When to upgrade body?

Hmm. I suppose the objective answer is when it's holding you back, and the subjective one is when you want a new body. It's a pretty personal decision, really.
 
When you can afford it and want it. I went from a 550D to a 7D because I had the money and fancied an upgrade. Will be very helpful at airshows with fps and AF. But then I fancied going FF so gave the wife the 550D and got myself a nice 5D2. Got some great lenses and a couple of great bodies for the coming year. Oh, and there was nothing wrong with the 550D, it's still going strong as the day I got it. I just fancied them.
 
When you've pushed the limits of the one you have an know it inside out... or you get bored/unexpected money and fancy a change :)
 
When the images you get from the sensor are noticeably worse than newer sensors.
For example,I have a nikon D70s and a D300 and I carry the D70s is in the car so use it when walking the dog.
The shots are OK but in poor light or when cropped notice the images poor against D300.
And that has started the dreaded urge :eek:
If the D70s sensor is showing it's age,how much better are the new sensors than the D300 sensor :suspect:

NO! Rick, but that little devil on't shoulder keeps whispering.:bonk:
 
how do you know when to upgrade?
Click to expand...

For me, it was when I found I wanted my camera to have more manual capabilities & I upgraded from a
Canon 400D to a Canon 5D MKII after looking into different camera's capabilities. I've never looked back!
 
towershot said:
When the images you get from the sensor are noticeably worse than newer sensors.
For example,I have a nikon D70s and a D300 and I carry the D70s is in the car so use it when walking the dog.
The shots are OK but in poor light or when cropped notice the images poor against D300.
And that has started the dreaded urge :eek:
If the D70s sensor is showing it's age,how much better are the new sensors than the D300 sensor :suspect:

NO! Rick, but that little devil on't shoulder keeps whispering.:bonk:
Click to expand...

Don't, whatever you do, try a D700, Rick. :naughty:
 
When you are certain the new/upgraded features would make a real world difference to your photography.

Eg, when the successor to my 5DII is realised, I might decide its has much better outer AF points, even better high ISO performance, more consistent metering with flash etc. all of which are important to my photography. It's not that I don't have a capable camera now, its just the new body might make my job easier and improve my keeper rate, and only I can decide if the cost is worth it.
 
I had a canon 459d for some time and was happy with it until I started shooting at international air tattoo show where I realised I need a faster frame rate. That was the only factor that convinced me to upgrade to 60d.
 
like others have said...
- when you have the cash
And
- when you are fed up banging against the limitations of your camera and there is a body invented that meets more of your needs.

Its always a compromise. Sometimes its better to wait a couple of years for the next generation of bodies which will meet more of your needs.
 
I went from my 40D to 7D when I realised that I needed better AF and also more leeway in cropping for birds. It also had the added bonus of having better high ISO characteristics!
 
Much as I admire those who have answered with things like 'when your current body is restricting you', in my case it's always been simply because I want one. Frankly the most basic of DSLR's would be fine for me but I can't help wanting more (bit like owning a fast car). That's why in the last year, I've gone:

D5000 (everything I should ever need)
D300 (everything I should ever want)
D700 (way out of my league but makes me happy..... for now)
 
Pros - in my expereince - generally buy what they need to succeed in business; amateurs often buy what they want, whether it's really necessary or not. That's fine. It's your hobby, and your money. You can indulge yourself as much as you like. There's no need to justify it.
 
I was thinking of upgrading my very very basic Nikon D60, and I did ask a question something on those lines. The answer for me was, I don't really need to upgrade it does the job I want it to do. I will upgrade when it breaks!

The answer for other people will be either the same, or when it no longer does the job it is intended to do. Or you have too much money and you have no idea what else to spend it on!
 
I bought what I could afford when I felt the 450D and 500D were at their limit of performance, I also had a few jobs lined up that could get me a fair bit of extra shooting this summer so wanted the camera to perform as well as it could in the difficult lighting conditions. I had been saving up for 10 months aiming towards a 2nd hand 1DIV but due to selling the 450D for a good price and a cashback deal I was able to buy a new one. with the upand comming release of the the replacement it pushed me to purchase before they disapeared or prices went up as supplies dried up.
 
My D3000 is more capable than me but as soon as I've got the spare funds I'll upgrade for no other reason than it will make me happy having a new toy to play with.
Will the additional spending make my photos any better? maybe not, but it will put a smile on my face and thats all that matters!
 
Unless the body is really outdated, or you have a requirement that it doesn't meet that well (such as low light shooting or action shots where you need more FPS) then sort out lenses first, then the body, but once you have the lenses you want, upgrade any time you want to, just make sure its an upgrade and not a sideways step.

For instance I have a 500D at present, I could do with better low light capabilities so to me a 600D 60D or even a 7D is more of a sideways step, I really need a 5D or 5D2 for the better low light performance of the full frame sensor.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top