How long before you upgrade your camera?


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p7m13

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Sep 30, 2005
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How long do all of you keep your cameras for before you upgrade/go for the newer model?

How long can the average digital camera last before the internal parts start giving problems? 3 years?

Because I notice that it's quite hard to sell cameras that are more than 2 years old. Especially PnS ones. :dunno:
 

I guess there is no hard and fast rule or norm and it depends from person to person. I upgraded from an olympus E300 to E1 after 8 months and has been using the E1 for 2 years plus with no intention to upgrade as yet... And of course depend on how much you are willing to spend on equipment.... If you ask me, equipment is not as important contributing to the quality of the photos (meaning one still can get nice photo with basic equipment like PnS)..
 

I totally agree with tunghk. Don't upgrade just because something new is out. I use a Nikon D50 which is obsolete now. But I don't think I will upgrade until I can get my skills improved. Or the shopping bug bites. Luckily I have been immune so far.
 

when all the friends around you upgraded.
 

I totally agree with tunghk. Don't upgrade just because something new is out. I use a Nikon D50 which is obsolete now. But I don't think I will upgrade until I can get my skills improved. Or the shopping bug bites. Luckily I have been immune so far.

I'm actually more concerned about the equipment failing. It's like you use your DSLR for 3 years then it dies on you and you can't fix it because it's obsolete and can't sell it because it's spoilt. So the $1000+ you spent on it basically goes up in smoke.

For example I bought an Olympus pro-sumer 3.2MP (was a milestone for its time) in 2002 for about $1,000. Then last year the camera could no longer read from the smartmedia card anymore. Because it's so old I can't fix it and I can't sell it... so it's basically a very expensive paper weight. Haizzz I should've sold it off when I had the chance. :(
 

I'm actually more concerned about the equipment failing. It's like you use your DSLR for 3 years then it dies on you and you can't fix it because it's obsolete and can't sell it because it's spoilt. So the $1000+ you spent on it basically goes up in smoke.

For example I bought an Olympus pro-sumer 3.2MP (was a milestone for its time) in 2002 for about $1,000. Then last year the camera could no longer read from the smartmedia card anymore. Because it's so old I can't fix it and I can't sell it... so it's basically a very expensive paper weight. Haizzz I should've sold it off when I had the chance. :(
smoke? why? you have been using it for 3 yrs, the best rewards are the priceless photo taken in that 3 yrs...

don tell me you expect to buy and use a camera and then sell at the same price? :dunno:
 

smoke? why? you have been using it for 3 yrs, the best rewards are the priceless photo taken in that 3 yrs...

don tell me you expect to buy and use a camera and then sell at the same price? :dunno:

Lol of course not.... Still a few hundred dollars can help to offset the cost of another camera. :D
 

Lol of course not.... Still a few hundred dollars can help to offset the cost of another camera. :D
in that case you probably be selling the camera in just a few mths after purchase, that would actually mean in that 3 yr you might need to change 6cam (assuming you buy/sell every 1/2 yr), those little loss will add up to a huge amt as well probably even more. only diff is you get a better cam each time, but the learn will just keep restarting.

I rather stick with one faithful cam as long as it still works and capable of producing beautiful photos
 

Camera body holds not much value in now, valued like an computer now... Like Canon, always came out with new models in short period of time. Will change when there a needs to buy new toys...Itchy hands :confused:
 

How long do all of you keep your cameras for before you upgrade/go for the newer model?

How long can the average digital camera last before the internal parts start giving problems? 3 years?

Because I notice that it's quite hard to sell cameras that are more than 2 years old. Especially PnS ones. :dunno:

I still have my Sony S70 the first few 3,3megapixel prosumer PnS along with my D70 since 2004. There are still working fine....and till something very bad happens to them in the way of wear and tear I will look into replacing them. The only time I sold anything off, for me personally, was when I change over to digital for good thus sold off my SLRs and some older lens that goes with it.

I look at my DLSR or cameras in general as tools. Tools that you start to only get use to it's features, modes and personality of the camera. Just as you got use to it so naturally and then you want to switch over to another one and start all over again..that is good and fine...if you are a camera collector. But I shot photo at work and for play. I just want something comfortable and familiar with that I just pick it up, look in the viewfinder and can adjust my shooting and setting like second nature while I concentrate on composing my scene and shots. Unless I really needed that extra bit more of resolution or whatever advantage the newer generations can offer..then I might but I also want to know how often I would need those newer features if not, I rather save my cash for a better lens or accesories or for something else other then photography.

Lastly for me, I did not buy my camera to sell it off later. That never factor into my mind when I buy a camera. If it did I can't afford to even indulge in buying one or start this hobby. The value of a camera is not its resale value down the road..but what the camera or hobby gives you or as an investment in your job that requires it....and sometime it goes even beyond that that you can't place a value to it. And even if you do have to sell it for whatever reason, you should note that the reselling market for cameras and lens is at times fickle or very fickle but overall you usually lose more then you get back. That is a fact.

