Alan321
Offline
Dedicated FM
Upload & Sell: On
|
 p.1 #24 · 5D II - wrong time to buy it? | |
I don't know about the US market but here in Oz a camera probably loses a third of its value when you buy it.
The camera is as important as a good lens in my opinion. It controls automated exposure, focus, colour, noise, ergonomics, etc. You're stuck with it until you replace it all - there's no buying a new model sensor like we used to buy a roll of different film. And yet, it depreciates much faster than lenses do and much faster than film cameras used to do.
You have several different ways to approach camera purchases:
1. Get the best you can afford because it's the best, and can appreciate that fact. Wait just long enough for early adopters to prove it is the best and not a lemon. This is the most expensive path. And being the best does not necessarily make it the best for you e.g. if you don't shoot in bad weather and don't shoot moving subjects then do you really need a 1-series body? There's no point wasting money if you can't appreciate having the best. Top of the range models are disproportionately expensive.
2. Stay a model behind the current and know that you've saved a significant amount while still getting good performance, but risk the downsides of buying second-hand. e.g. a 1Ds2 now instead of a 1Ds3.
3. Buy new but one or two models below (not behind) the current best. e.g. a 7D or 5D2 now instead of a 1D4 or 1Ds3. This is the best way to save money provided you can be satisfied with the lesser model. You can afford to give that one away to a new friend and replace it for less cost than most people will lose on their top model in the same period. The image quality will be comparable to that of the top model from just a few years ago.
It used to take a couple of generations before lesser models reached or exceeded the performance of the 1-series models, but now it's less than that. e.g. 5D2 vs 1Ds3 but not so much the 5D vs 1Ds2.
4. Buy a current model second hand if it provides significant savings. Buying a new camera at or near the end of its model run is rarely a good idea if you're still paying top dollar because it will lose value in a shorter time when the replacement is released, and of course you'll miss the features of the replacement model without getting the benefits of having used the older model for a considerable period. Buying a second hand one would not be so bad even late in the production run.
Short of a breakdown, the performance of an old camera never gets any worse as it ages but our perception of its performance does get worse because newer models raise the bar of what is acceptable and what is good. If you can live with that then you don't to update very often and any of the options mentioned above will suffice because in the long term even an expensive camera is cheap in average $ per year. If you can't then you do need to update more frequently and your economic circumstances will direct you to the most appropriate option.
Canon usually announces new models in August/September or February/March each year, give or take. Every second year there is a boost with the bi-annual photokina in September. Buying just before the new models are announced is a dumb idea unless you really can't wait - especially if the model you want is approaching two years old like the 5D2.
- Alan
|
