A little rant

[Didache]

I suppose the key here is to decide what features you REALLY want and need (pixels etc) then buy the best camera you can afford which provides them and then (this is the point) IGNORE the manufacturers who tell you that what you have isn't good enough!

Mike

[yogestee]

I understand your point, but you should make it clear you're talking about consumer cameras. Pro equipment is literally the opposite. Gear is much more expensive now then it was back in the days of film... :cryin:

My two DSLR bodies alone (one bought used, one at a great sale price) cost roughly $7000US. Ten or fifteen years ago, I don't think my entire arsenal of film bodies (top of the line Canon SRLs), lenses, and studio lighting equipment added up to that much.

Even allowing for inflation, there is no comparison...

Steve,,I have to disagree with you on this one,,,gear is cheaper these days in comparison with wages...I bought a swag of Nikon gear from the late 70's to the early 90's..I remember paying $650.00 Aussie Dollars (around $1000.00US) for a Nikkor 300mm f4.5 AIS back in 1980,,,big bucks when you make a comparison with wages...$550.00 AUD for a Nikon FE in 1980...I think a Nikon F3 was around $1500.00 AUD in those days..

Jurgen
Australia

[Frans]

Don’t expect the same life out of a digital, for one thing the dyes in the red, green, blue filters on the front of the CCD/CMOS sensor fade after some time, effectively turning your camera to shoot B/W only. A problem I had, my Olympus c550z, it has a lithium battery soldered the one of the circuit boards in the camera. It was not made to be replaced, and after 3 years it went flat. Now I lose all the setup information and time/date everytime the batteries are replaced. I think if you get five years out of a digital your using it beyond its design life.

[JSPhoto]

Bingo, you've just put into words something that's been hovering around my sub-conscious. There's nothing "wrong" with my equipment (a 1D, metal mount 50mm 1.8, 75-300 usm is, 28-135 usm is, and 20-35 L), sure some of it is "outdated" but it still works well. I've gotten great images with it.

Even your "outdated 1D" is still WAY ahead of even most "prosumer" (I hate that term, there is pro and there isn't, there is no inbetween) in most areas, functionaly and so on.
I wouldn't have upgraded to the 1D MKII N except I needed a quality backup and more life out of a battery charge. If I didn't have the MKII N I'd still be using the original 1D and I'd be very happy as it is still better than even the above average cameras available today. Prints are just as good, even at poster sizes.

JS

[freygr]

As long as a camera works and has film its not out dated. I still use may Leotax with it's 5 cm f 3.5 lense. Now my old Kodak 620 folding camera is out dated and never really took that good of photographs.