Don’t stop shooting just because you don’t have the latest camera

Being a professional or a serious hobbyist photographer, you will be constantly bombarded by different camera manufacturers (and your photographer friends) with suggestions to upgrade your camera to the latest model. How can you still be using that old piece of junk of yours when it doesn’t have 1024 point AF and 3.14 gigapixel OCMOS sensor? Can you even take decent photos with that thing?

The short answer is of course you can. Longer answer is that marketing focuses on the improvements in the technical details because that way it’s easy to show the improvements in numbers. However, these improvements are rarely game-changing. If you are a very specialized photographer you might need that faster AF or lower noise but in good conditions, such as in a photo studio, even older camera will yield great results.

I personally have only had three digital SLRs in my arsenal. Fujifilm S3 Pro (introduced in 2004), Nikon D300 (2007) and Nikon D750 (2014) and I am not planning to update my D750 just yet. All of those cameras still work, and in studio environment all are totally viable options for taking photos. Most popular camera according to Dreamstime camera stats is the Canon EOS 5D MARK II, introduced in 2008. We still see uploads taken with this camera every day.

For catching great shots often lens matters more than the camera itself. Higher end lenses generally have bigger apertures, they suffer less from aberrations or distortions, they focus faster, have sharper image, may come with built-in vibration reduction, and are generally built to last. The cameras I mentioned all have the same Nikon F-mount and work with same lenses. So I can spend a bit more on good glass, because I know I can keep using it for a long time and take better photos.

Last but not least, let’s not forget that photography isn’t just a technical process. It’s also an art form. Things like lighting and composition often matter more than the bare technical details. Ask yourself is the camera limiting what your photos can accomplish or vice versa. Don’t stop shooting because you don’t have the latest and greatest camera body.

Photo credits: Klodvig.