How has your gear changed?

[Tronhard]

Apart from the obvious changes in technology, especially those of camera bodies, there are other reasons we change the equipment we use. I am wondering how yours have changed...

Speaking for myself I have, since I went digital, two kinds of cameras: small compact cameras with fixed zooms and small sensors (Canon G1, G7...), and DSLRs with a stable of lenses ranging from wide-angle to super tele. With injury I found the latter harder to carry and so I went for MILCs: Canon M1, M5's and the small (admittedly slow) lenses that go with them. Since an operation to improve my mobility I can now carry my old gear, but I still use the MILCs and have engaged with what I call the "super compacts" G1XMkIII, G3X and G5X - small fixed-lens zooms with 1" sensors. Perhaps as a result of getting cameras drenched I have got the Olympus TG-5 and the Nikon 1AW with its waterproof zoom.

How has life changed your choice of gear - did you change with tech (a common reason), to make your gear more convenient to carry or to take on trips?

And what do you do with your old gear? Still use it, sold it, gave it away, started a museum?

[rpcrowe]

For years, I used Canon DSLR cameras (both full frame and cop sensor) Along with a complement of really excellent Canon and third party lenses...

However, although I am still using the Canon 7D2 and 6D2, I have also equipped myself with a pair of Sony APSC cameras which I just love, They are small, lightweight and provide excellent imagery. I use these cameras with both Sony and Sigma e-mount lenses as well as some fun vintage glass. I am still in awe of the capabilities of the small A6500 and A6400 cameras - especially the Eye-AF on both cameras and the animal Eye-AF on the A6400...

A few years ago, I purchased a Canon SX50HS bridge camera which I used for a short time and put aside. It produced nice imagery but, I just didn't like shooting with it. However, my wife has taken over this camera and absolutely loves it.

[CP140]

I've accumulated more stuff, but I find myself using the same stuff more and more often.

On a wild trip... two matched DSLR bodies with overlapping zooms, a wide angle and a fast short prime.... plus a little waterproof P+S... and an advanced P+S/bridge for the times I just want something I can stuff (sort of) in a pocket.

The rest of the stuff languishes in a Pelican case... unloved, unused and quietly calling for someone to come and play.

[Tronhard]

Hi Richard: Thanks for your input. It seems we have both tended towards cameras that reduce the weight and volume of our gear. Has that gone with a change in the types of images you have habitually taken?

Did you find it much of a change to switch to the Sony interfaces from the Canon ones? One of the things that has kept me with Canon is that the menu and controls are pretty consistent so I can let my hands just find what I am looking for - a bit like touch typing.

[Tronhard]

Hi Martin: Good the see your comments.

It's always a challenge to keep using the gear we have superseded - one falls into a comfort zone of reaching for the same stuff. Some people, I know, have been consistent in trading in or selling off their gear in quick time when they see a chance to update, but I have sold or given away very little of my stuff. That said, I still use even my oldest gear from time to time to remind myself that, used correctly, it can still take images that I am happy with.

[CP140]

Yeah, I've gradually traded up in bodies... my son inherited my Kr, my K30 was traded trough the local shop on a K70, but lenses (after an initial and somewhat misguided buying frenzy) have not changed much. For the most part, I favour a few lenses while the rest languish in zip-lock baggies packed with desiccant packages.

[Tronhard]

When you think about it there must be a HUGE amount of gear and dollar value languishing in photographers' shelves, attics or wherever...

[davidedric]

I had some modest Canon gear, a Rebel and a couple of zooms, and I was feeling a bit limited and was thinking of upgrading. At around the same time I decided I wanted a camera to carry with me (nowadays I'd use my phone) and after a bit of debating with myself bought a refurbished Panasonic G5 plus kit lens, and was impressed with ease of use and of course the size. I used the Canon and the Panasonic in tandem for a while, but then with a holiday coming I bought the gx7 and added a long zoom.

The gx7 had an early version of IBIS, and had quite a lot going for it, but in the end it was just too small and difficult to handle. The m4/3 was just what I needed though, so I upgraded to a G7 - which I really liked and still have. Then the G80 came out, with extra goodies, so I bought that.

I now have the G80, the G7 and three or four lenses (and the little G5 for sentimental reasons). Everything else I sold. I've kept the G7 so that I have a two body and two lens set up for wildlife trips.

