Railfan Technology > Good article on new camera hype.

Very good discussion on new camera hype, and why so profitable for web sites to stir the frenzy.

https://photographylife.com/the-camera-hype?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=the_camera_hype&utm_term=2017-09-14

Must admit new camera fever is easy to get, from 1977 through 2002 only had 2 cameras a Nikon FM then the addition of a Leica, but since 2002 4 digital cameras... Must admit camera technology did not change much from 1977 to 2002, and I have upgraded digital camera's to take advantage of better high iso performance and larger sensors, but still, good points made in the discussion.

Unfortunately, this applies to more than just cameras. When I shot commercially I was always clamoring for the newest body and glass but once it became just a hobby, I've been perfectly happy with 3 or 4 generation old tech, and even buying used gear. My primary body is a DX frame Nikon D300S, a relic in modern camera terms. I think more people need to focus on skills, and less on hardware.

trainjunkie Wrote:
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> Unfortunately, this applies to more than just
> cameras. When I shot commercially I was always
> clamoring for the newest body and glass but once
> it became just a hobby, I've been perfectly happy
> with 3 or 4 generation old tech, and even buying
> used gear. My primary body is a DX frame Nikon
> D300S, a relic in modern camera terms. I think
> more people need to focus on skills, and less on
> hardware.

I agree with you there. I've got a used D300 and a
D600 bought new. The 300 is a fine camera, but I
prefer the D600's tonal range to the D300s. Those
extra pixels do matter :-) Consider back in the
day: we (maybe just me) wanted the largest negative
that we (I) could afford. And then I upsized (enlarged)
the image and lost a bit of quality. Now it's the
same thing again, but backwards. With larger pixel
counts we have more datapoints for the images that we
shrink...

John.

I have made good use of the hype. There are always folks who have more money than they know what to do with and want to be the first to be able to say that they have the latest and greatest. A few times, when I have considered an equipment upgrade, I wait for the latest greatest hype then watch for the glut of used to show up. The best score was a 5D Mk 2 for about 1/3 of new price. It had made about 200 exposures and came in the original box, complete with warranty card.

TAW

Many years ago I taught a high school photography class. The student with the best camera, a Nikon F, took the worst pictures. You don't need the latest and best to take good pictures. I'm amazed at the quality of some of the photos I took with an early model Olympus point-and-shoot back in the late '90s. Of course, they're not up to the quality of current cameras, but quite acceptable nonetheless.

colehour Wrote:
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> You don't need the latest and best to take good pictures.

Same story with any kind of instrument or tool.

Ray