even afford to buy a lens cloth "or so er indoors says"
 
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Having followed a very similar upgrade path, I have now just about managed to get my GAS under control. I might upgrade my D700 to a 750 but probably won't since I'm mainly using Fuji CSCs these days (and compacts) so might content myself with a second hand D3200 or similar for the extra reach and cropability when I want/need it. The upcoming longer zoom from Fuji will scratch that itch better though! Had a D800 for the pixels (cropability) but after a year had fewer than 500 shots on it so chopped it in against a small Fuji CSC system which got more use in a month than the 800 had in the year.
 
You just upgrade as you need to, doing it every year is a bit pointless if you are doing it on purpose, unless someone does something magical.

I started with a D80 in 2006, then in 2011/12 I got a used D7000, it was a fair jump in tech and I wanted the screen and a couple of other bits. That got stolen in 2013 and the insurance gave me a new D7100 which was great. Due to lots of stuff going on in my life in the months immediately after that (divorce, house sale, new partner, etc) the D7100 didn't get all that much use before the D750 came out a few weeks before I was able to settle again and continue with my photography. I wanted to make the jump to FX (which neither the D810 or D610 has inspired me to do) to go with the decent lenses I'd bought a few months earlier from my [strike]winnings[/strike] proceeds from the house sale.

Had I had a choice, I would have still had the D7000 until recently as it was a great camera. I struggle to understand choosing to go from a D600 to a D610, or a D7000 to a D7100. If you are going to change, make it worthwhile.

With the D750 I can't see me buying another body for 5 years, unless I somehow manage to get a job in the field and buy another D750.
 
It's already been said, but spend your money on the glass. But there's no tech - or little apparent tech in that.
Clearly the newer Bodies are better than the old ones. That was the case with film bodies too.
What disappoints me is that the manufacturers almost refuse to give their customer what they want. How hard would it have been to have made the Nikon D750 a really great camera with only a few tweaks. Or the Df for that matter.
Yes, I'm sure I will get a d750 at some point, but I would not want to go back to a d80!
 
"Bragging rights", "Badge of honour", "Insecure"......how about the simple fact that some people can afford it and choose to spend their money on it in the same way that other people might buy a new car, go on holiday, drink alcohol or smoke?

If you're intent on reading something into this then go ahead......
I've got two 1Dx's, a 5D3 and two 5D2's.....because I enjoy using them. I'm mediocre at best (and accept the fact.....that's not insecurity) and 99% of the people that I interact with wouldn't know the difference between (or care about the difference between) a 10 year old 1DsMkI and a 1Dx so no "bragging rights" or "badge of honour" there. Stick a 200/2, 300/2.8 or 600/4 on the front and it can grab attention, that's unavoidable, and the body is relegated to playing a bit part.

In short, second guesses as to how people choose to spend their money can often be very wide of the mark.

Bob
 
I've had 2 DSLR's in 9 years. My D700 will be coming up 6 years old in January, and it's still a great piece of kit. Never been tempted to change it, although the D750 does look tremendous. I could afford to buy one next year, but I don't think I could justify it.

I also have a Fuji X-Pro which I use just as much as the Nikon, and is far more portable. It's a somewhat different shooting experience and is more of a supplement to the Nikon than a replacement.

I've spent more money in 2014 on things like a new printer, new monitor, workshops and exhibition frames than I have on camera gear, and my photography (in terms of the bigger picture, ie beyond simply exposing the image) has been better off for it than if I'd bought a new body or lens.
 
If I had the money i'd be buying top of the line stuff. As it stands I'm saving for a new camera - most likely a 5diii.

I don't feel any need to buy the latest and greatest. I do however take photography as one of the things I enjoy most in life and as such am willing to spend more on it than I possibly should. Save in the knowledge that if I do decide to sell in not going to lose too much anyway. Say that about any other luxury?

The main reasons I upgrade a camera or lens is if it offers something I need. Right now I'm using a 1diii and 7d. Both excellent cameras. However each has its areas I feel limit me when I look at photos they produce. So a new camera body will be my next big purchase.
 
I upgrade my camera bodies every 3 or 4 years. I buy secondhand and usually 2 or 3 generations behind the crowd. Currently have D300 and D3 which I am very pleased with. I am looking forward to getting my Nikon D750 in about 2 years time when the D750s comes out and GAS affected people think they can't live without it and sell their D750.
 
I was out on a landscape shoot a while back and I remember talkin to these 2 idiots. I couldnt believe how they looked down on me as I shot with a nikon and just to top it off a .. CROP BODY. But youll always find people who think that unless you have the latest gear your useless. But let your work do the talking not your kit. Yes if it was free we woukd all have top end gear but it isnt so the question is do you need it? And what will it offer you over you kit.

If I have a d4s id get a ridiculous frame rate ... but 99% of the time I shoot single shot.
 
I'm still using a D70 that I've had since a few months after release (2004ish?). Starting to feel the need to upgrade now but more for better high ISO performance than anything else really. Even at a lowly 6mp, my prints have looked fine when viewed from a normal viewing distance (i.e. you don't view a large canvas from 1 foot away)
 
I don't think theres much to gain from upgrading frequently. Tomorrow I'll get my first upgrade for about 10 years when a 7D mkii will take pride of place ahead of my 300D.