I'm very happy with what I have, and since I also have a number of health problems the smaller size and weight is a huge bonus.

Dave

[Shadowman]

Mine has pretty much stayed the same, still have original DSLR (D60), usually just use it for indoor tests but took it to an excursion by mistake a few years ago and the took a quick instance to refamiliarize myself with the functions (only 3 focus pts, etc.) that inspired me to upgrade. I tried the mirrorless route a few years ago even added a few lenses but never went beyond shooting street fairs with the gear, lost the camera a year ago and still have the old lenses, plan to sell or give away.

[Tronhard]

It seems we have a common thread of downsizing equipment for whatever reason - convenience, compactness, changes in our physical status. The old adage that the best camera is the one you are prepared to carry still holds good!

[Astro]

Hi Trev, Since moving to Digital I've stuck with Canon (EOS range). Basically I tended to 'upgrade' every other generation. Currently my workhorse is the EOS 5DsR, though I went a bit wild after the Camera Show earlier this year and got the EOS R which I am still getting used to. At present I cannot see me giving up the 5DsR though because I shoot a lot of insect macro.

Regarding lenses, I have the 150-600mm Sigma C, a Canon 24-70mm EF, and a Canon 50mm. I also have my Canon 100mm IS Macro and the non IS 180mm Canon Macro lens. I've had all these for some years.

As regards my upgrade strategy, it has tended to involve passing kit on to others who can make good use of it. My late wife and I had/have a belief in passing things on if they are still usable rather than leaving them lying round in cupboards.
There is also a charity for 'disabled' photographers over here that I have passed kit onto a few times.

I still have a couple of film cameras, my first 'serious' slr was an EXA 5b that weighed a ton and had a mirror clack like a sonic boom, which I ended up trading in for my first new Zenit E in the late 60's.I also keep my old Rollei XF 35 (no longer functional) and my Minolta SR T101 kit with additional wide angle and telephoto lenses.
I still put the odd roll of 35mm B&W into the Zenit and home develop the negatives. I scan the negatives and then process on in Photoshop.

Final comment though, like a lot of us these days I'm looking to lighten the load, and I have found the EOS R significantly lighter..... prob is I really need to see Canon produce correspondingly lighter lenses.... which I suspect will not happen soon...

[Manfred M]

I definitely have a a couple of obsolete (Nikon D90) bodies kicking around. I am "saving" them for high risk shooting, i.e. situations where there is a risk of theft or getting the cameras and lenses wrecked due to the shooting environment. They've come back fine every time so far...

I also lend them to my daughters whenever they get the itch to pick up something other than their cell phones to take pictures and that does happen on occasion. Some of the old super zooms and point and shoots do need to be cleared out but they take up so little space it has not been a priority. Same with some of the old video gear, although I do pull it out and use it from time to time.

I have my old film Leicas that have not been used in about 5 years. I suspect I am going to shoot them again at some point given that film is "in" again with the "fine arts" groups.

The only gear that I have that I regret buying and don't have the heart to sell to anyone are the so-called small flash modifiers (the "crap" that Gary Fong, Lumiquest, Demb, etc. churn out). I don't have the heart to foist stuff that takes a small light and hard source and turns it into a slightly larger but still hard ight source off on unsuspecting folks. I don't include devices that let me change the colour of the light or flag the light here; those are useful.

[DanK]

I don't change often, and I don't keep much of the stuff for which I buy a replacement. I bought a Canon 5D III some years ago, and I kept a crop-frame body (7D first generation) for a few uses for which higher pixel density is helpful, in particular, for bug macros. if someone decided to give me a 5 D S, I'd toss the 7D, but no one has stepped up. the only lens I have that I have kept but almost never use is an EF-S 60mm macro. My main purchases recently have all been tools for improving my printing: a better printer (Prograf 1000) and a much better, wide gamut NEC monitor.

What keeps me in check is that Ansel Adams' adage clearly applies to me: to paraphrase, the main barrier to improved images is the 30 cm behind the viewfinder. With each passing year, I am more and more attracted to reducing weight, but I haven't yet seen a system that would give me enough benefit in that respect to be worth the very large cost of replacing this stuff and becoming really comfortable with very different controls. (Yes, i know there are adapters for fitting EF lenses to some mirrorless cameras, but when you add a FF body, an adapter, and an EF lens together, the weight savings isn't all that large.)

