When Upgrading Cameras ...

[jcdeboever]

While trying to stay a few steps ahead, I’ve already been looking into my next camera purchase. However, amidst of furthering my knowledge and doing my due diligence, I’ve seem to have stumble across two distinct buying patterns: 1) an individual will upgrade one camera at a time, multiple bodies, until he/she reaches the “cream of the crop”, so to speak, for his/her specific needs, and 2) an individual will go from whatever his/her starting camera is, to the “cream of the crop”, without the additional buys in between.

I’m curious …. What approach did you use? Do you think there is any particular significance to one or the other, or is it just a personal preference?

I don't do either. I have not upgraded yet but have looked because I like reading up on hardware. I currently have a D3300. The cream of the crop sensor is the D500 but I don't have to have that. I look at my needs; Pentaprism view finder, internal focus motor, and more focus points. The D7200 would be fine. But here's the deal, I get good images from the D3300, so why upgrade? I could go full frame but then I have to buy a bunch of new glass. Heck, I get some good images with my point & shoot. Now, if I can get my wife to buy me a D500, so be it, I won't complain.

 

[Gary A.]

While trying to stay a few steps ahead, I’ve already been looking into my next camera purchase. However, amidst of furthering my knowledge and doing my due diligence, I’ve seem to have stumble across two distinct buying patterns: 1) an individual will upgrade one camera at a time, multiple bodies, until he/she reaches the “cream of the crop”, so to speak, for his/her specific needs, and 2) an individual will go from whatever his/her starting camera is, to the “cream of the crop”, without the additional buys in between.

I’m curious …. What approach did you use? Do you think there is any particular significance to one or the other, or is it just a personal preference?

I don't do either. I have not upgraded yet but have looked because I like reading up on hardware. I currently have a D3300. The cream of the crop sensor is the D500 but I don't have to have that. I look at my needs; Pentaprism view finder, internal focus motor, and more focus points. The D7200 would be fine. But here's the deal, I get good images from the D3300, so why upgrade? I could go full frame but then I have to buy a bunch of new glass. Heck, I get some good images with my point & shoot. Now, if I can get my wife to buy me a D500, so be it, I won't complain.

You need a XPro2

 

[jcdeboever]

While trying to stay a few steps ahead, I’ve already been looking into my next camera purchase. However, amidst of furthering my knowledge and doing my due diligence, I’ve seem to have stumble across two distinct buying patterns: 1) an individual will upgrade one camera at a time, multiple bodies, until he/she reaches the “cream of the crop”, so to speak, for his/her specific needs, and 2) an individual will go from whatever his/her starting camera is, to the “cream of the crop”, without the additional buys in between.

I’m curious …. What approach did you use? Do you think there is any particular significance to one or the other, or is it just a personal preference?

I don't do either. I have not upgraded yet but have looked because I like reading up on hardware. I currently have a D3300. The cream of the crop sensor is the D500 but I don't have to have that. I look at my needs; Pentaprism view finder, internal focus motor, and more focus points. The D7200 would be fine. But here's the deal, I get good images from the D3300, so why upgrade? I could go full frame but then I have to buy a bunch of new glass. Heck, I get some good images with my point & shoot. Now, if I can get my wife to buy me a D500, so be it, I won't complain.

You need a XPro2

Really? If not kidding why? I could have bought one recently for $1300 barely used, a couple weeks he said but I used that money to buy the wife a Lenovo X1 Carbon. Should be here Tuesday. She needs a better laptop, she has been using all my fantastic eBay finds/repairs (2) in 11 years. So I bought her a Cadillac so I don't get yelled at and get sex everyday for a week, jk 6 days.

 

[robbins.photo]

While trying to stay a few steps ahead, I’ve already been looking into my next camera purchase. However, amidst of furthering my knowledge and doing my due diligence, I’ve seem to have stumble across two distinct buying patterns: 1) an individual will upgrade one camera at a time, multiple bodies, until he/she reaches the “cream of the crop”, so to speak, for his/her specific needs, and 2) an individual will go from whatever his/her starting camera is, to the “cream of the crop”, without the additional buys in between.

I’m curious …. What approach did you use? Do you think there is any particular significance to one or the other, or is it just a personal preference?

I don't do either. I have not upgraded yet but have looked because I like reading up on hardware. I currently have a D3300. The cream of the crop sensor is the D500 but I don't have to have that. I look at my needs; Pentaprism view finder, internal focus motor, and more focus points. The D7200 would be fine. But here's the deal, I get good images from the D3300, so why upgrade? I could go full frame but then I have to buy a bunch of new glass. Heck, I get some good images with my point & shoot. Now, if I can get my wife to buy me a D500, so be it, I won't complain.

If you don't need a larger buffer for long bursts and don't mind buying used you might want to look at a d7100. It's a lot of bang for your buck, and I never regretted upgrading to one from my d5200. The second control dial made it well worth it.

Sent from my N9518 using Tapatalk

 

[Overread]

I upgrade when my existing kit will not do what I want it to. I still use my 1980s Pentax MX on a regular basis because it does what I want it to. I am on my third digital camera - Minolta Dimage, EOS 350D, EOS 650D - over 13 years. I shall be buying an EOS 80D next week as I am struggling with dark church interiors, something that has only been an issue for a year or so.

Sounds like what you need is a tripod, not a new camera body.

It is the high levels of noise that is the problem - I almost always use a tripod.

Shoot at 100 ISO and do what you can to reduce the noise in post process. Dark environments do have their challenges. In the film days we had reciprocity failure and today we have noise. I think reciprocity failure was easier to manage.

Surely in a dark environment shooting at a higher ISO is the better choice. A higher ISO brings more noise, but a properly exposed photo taken at a higher ISO gives far less noise than one which is taken at a lower ISO and then brightened up in editing.
You'd also run the risk that a low ISO and an underexposed photo could come up with dark patches which are underexposed beyond recovery.

Although I'm aware newer sensors are starting to really push those practical limitations and to make a lot more possible; the general theories still stand as sound shooting practice.

 

[john.margetts]

Low ISO does not mean under-exposed, it means long exposures. I am currently using exposures of up to several seconds on occasion. That way you get long-exposure noise rather than high ISO noise. I want to cut the noise level down by using a much newer sensor.

 

[Overread]

Ahh I was thinking people and motion and thus a need for a faster shutter speed by default. However honestly any sensor at ISO 100 should already be pretty noise free if you've got the luxury of choosing your exposure time. Although you'll still get dark patches I would think multiple exposures and using tonemapping/HDR would be the way to go.

 

[astroNikon]

longer exposures is not the answer to everything.
You still have to have a Shutter Speed relevant to your subject. Indoor/night sports is more akin to higher ISOs than a longer shutter speed.