Thinking about a new camera this year...?

Remember the Ferengi five rules of acquisition:

 

Infatuation

Justification

Appropriation

Obsession

Resale

Good gear stays. Only bad gear goes - have a recently acquired F4 that may have a shutter issue, but except for odds & ends sold to fellow collectors, I haven't gotten rid of anything significant since the late "60's. Just buy good stuff! Edited November 9, 2017 by Sandy Vongries

Good gear stays. Only bad gear goes

Agreed! And on a side note: It feels good to have bad gear stored for trade in rebates.

Well, as far as that goes, I just bought a "new" camera - a pre-1983 Pentax ME-F with the AF lens, so I am still only at the "Obsession" stage.

 

One of these days I will have to face up to the "Resale" -- or else I will simply leave the mess to my surviving heirs.

Some of my earlier AF cameras... o_O

I have only traded in three cameras in my life - An Argus C44 for a 1962 Nikkormat, the Nikkormat for a Leica M2, and after a lapse of 53 years, a Sony A7ii for a Sony A9. The pace of all this dealing is wearing me down.

 

For me, the infatuation comes late and lasts only briefly. I spend a great deal of time researching the possibilities of a new camera, followed by deliberation on how the new features would enhance the quality of my work, or the enjoyment thereof. By the time the A9 was in my hands, it took all of 15 minutes to program it to suit my needs. (I'm still experimenting with auto-focus options.) The A9 was announced in April, and the analysis took me until October before making a decision. It didn't hurt to have an hands-on opportunity during a presentation by a Sony rep.

 

Although I had little use for the A7ii compared to my A7Rii, I would have given it to my grandson, except for the $500 Sony offered to sweeten the deal. That camera cost me only $300 to own for nearly three years. My heirs will have to wait, at least until I clean house.

 

What persuaded me? Lightning fast AF, totally silent flank speed shooting, and top surface controls for features I use the most.

Why - does the stuff you have do the job? If not, sell it and get something which does, unless you merely have a strong case of GAS:D

I've lived my entire adult life with a bad case of GAS, mitigated only by my dedication to living within my means.:) That being said, I'm in the market for a D810, since prices for good used units appear to be dropping (I hope) as folks pop for a new D850. Still, I won't be able to scratch that particular itch until I see what Santa brings down the profit-sharing chimney. I like old stuff, to the point of being an accused hoarder. My 2-car hobby shop contains untold quantities of old camp stoves, tools, SCUBA gear, etc., the shelves in my study are ranked with out of date camera gear (that I enjoy as decorator items), and my man cave is full of the paraphernalia of other hobbies. I swear I'll never move again just because I don't want to pack it all up or otherwise deal with it.

the last camera i bought i didn’t need nor particularly want but i’d fallen for the shop assistant and i was trying to impress. aren’t i a tart?