With that in mind, choose your hobby carefully to begin with or if you do want to take photography as a hobby? Then choose the right value of phtographic gear for YOU and then learn to maximise the use of those equipment. hehehe frankly to me sometimes, I see people all these decades that keep changing their gear everytime a new one comes along, Not all of them, but some of them....how many you think has caught the virus "p*nis envy" especially when they come across others with bigger "guns" when they go walk about shooting or go for group outings heheh. Then they feel the need to upgrade as well. For them I think they have worst problem and it has nothing to do with that camera strap around his/her neck but what's between their ears.

It's never really how long before you upgrade but how happy you are with your gear before you upgrade. So you need to find out why you are not happy with your gear or photography.

But that's me lah.
 

Very simple if you want to be practical... Shoot till you find that you are really being limited by the camera body's capabilities.

Of course, often many of us are non-logical nor practical when it comes to "toys" :bsmilie:
 

Very simple if you want to be practical... Shoot till you find that you are really being limited by the camera body's capabilities.

Of course, often many of us are non-logical nor practical when it comes to "toys" :bsmilie:

Depends what you need it for... mine are tools, not toys. My 1Ds2 was stolen, so sold off my 1D2n and Canon lenses, bought some Nikon glass and accessories, a used D2xs while waiting for the D3, D300 (both of which I am in the "list") and the new 24-70 and 14-24.

Is this a "necessary" step? Maybe not. But it will make my work alot easier with the wider dynamic range and cleaner noise at high iso of the D3. Since they are tools rather than toys, it becomes an investment to create mor eincome rather than an expense. :)
 

You are right of course. I was speaking in the context of photography as a hobby.

You have the right to pull out all stops if its a job you are talking about.
 

How long do all of you keep your cameras for before you upgrade/go for the newer model?

I'm running at 5 years per camera at the moment. My wife hates 'gadgets'. Replacing the family camera every 5 years is as often as she will tolerate.
(BTW my wife is a network analysist - programming and managing parts of a large voice/data network, she's not a techno-klutz)

My last upgrade (only a month ago) was to a Oly E510 (from a Minolta D7i) and that was mainly driven by the desire to go back to interchangeable lenses, not 'cause the D7i didn't work any more. It still works fine, after 5 years.
Baring mechanical failure I expect at least 5 years or more out of the e510 body. I expect the lenses to last much longer - but since 4/3rd lenses contain CPU's with firmware and active mechanical things like focus motors, that might be a bit optimistic.

My Cannon T70 and lenses still work perfectly and I bought that lot 2nd hand 15 years ago. Hasn't seen a roll of film for ages, I occasionally put some batteries in and see if the shutter still works. (FD mount, not compatible with Cannon EOS).

There is no reason why a half decent camera should fail after 3 years.

I think many people are just buying upgrades 'cause they can, not 'cause they actually need any particular new feature, and often peer pressure - all my friends have a new camera, i'm feeling left out 'cause I don't' sort of thing.

Of course the camera manufacturers WANT you to keep replacing your camera. They WANT your money. Not value to them if you keep using the same camera for 10 years!
 

hmmm... i went from a nikon 801 to a minolta X700, then to Konica T3, then to a yashica GSN, followed by a holga 120, then to a diana colorflash. going to switch to pinhole once i've got the time to build my pinhole camera kit.

my upgrading seems to be going the other way. :bsmilie:
 

Well as long as the camera lasts you. Like computers, I think it is not necessary to upgrade the camera whenever the next model goes into the market. I'd rather wait for a few more years before the next upgrade.
 

So what is the average life-span of DSLR before failure?
3 years or 5 years or 10 years etc?
100K shots, 200K shots or 500K shots etc?

What is "The durable focal plane shutter mechanism has life cycle of over 100,000 exposures."? Does it mean we need to replace the DSLR shutter mechanism every 100K shots?

I heard that old SLR has a 25-year lifespan.

Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Digital_single-lens_reflex_camera
 

So what is the average life-span of DSLR before failure?
3 years or 5 years or 10 years etc?
100K shots, 200K shots or 500K shots etc?

What is "The durable focal plane shutter mechanism has life cycle of over 100,000 exposures."? Does it mean we need to replace the DSLR shutter mechanism every 100K shots?

I heard that old SLR has a 25-year lifespan.

Ref:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Talk:Digital_single-lens_reflex_camera

I thing about 5 years is probably about the max you can do before some circuits die. 10 years for a DSLR is probably not possible. And technology would've advanced so much it won't be worth keeping it that long anyway. It's like a desktop computer, usually people would upgrade after about 3 - 4 years.
 

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