I have a hunch that if Canon manages to up its game enough on the mirrorless side, I may at some point sell the 7D (for what little it would fetch) and buy a mirrorless second body, but I am in no rush, and the current Canon models aren't appealing enough to me.

I do keep my old film Canon Ftb, but it is mostly for sentimental reasons. Personally, I have no interest in returning to film, which I consider an inferior technology--less flexible, more expensive, and environmentally bad.

[Rufus]

If you ignore the Brownie camera, and using my mother's Ilford Sportsman, my first serious camera was a Nikon Nikormat and two lenses which I bought in the 1970's. These languished in a cupboard until I passed them on to my daughter-in law as she has a display of various old cameras (just for the look of them). Also back in the 70s I bought a Velbon tripod which is still in use.

Photography took a back seat when children and work became greater priorities, so it was only decades later that the interest was re-kindled by the digital possibilities. We bought a Nikon Coolpix to start with. When even new batteries failed to charge properly, we acquired a Canon Powershot A590 which my wife still uses. I bought a Canon 450D as my first DSLR camera, and added a couple of lenses and a secondhand flash (which I still use) but I still had insufficient time to use it much and only dipped a toe into the murky waters of post processing.

Then I part exchanged the 450D and its EF-S lenses to buy my present Canon 6D/2 and lenses which I am very happy with. My kit is now as per my tag-line.

I am currently researching travel tripods in order to have something lighter and smaller. At present I have no intention of going mirrorless, as the overall weight savings etc are not worth it.

[xpatUSA]

"How has life changed your choice of gear"

Good question, Trev.

Health issues - shaky hands, poor balance, deteriorating eyesight - I now prefer image stabilization or use of a tripod and magnified manual live view for focusing.

"And what do you do with your old gear?"

I sell it or give it away.

[rpcrowe]

It was quite a change beginning to use the Sony A6500 and then following it up with the A6400. Admittedly, the learning curve had been fairly steep but, I have a pretty firm handle on basic photo principles so that curve is not insurmountable. I never experienced much of a learning curve as I upgraded my Canon DSLR bodies because the controls and terminology were quite similar with each successive camera body upgrade, However, the weight difference between the two systems makes climbing the curve very worthwhile.

I have two cameras in front of me now, the Canon 6D Mark-2 with a Canon 85mm f.1,8 lens which is one of my favorite DSLR combinations and the Sony A6500 with the Sony 85mm f/1.8 and there is a quantum difference in the weight of these two systems but, the image quality of each system is quite satisfactory...

6D Mark-2 with 85mm f/1.8 lens wide open


Sony A6500 with 85mm f/1.8 lens wide open


There are a few things that I really like about each system and a few things that I dislike... Photography is always a series of choices and compromises. I really like the full-time Eye-AF of the Sony, especially the newly introduced animal Eye-AF but I don't like the memory card slot on the bottom of the camera, This is a PITA when the camera is mounted on a tripod and also when using a battery grip. I like being able to access all the memory items and the readout for the function button through the viewfinder. This is nice because I have problems seeing the LCD readout in the bright sun. I like the touch screen focus and shoot with the Canon 6D Mark-2 while the Sony has only a touch screen focus and you cannot both focus and shoot. However, in order to use the touch screen focus on my 6D Mark-2, I am forced to view with the LCD. I cannot use touch screen focus and cannot use face detection when using the eye level viewfinder. I like the ability to use vintage lenses on the Sony cameras but, there is a plethora of great used lenses out there for the Canon EF mount. One of my absolute favorites is the 28-70mm f/2.8 Tokina ATX which is a copy made for domestic Japanese consumption and was given to me by a great friend.

All in all, I still like my Canon system but, also enjoy using my Sony system... I have a hunch as the eye level displays improve; mirrorless cameras will be the future of non-cell phone photography...

[Tronhard]

These are all good comments and narrations. It is interesting to see how many people have a hybrid system: i.e. a mix of camera brands.

Back when I started serious photography I used Nikon F3's and Canon A1's attached to Tamron SP Adaptall lenses. Considering I was travelling most of the time I liked the A1's display and the multi-mode options (especially for wildlife), but the Nikon F3 was the one I used most. For casual shots I used a Canon AF35M film camera that took amazingly good images and an Olympus XA, an amazingly compact FF film camera that would fit in my pocket.

