Upgrading to a new camera and what to do with my old camera

camerajamie

camerajamie

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I've been contemplating upgrading my camera recently and was curious about how often you all replace or upgrade your cameras. Is it a regular thing for you, or do you tend to stick with the same one for a long time? And what do you usually do with your old cameras when you upgrade?
 
I'd consider keeping an older body as a backup.
 
Maybe get it converted for astro?

Use it for things where you might not want to risk your shiny new camera - wildlife camera trap, water splashing etc
 
Trade it in and take whatever they'll give you for it, also, people on eBay will buy anything.
 
Faldrax said:
Sometimes you'll see manufacturer "Trade In Deals", when they'll give an extra discount on new gear when you trade in as part of the purchase.
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I have done this in the past, and got a bonus.
camerajamie said:
I'm also curious about how easily cameras break and how have people broken their cameras (if they ever have )?
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I have had two shutters go in the last 15 years, both were on secondhand cameras though.
 
Cameras are pretty reliable bits of bit, but if you're careless then they can go wrong - they get dropped accidentally. They may get wet. MEchanical aspects can break, but they usually have a long life span and can often be replaced.
 
In the 50 years photography has been a hobby, I have had 8 cameras. The first few were film cameras. My first DSLR was a Canon 20D which I had converted to IR many years ago and still use. Though I made little effort to sell old cameras, A while ago I persuaded my daughter to grab a collection of the old cameras/lenses and sell on ebay and keep the proceeds. The most recent DSLR is a Canon 5D4 but as this is very heavy; I now used a Sony A6600. When I bought the 5D4, I traded in my 5D2 but have kept the 5D4. I still use the 5D4 for a few studio shots but the Sony does everything else. The only camera which broke was the very first I bought a second hand Practika Nova.

Dave
 
Had Nikons for the last 48 years, only of them has gone wrong (see below). I have also had a Panasonic compact and an old Zenit E film camera (my first) -- they did not go wrong either.

I've had three new Fuji X100Vs, all of them have gone wrong: First one had a sticky EVF screen fault, that was replaced under warranty with another that was in worse condition as the rear screen would go blue and nothing on the camera worked until I'd turned it off and on again. Third one had another sticking EVF screen and I was fed up with bashing it on my hand to unstick it (apparently this is a common fault on X100s that Fuji haven't addressed in several versions) so I traded it in along with my Nikon D810 and bought a Nikon D850. The D850 was the only Nikon that was faulty and that was faulty from the outset as it wouldn't focus properly, had it replaced under warranty within the week,

Oh, I also had a Fuji X20, this too went wrong in that I couldn't change the aperture manually but then I'd had it for several years [of faultless working]. I gave it to my son in the end as he was only ever going to use it on Program mode and it is still going.

So generally, not really a fan of Fuji cameras but am a fan of Nikons.
 
The only camera I have had go wrong was a Pentax K-50 which was my backup so not used much. The aperture solenoid failed well before it was two years old. By the time they eventually replied to me, it was over two years old and out of warranty, they refused to fix it.
They did the same to thousands of other owners, even though it was a known manufacturing fault.
That was the end of my Pentax usage, I had been Pentax since the early 70s

I have often bought faulty cameras on ebay, and I have fully repaired most of them, and the ones I haven't managed are usually the result of just taking a chance.

I think that tell you that if one goes wrong, unless it is valuable, it is uneconomic to have it repaired, but there are lots, so faults can't be that uncommon.

Best thing to do with old cameras is to keep them for a good while before selling, if it ends up in the back of a cupboard never being used, then maybe sell it.
 
I bought my used A7 to replace my Canon 5D2 in 2014/15. I bought a used A7Riii at the beginning of this year to upgrade. I didn't need to sell the A7 or need the small amount money from selling it, so I kept it.

So glad I did really. Having two bodies is really useful :)

Now, if I had a £3k camera body and I was upgrading to a £4k camera body, the former would probably be traded in!
 
camerajamie said:
I've been contemplating upgrading my camera recently and was curious about how often you all replace or upgrade your cameras. Is it a regular thing for you, or do you tend to stick with the same one for a long time? And what do you usually do with your old cameras when you upgrade?
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I've been shooting digital since 2008 and I've had four cameras in that time (I was a film shooter before that). My journey goes Canon EOS 400D > EOS40D>EOS80D>Fujifilm X-T4. So, three upgrades in 15 years, but not evenly spaced. I only kept the 400D for about a year, and kept the 40D for 9 years. My 80D lasted me five years before I made the jump to mirrorless and switched systems early last year. As with any technology, the pace of real advancement and things that will make a difference to image quality has slowed a lot as the technology has matured, so I can't see myself upgrading my body for a few years yet. I've no interest in the newer 40MP Fuji sensors, as they would make my motorsport photography worse in some ways. As for what I did with my old cameras, I sold them, either to friends or to MPB.com
 
Bought my Sony A7ii last year as I wanted to upgrade to mirrorless, but find I still use my Canons a lot more, still got a 40D, 550D and 650D but gave my old 5D to my wife with a kit lens.
 