The 300D can still take a great photo, even if the AF is terrible compared to today's standards & it's only 6mp.
 
as everyone on here has already stated, its more in the glass (and the user) that's used than the body.

when i started out my mate said to buy a cheapish body and get decent lenses, i ended up with the 400d a sigma 70-200 ex dg 2 and a tamron 24-70, i know these aren't the best lenses, but for budgety goodness there very good for what i need and the budget i had.

now my mate has a 7d and less effort needs to be made to get action shots etc, and low light shots are loads better, even in normal conditions the images in the 7d have more detail and are sharper,

but the difference especially with editing software being so good these days and the fact that a 7d is now considered rather old hasn't been enough to make me decide i "have" to upgrade. (imo all the others in canons range upto the 7d dont justify the extra expenditure. i'll never have the money for a 1d3 or better, and i will never have the need for a 1d3 or better, hardly have the need for a 7d)

i'm hoping the 7d2 will make me want to make the jump into semi-pro body ownership
 
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Canon Bob said:
"Bragging rights", "Badge of honour", "Insecure"......how about the simple fact that some people can afford it and choose to spend their money on it in the same way that other people might buy a new car, go on holiday, drink alcohol or smoke?

If you're intent on reading something into this then go ahead......
I've got two 1Dx's, a 5D3 and two 5D2's.....because I enjoy using them. I'm mediocre at best (and accept the fact.....that's not insecurity) and 99% of the people that I interact with wouldn't know the difference between (or care about the difference between) a 10 year old 1DsMkI and a 1Dx so no "bragging rights" or "badge of honour" there. Stick a 200/2, 300/2.8 or 600/4 on the front and it can grab attention, that's unavoidable, and the body is relegated to playing a bit part.

In short, second guesses as to how people choose to spend their money can often be very wide of the mark.

Bob
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i'm with this guy :)

people buy what they want, need is a different thing all together most people don't need a fancy sports car but they buy them anyway because its something they want
the camera gear i buy ( usually second hand ) i don't need it but i do like having and using it

i love seeing amazing photos taken with basic kit and iv'e seen a lot but i still like owning and using more advanced kit not because it's going to make me a better photographer but the images i do take tend to be better than images i was taking a few years ago with lesser kit but thats down to technology not my photo skills

to each there own
 
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If you've got the money and you like camera's why not? There's nothing wrong with getting pleasure from buying and owning with the latest camera bodies, no matter what your ability. Some people just enjoying the upgrade process, myself included, the only thing to watch is that you aren't chasing that magic bullet that's going to get you that great photograph.
 
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If you're a pro it's actually beneficial to upgrade/replace for tax and capital allowance purposes, but if a keen amateur wants to upgrade why the hell not? If you have the funds.
 
I moved straight from my D200 (still got my D100 as well) to a D800. Are my pictures any better ? Probably not but to be honest - I am :banana: I just love the camera and in about 5 years will hopefully have mastered it:naughty:
 
Muzzieman said:
If you're a pro it's actually beneficial to upgrade/replace for tax and capital allowance purposes, but if a keen amateur wants to upgrade why the hell not? If you have the funds.
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I completely agree. My only gripe is those people who look down on others for using older gear. There are many of these and alot of them are registered to this forum.

I do have to laugh though when you see someone buy a d800 or something like that and the poor thing never gets out of auto.
 
barratt1988 said:
I do have to laugh though when you see someone buy a d800 or something like that and the poor thing never gets out of auto.
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If a D800 in auto achieves what they're looking to achieve then why is that so wrong?


Bob
 
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Don't you think that your second statement puts you in exactly the same group as the people who you're criticising in the first statement, Phil?

Bob
 
barratt1988 said:
Because it has so much potential its just a waste. Like buying a bugatti veyron to nip to the shops in.
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If I have the money to go to the corner shop in a Veyron rather than walk, why can't I?

I have to agree with Bob.

Oh I hate camera snobs. Wait why are YOU using THAT! You don't know about aperture!
 
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Canon Bob said:
Don't you think that your second statement puts you in exactly the same group as the people who you're criticising in the first statement, Phil?

Bob
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First off its Phill (sorry but it winds me up when its spelt wrong) and no I dont really because im not goin to tell those people that there idiots, laugh at there faces or whatever it just bugs me. Thats the difference.

And the majority of these people only buy the camera to become a gear snob and not to learn.
 
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barratt1988 said:
Because it has so much potential its just a waste. Like buying a bugatti veyron to nip to the shops in.
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What a way to get a pint of milk though.

My view is if you want to buy new kit and can afford it then do it. It doesn't matter if you have the need for it or can utilise every last bit of technology that's in it.

Photography is my hobby, like many others on here. I don't smoke or drink or gamble. I dont have any leeches, i mean kids, to support. I'm lucky enough to have a good job and I've managed to end up with some nice kit over the last eight years. I've never chased the latest and greatest. I buy when I think it offers something that my current kit doesn't. I try to buy the best I can afford and if that means waiting a while to get it I wait.

And I stick them all on P and machine gun everything :)
 
The key to some of this, if you afford it, go for it. Christ if I had the money, ( a lottery win would be nice), I would buy one of each Fuji bodies and all there XF lenses, probably get myself a D810 & 5D3, and a Sony A7s etc............ If it kept me happy I wouldn't give two hoots what other people think.

I previously had a good job, but due to illness I am unable to work now. When I was working (and the wife also has got a good job), as we have no kids we made the most of it. Your only here once, its not a trial run and if spending money on something enjoy, go for it.
 
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