How often do you update your gear?

<p>I know lens have a long shelf life especially the high quality ones. However camera mfg seems to always come up with new models rapidly.<br>

TBH, I've been using my EOS 30d since 2006. Preferring to invest in lenses instead. Well these days this reliable camera is considered old. Heck, I have some clients sporting newer dSLR than me. Hahahah... I know most photo-work is really skill based. While my 30D has been fine and still churns out pleasing shots (enough to make money at least), I wonder if it is time to change. From a needs perspective, no. But from a service offering, one would think one should have a updated gear than their clients huh? I don't know.<br>

Just wondering how often do you guys update your camera bodies?</p>

<p>I update when I have either an overwhelming need or an unrelenting want. :)</p>

<p>Eric</p>

<p>It doesn't matter that you can "outgear" your clients (or other photographers) only that you can "outshoot" and "outproduce" in terms of the quality of the photos, products, and experience. Invest in the best tools you can afford, maintain them well, and only buy / replace if the gear can pay for itself within a few months. That's my rule :)</p>

only when necessary. . . it depends on how you treat your gear and how much use it gets. . . I spend too

much on gear every year. . . mostly due to breakage and worn out . . . Right now, the video thing is really

hot, but it's not yet where i need it to be for an upgrade. . . as for lenses, i upgrade the long stuff as soon

as a new one comes out . . .

 

A lot of people say they invest in lenses. I've not seen a lens produced by canon in the past 10 years that

one would call an investment. . . It's a tool and therefore it's an expense . . . I have never seen anyone get

more for a modern lens they they buy it for -

<p>Eric has put it very nicely. I would only add<br>

"<em>and</em> when I can find the cash to do so"</p>

<p>Since today's cameras are the "film" as well as the "film holder," I think the old film-days saw about the priority of "investments" in lenses is misapplied to digital cameras.<br>

That being said, there's very little that you absolutely need to do that requires more than 8MP or so. If you routinely do 24x36" (~60x90cm) prints, maybe you do need more "pixies", but it is the improvement in software, noise, and so on that is driving people to newer machines now, not the real <em>need</em> for more pixels IMHO.</p>

<p>Oh, as for your 30D, get a power grip and obliterate or cover the 30D logo, and your clients will hardly ever guess. ;)</p>

<p>I won't say never, but I haven't for years.</p>

<p>Well you can always rent one for a weekend and see if it really makes a difference to the quality of your output.</p>

<p> </p>

<p>To be honest, I went through a phase where I would sort of upgrade my camera body and lenses pretty much on an 18-month cycle, but that was basically because I made some mistakes during my transition to digital and had to start my uphill struggle to rebuilt my arsenal. But for the past 2 years I've had the same gear and I do not see myself updating for quite some time. Admittedly, I now have VERY high end gear, but that has never been my main goal - my ONE and ONLY goal was to have the equipment to shoot what I needed to shoot and nothing else...I never compared my gear to anyone else's nor did I buy something because it was THE thing to buy or the newest and coolest camera...;-)</p>

<p>However, depending on what you're shooting, you might want to think about "investing" into a new(er) camera body while yours still has some resale value left...;-)))</p>

<p>I would update it only if it can't reliably deliver the quality you need to make your clients happy. But if I were in your shoes and I only had one camera body, I would probably buy a second newer body just to make sure that you don't find yourself in the middle of a job with a dead camera. Don't worry about clients with newer cameras--if they could do what you do, they wouldn't hire you in the first place. Also, hobbyists don't have to worry about return on capital investments--pros do.</p>