RichardC27 said:
... so I can't see myself upgrading my body for a few years yet.
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I asked my doctor about upgrading my body but he just shook his head and said that he couldn't imagine anything that would fix a wreck like me...

Rob Bloor CAN_3229.jpg
 
Time wise I recently upgraded my Canon 40D to the 90D after about 15 years. I know people say go mirrorless but I dont want to ( foot stamp here) I like a dslr. I was told a few weeks back by an 18 year old that I would have to go mirrorless. Well if the 90D lasts as long as the 40D I'll be 80ish, I wont be changing then. The old body I hang on to, to use as a back up or if I think Im going to need to change lenses quickly or frequently one on each body and just switch between them.
 
I tend to sell my old cameras and use it as funds for the new ones. I have sold all my Canon DSLR, from the 30D to the 5D4. They did still have some value when I moved them on, anything from £750 to like £1200 for the 5D.

If the body is worth a couple of hundred or less then I would consider just keeping it, which is why I have my X-T1, X-Pro1.
 
emde²u² said:
Depends.... I usually can keep it as a backup camera (merde happens)..

I now have 5 Nikons.... It's kind of hard to let them go.
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Just wondering why you keep so many cameras. Is it because they have different features you sometimes need?
 
People develop an emotional attachment to them, not worth the hassle of selling and getting pittance back so end up keeping the old ones.
 
Dave Canon said:
In the 50 years photography has been a hobby, I have had 8 cameras. The first few were film cameras. My first DSLR was a Canon 20D which I had converted to IR many years ago and still use. Though I made little effort to sell old cameras, A while ago I persuaded my daughter to grab a collection of the old cameras/lenses and sell on ebay and keep the proceeds. The most recent DSLR is a Canon 5D4 but as this is very heavy; I now used a Sony A6600. When I bought the 5D4, I traded in my 5D2 but have kept the 5D4. I still use the 5D4 for a few studio shots but the Sony does everything else. The only camera which broke was the very first I bought a second hand Practika Nova.

Dave
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What were your main reasons for upgrading/ changing cameras?
 
I've been shooting digital since the Canon 350D came out, so probably 2006 or so. I progressed to a 30D, 40D, 50D, 7D, 1D4, 72D, 1DX2 and R7. Since the 40D time I ran the newer camera as the main body and the older camera as a second body to save swapping lenses and as a form of backup. Older cameras are retired and either sold on or my wife takes it over.

During that period the list of problems has been relatively minor. One shutter requiring replacement. One dead main PCB. One failed shutter button. These have been used fairly heavily for motorsport and athletics in all conditions. In inclement weather I will always use some sort of rain cover as a primary defense, rather than rely on manufacturers weather sealing.

So I'd say modern cameras are extremely reliable.

Given that some days I may be putting 8 - 10,000 shots on the camera, I tend to replace or retire equipments before it has failed, rather than upgrading for any other reason. The pro bodies are designed for this type of work, the consumer level bodies are less robust.
 
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Sangoma said:
The only camera I have had go wrong was a Pentax K-50 which was my backup so not used much. The aperture solenoid failed well before it was two years old. By the time they eventually replied to me, it was over two years old and out of warranty, they refused to fix it.
They did the same to thousands of other owners, even though it was a known manufacturing fault.
That was the end of my Pentax usage, I had been Pentax since the early 70s

I have often bought faulty cameras on ebay, and I have fully repaired most of them, and the ones I haven't managed are usually the result of just taking a chance.

I think that tell you that if one goes wrong, unless it is valuable, it is uneconomic to have it repaired, but there are lots, so faults can't be that uncommon.

Best thing to do with old cameras is to keep them for a good while before selling, if it ends up in the back of a cupboard never being used, then maybe sell it.
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What sorts of problems have you been able to fix with these faulty cameras and what haven't you been able to fix?
 
I tend to trade in my older bodies or sell them online on forums (eg TP or Pentax User).. I have 2 Nikon DSLR and 1 Pentax (plus 2 film Pentaxes).

When I change I tend to skip generations so don't go for newest all the time, I keep what was formerly the 'No.1' camera for some time after getting the new toy but quickly decide to sell it on just to get as much back as possible for it,,,,

I am a little bit more sentimental about my cars, owning a 13 year old Saab
 
I have never really got on the merry go round of buying and selling cameras. If only because I very seldom buy a new one. My cameras tend to last me a while. Plus which I don't subscribe to the theory of newest and best. I still have my Pentax MX, which was my first proper camera. And I kept my little Canon A640, and I'm glad I did, because it's a lovely little camera.
 