When I made the move to digital I chose Canon for the glass and have, until recently been solely a Canon user, starting with the Powershot G1, then the 400D and progressing up - generally buying second-hand one generation back. The exception was 3 new Canon 60D's that I was given to do a photo assignment back in 2011. After completion the let me keep the cameras, and frankly I still love shooting with them today, even if they are considered obsolescent - they can still take great images. I moved to FF with the 5DIII and IV and love them too. Loss of mobility took me to the EOS M series. I had bought the original M with adapter purely to do macro work with the 60 and 100 EF-S macro lenses, but I got the M5 and really like that as a compact unit.

I was always on the lookout for a small walk-about camera and went with the G5X, which with its 1" sensor and 24-100 Equivalent FoV has been absolutely excellent. I won a G1XMkIII (APS-C 24-72) and that too offers benefits. I broke the mold when I purchased the Nikon Df's, that was love at first sight with the fusion of the film camera body layout and a high-end FF digital camera inside. If I had to flee my home probably they would be the cameras I would take with me. When my compact cameras drowned recently on a hiking trip I went on a hunt for a camera that would take weather I tramp in and initially was attracted to the Olympus TG-5, on sale for a song. However, I was disappointed in the small sensor and limited aperture controls - it's become my scratch rain camera that fits in my pocket. I moved up to a bargain, never used, Nikon 1AW underwater camera: a model that failed as a diving camera but with its 24-70 waterproof zoom and 1" sensor should resist all the weather I am prepared to tolerate.

As far as my old gear goes, I have given some away, sold a couple of items, but in the main have kept it took long to get much financial return from selling it. NZ is too remote for most people on eBay or Amazon to engage with, and our local equivalent trademe.co.nz, is full of second hand gear going for a song, and their fees have risen and risen, so it's not worth the trouble for me. For some years I was living six months each in Canada and six months in NZ, and the gear was distributed between those two countries.

I still use every camera and lens at least once a year to keep my hand in. My gear shelves look like a shop because I have always kept the boxes, documents etc. Only my film cameras sit out on display for old times' sake.

I completely agree with the philosophy that the gear doesn't hold us back, our talent and skills do. I would challenge the suggestion that I suffer from GAS, simply because I know I can use my older gear and I don't believe new stuff will magically make me better, but I am interested in the technology. My challenge is to improve my very rudimentary post-processing skills. Growing up using transparencies I had little need to do my own developing (I did so for about a year in B&W). So my new project to get a diploma in photography will doubtless stretch me and hopefully result in some new capabilities.

[rpcrowe]

Trev... While I do agree that talent and experience are the primary factors in achieving top-notch imagery, equipment is also a limiting factor in many genres of photography.

As an example, try doing wildlife photography without a long lens or try shooting indoor gymnastics using a normal kit lens with a max aperture of f/5.6 at the longest focal length or try shooting action with some bridge cameras that have an interminable delay between pressing the shutter button and the camera achieving the image...

Yes, an expert photographer can often do the job with lesser equipment than a rookie with the best equipment but, given equal competence in photography, the photographer with the better (more sophisticated) equipment will usually achieve better imagery that the person with the same degree of talent using a lower grade of gear.

[Tronhard]

Hi Richard:

I absolutely agree that getting the right gear for a specific job is critical. Heaven knows I have invested enough money in super zooms to try to capture wildlife.

What I am saying is that purchasing new gear should not be done on features alone - i.e. this is the latest version of this camera so I must have it - a purchase should be done to fulfill a specific benefit to the activities of the user. By benefit I mean something that either improves their performance or removes a constraint.

So, getting a super telephoto lens certainly improved my photographic "reach" and let me fill my sensor more effectively with the close-ups I was after. Smaller bodies and lenses offered me the benefit of being able to continue to take images when I had physical constraints, and weather resistant bodies certainly help when I am tramping in atrocious conditions and would otherwise have to pack my gear away or accept it will get drowned.

I am all for getting gear, (obviously) but I try to discipline myself to justifying a specific benefit that is relevant to me.

[xpatUSA]

... but I don't like the memory card slot on the bottom of the camera, This is a PITA when the camera is mounted on a tripod and also when using a battery grip

I sympathize - I have two Sigma compact cameras, neither of which is noted for a long-lasting battery charge. The one has to be removed from the tripod quick-connect to change the battery, the other does not. What is it they say ... "go figure"?