I'm planning on getting out of photography as a hobby for roughly the next 2-3 years (for personal reasons) and wanted to get some opinions on planning for the future, when I pick it back up again.

I currently own a Nikon D7K body, 3 compatible lenses that cover the range from 11mm to 300mm, and pretty much the whole set of D7K accessories - spare battery, L-bracket, right-angle viewfinder, remote controls, etc.

I haven't been doing photography as a hobby very long, just about 4 years so far, so I'm not well-experienced as far as camera trends. Will there be a big difference in camera bodies in the next 2-3 years? I'm pretty much just wondering if it makes sense to hold onto my current Nikon DX gear for the next 3 years (without using any of it much, as I won't have time), or sell it all now and wait to invest into FX gear in 3 years, or even possibly switch over to Canon. Not that I really have complaints with Nikon bodies, but I'm sort of curious about Canon bodies, as I've noticed that they're relatively prevalent among landscape photographers in general.

Any input on what I might want to do would be appreciated.

If you're not going to use it, sell it. If you don't plan to do much photography, don't sell it to move to Canon.... That makes no sense. Use the proceeds to fund what you want to do, or invest it. If you think you'll be interested again in 2-3 years, buy what you think you'll need based on what is available then.

Uh... you're getting out for 2 to 3 years. Then now is NOT the time to think about switching or buying.

In 3 years, the technology may have changed a LOT, particularly in the mirrorless world-- which is probably going to be getting more and more of the action.

Sell out now. Clean shop. Spend a month or two doing research immediately before you intend to buy back in and shoot again. Don't waste your time monitoring the photo world for the years you intend to not shoot.

I agree with Arka and Russ - sell it all now and decide what to do later, later.

Agreed.

Sell the body as it will depreciate very quickly. Glass (lenses) doesnt too much (depending) but if you sell the body theres no reason to keep the lenses.

Definitely a better decision to get the cash now, buy later down the road when the bodies will have changed a fair amount. Plus perhaps you could invest it and [potentially] gain interest or use it for something else you will enjoy more now.

If you are sure you are coming back, i would sell the body and keep the lenses. If you are not sure, sell all of it and use the money for something else.

Sell the body and all the accessories now. If your lenses are DX sell them too. If FX think hard about changing to Canon, it really doesn't make sense. I recently sold my DX dSLR and all DX lenses and bought a Sony NEX-7. It's wonderfully compact with incredible IQ. In 2014 Q1 Sony is supposed to be releasing an FX version of the NEX. In three years time - who knows? I would sell up now.

Sell it all now, you might want to switch to an FX body in the future or you can start over with Canon, Sony or even something slick like the OM-D.

Get rid of it. The D7000 isn't worth a whole lot now (maybe $650-700 used), in 3 years, it'll be below the $400.

On a side note, I don't see how someone can plan to get back into photography 3 years down the road, unless you were well vested into a system and doing it professionally.

Asrale wrote:
I'm planning on getting out of photography as a hobby for roughly the next 2-3 years (for personal reasons) and wanted to get some opinions on planning for the future, when I pick it back up again.

I currently own a Nikon D7K body, 3 compatible lenses that cover the range from 11mm to 300mm, and pretty much the whole set of D7K accessories - spare battery, L-bracket, right-angle viewfinder, remote controls, etc.

I haven't been doing photography as a hobby very long, just about 4 years so far, so I'm not well-experienced as far as camera trends. Will there be a big difference in camera bodies in the next 2-3 years? I'm pretty much just wondering if it makes sense to hold onto my current Nikon DX gear for the next 3 years (without using any of it much, as I won't have time), or sell it all now and wait to invest into FX gear in 3 years, or even possibly switch over to Canon. Not that I really have complaints with Nikon bodies, but I'm sort of curious about Canon bodies, as I've noticed that they're relatively prevalent among landscape photographers in general.

Any input on what I might want to do would be appreciated.


I doubt there will be any significant changes in the basic size and shape of prosumer cameras but I would still sell it all off. For the occasional snaps over the next 3 years I would get a mildly used mirrorless with a small lens. Maybe last year's model Nex or Oly for about $400 inclufing the lens. The images are very VERY close to your D7000 if you need some idea of image quality. Oly has the best jpegs. Nex might have better DR - I haven't seen any signs of that being true tho. It has the best EFV. And in 3 years you can sell that for almost $200 I think. It's good to have some kind of camera around even if it's not going to be the object of your hobby or whatever. Panasonic has a cute GX1 w/power-zoom 14-42 which sell used for $400 to $500 (no EVF though):

Thanks for the advice from everyone, I'll definitely be selling all of my stuff shortly since it clearly makes sense to do so.

Should I sell my (carbon-fiber) tripod too? What I mean is, do tripods depreciate at all, and/or get obsolete? Of course it'll be another piece of equipment that I won't use for a while, but I've read that tripods are supposed to be the longest-lasting equipment in a photographic arsenal, so I was wondering if I should just hold onto mine. I'm probably answering my own question here but I definitely foresee using it with my future camera equipment. No it's not a Gitzo (heh), but I really like it nonetheless.

BenV wrote:
On a side note, I don't see how someone can plan to get back into photography 3 years down the road, unless you were well vested into a system and doing it professionally.

Not sure how to explain this - I really enjoy landscape photography as a hobby and will likely be shooting the rest of my life (I'm "only" 31), but have to put it on hiatus due to circumstances that will be taking up most of my spare time for the next few years.

Bodies depreciate quickly, while lenses tend to be a bit more like money in the bank. Sell the body. Decide about the lenses separately.You'd almost certainly be pretty "safe" keeping the lenses and just plugging in the next gen body three years from now.

OP has three lenses listed on his profile. Nikon 16-85, Tamron 70-300 and Tokina 11-16. I don't think any of them will hold their value in 3 years. (Rumor has it that Nikon might be releasing a F4 version of the 16-85.)

Actually, seeing his profile, if OP is sure he is getting back into photography in 3 years, then the only thing worth holding on to IMO is the tripod and head. I don't see that technology (or value) changing much over 3 years.

the strategy is simple. with what you own its sell it all off while it has value and see what comes. it is strictly a business decision. divest.
the tripod is irrelevant. nothing more then closet clutter.

Asrale wrote:
Thanks for the advice from everyone, I'll definitely be selling all of my stuff shortly since it clearly makes sense to do so.

Should I sell my (carbon-fiber) tripod too? What I mean is, do tripods depreciate at all, and/or get obsolete? Of course it'll be another piece of equipment that I won't use for a while, but I've read that tripods are supposed to be the longest-lasting equipment in a photographic arsenal, so I was wondering if I should just hold onto mine. I'm probably answering my own question here but I definitely foresee using it with my future camera equipment. No it's not a Gitzo (heh), but I really like it nonetheless.

BenV wrote:
On a side note, I don't see how someone can plan to get back into photography 3 years down the road, unless you were well vested into a system and doing it professionally.

Not sure how to explain this - I really enjoy landscape photography as a hobby and will likely be shooting the rest of my life (I'm "only" 31), but have to put it on hiatus due to circumstances that will be taking up most of my spare time for the next few years.

nah you wouldnt have to sell the tripod as its improvements over the years will be minor. although unless you got a really good deal on it, itd be okay to sell it and then buy a new one down the road.