So, to go back to the beginning @camerajamie : what is your current camera and what are you considering for an upgrade? Maybe all the observations above have helped or they may have just been an interesting read. What are you thinking of doing now, having had all that feedback? and perhaps even more to the point, what sort of photography do you like to do, that an upgrade might help with?
 
I usually keep my old bodies when I get new ones and use the new ones behind the lens(es) that benefit most from any fresh bells and whistles. Not so much because I have any emotional attachment to them as their trade in or resale value tends to be less than their worth to me as backups. From time to time, I have traded them in but that's been because a shop has been doing a particularly good deal on trade ins (like when LCE were giving an extra £250 [IIRC] and my old F65 qualified!)
 
lindsay said:
So, to go back to the beginning @camerajamie : what is your current camera and what are you considering for an upgrade? Maybe all the observations above have helped or they may have just been an interesting read. What are you thinking of doing now, having had all that feedback? and perhaps even more to the point, what sort of photography do you like to do, that an upgrade might help with?
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This is a good point. What about your current camera body is holding your photography back? Is the problem your camera or do you need a better lens / lenses?
As a rule of thumb, lenses will have a bigger impact on the quality of your photography than a new camera will. When I upgraded from my EOS 40D to my 80D, I kept the same crappy old Sigma 120-400mm lens. If anything, my images looked worse on the 80D, as the much higher megapixel sensor exposed the optical flaws of what was an old and not very good lens. The 40D had hidden a lot of this as it was only 10MP, but moving to a more modern camera made my images worse in some ways. Obviously I benefitted from better high ISO performance and dynamic range with the newer camera, but the images from the 40D looked sharper despite the lower resolution, as that camera wasn't exposing how bad the lens was.
 
RichardC27 said:
This is a good point. What about your current camera body is holding your photography back? Is the problem your camera or do you need a better lens / lenses?
As a rule of thumb, lenses will have a bigger impact on the quality of your photography than a new camera will. When I upgraded from my EOS 40D to my 80D, I kept the same crappy old Sigma 120-400mm lens. If anything, my images looked worse on the 80D, as the much higher megapixel sensor exposed the optical flaws of what was an old and not very good lens. The 40D had hidden a lot of this as it was only 10MP, but moving to a more modern camera made my images worse in some ways. Obviously I benefitted from better high ISO performance and dynamic range with the newer camera, but the images from the 40D looked sharper despite the lower resolution, as that camera wasn't exposing how bad the lens was.
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^ Very valid.

I remember when I got my first decent lens - it was a Sigma 100-300 F4 EX and although it weighed considerably more than the Sigma 70-300 that came before it, the quality was so much higher.
 
camerajamie said:
What sorts of problems have you been able to fix with these faulty cameras and what haven't you been able to fix?
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That would be quite an answer to answer in detail.

Most common reasons for not "being able" to fix a camera would be water immersion for both mechanical and electronic cameras, severe mechanical damage (surprising how many photos and descriptions don't show them) not being worth the time, effort or cost, (ie I just took a chance without knowing anything about it, and for a few pounds it is sometimes worth taking, sometimes it doesn't work out)

Common faults that are worth fixing on certain film camera, things like shutters , lenses with stuck or sticking irises or focus, film feeds and winders, light seals, rangefinder mechanisms, pentaprisms, sticking dials.
On electronics, thing like LCDs, sensors, shutters, controls and buttons, some lenses, EVFs, main boards, card slots

Unless you can have a fairly good guess at what the fault is, know how to fix the fault you think it is and if you have or can get the parts you need, and can evaluate the end value and costs, I wouldn't do it.
 
camerajamie said:
H

Did you get the shutters replaced or was that too expensive?
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I think one was replaced under warranty - top marks to Ffordes, and I had to pay for the other one, which was no longer under warranty.
 
camerajamie said:
What were your main reasons for upgrading/ changing cameras?
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In all cases it was to meet my requirements which changed over time. For most the changes, it was because I wanted better IQ which was only possible due to new developments. In one case it was because my camera was stolen so I had to buy a new replacement. More recently, while my 5D4 still fully meets my IQ requirements, it is too heavy. The Sony A660 I now use is fine for weight and not much inferior for IQ. Yes a compromise but the weight is my number one priority and the Sony is brilliant at focusing.

Dave
 
camerajamie said:
I'm also curious about how easily cameras break and how have people broken their cameras (if they ever have )?
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once dropped a Praktica 1000 over the edge on the Aguile Vert somewhere along the Grands Montet Ridge - I think it made contact around 3 times during the next 600m of its downwards progress - as it'd taken me 9 hours of climbing to get to the point I was, TBH I didn't even think of retrieval, but after the first impact at around 200m onto sold rock, I don't honestly think there was much point anyway.
 
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