I read this a year ago before I joined.
Yes, progress is inevitable and of course it ensures products are ‘generally’ better for it. But, and it’s a major BUT for me, I do think it’s easy to lose sight of what or why we came to photography in the first instance - to capture a image.
Now, don’t get me wrong I love kit, my bulging cupboards and depleted bank accounts prove it so. But I must say all this whipped up frenzy and must have latest items…at all costs (or what’s the point??) is leaving me questioning my own personal motives. Do I actually want to take pictures or do I want to play with the latest toys!
I’m not proud to admit my canon branded lens collection is somewhere in the 70 mark, my DSLR collection somewhere in the 20 mark, yet my desire/need to purchase constantly better hasn’t moved me on in my creativity, if anything that area has stagnated (embarrassed to say).
I’m currently in awe of the recent M system, sharper, lighter than my aps-c DSLR’s specifically when paired with the M primes - WOW!!
And I expect the R and RF to be nothing short of mind blowing. But it’s a far cry from from the simplicity it all was once.
I think the bottom line for me is that progress has actually stalled me, my now discontinued EF lenses and discontinued Full Frame DSLR’s are still capable, but wouldn’t this next generation deliver even better….
And so the cycle continues, not moving on, just trying to keep up with progress.
Yes, I miss the ignorance I had in the early days, of not knowing or even caring what else was out there…I was too busy taking pictures to care!
Like most of you chaps I pamper my gear - too expensive to mistreat…right??
My partner by comparison shots the SL1 has the stm triplets (10-18,18-55, 55,250) she doesn’t give a hoot, no strap, no dedicated bag, one hood she shares between the 2 longer zooms. Hers has been dropped, got soaked, got scratched etc etc
Mine is vastly more expensive, pampered to death, always capped, always cleaned
now, mine are obsolete, discontinued, I’d pampered them because they were expensive items. The new kids on the block R and M are in vogue with the newer generation, they don’t much want the dslr dinosaurs, yes they will still sell.
I suppose I could move up and start over, pay £5k+ and pamper them too or I could just think why bother, just use mine to death and when it dies (given the stubbornness of her SL1) then consider the R, by which time I suspect I won’t care much about anything.
It reminds me of a saying a seasoned fisherman once told me, the expensive coloured fishing tackle is to hook the fisherman not the fish!!
I'm genuinely confused by your posts.
Your words say you came to photography to capture an image, but your actions say otherwise.
Do you seriously mean you have 70 Canon lenses and 20 Canon DSLRs, or is that the total of what you acquired over the years and then sold or traded-in as new models came out? If you truly have that many sitting around, then I'd say you might want to look at your priorities and honestly ask yourself if you are a collector or a photographer. Nothing wrong with collecting gear, but just suggesting that maybe it's time for some honest reflection.
I don't pamper my gear. I don't intentionally abuse it, but it gets more than a fair share of abuse just through usage.
Honestly, it sounds like your wife has the right idea. Use the gear to get the pictures. If I were her, I'd be upset if my spouse were sitting on 70 lenses and 20 cameras and I was stuck with an SL1 and three lenses, especially since two are cheap kit lenses. Maybe you need to be more generous with that gear. Which do you love more, the gear or her?
Unless your gear is no longer usable for shooting, I wouldn't call it obsolete. If those 70 Canon lenses are EF or EF-S mount they can all be used on the R system with a simple adapter. They are never going to become obsolete, although they will be replaced by newer RF models that may have features or characteristics that represent improvements.
As for the cameras, no digital camera is a long-term investment. They are electronic devices and like all electronic devices they get replaced by newer models. The question is, do the newer models offer anything you want? If not, then keep using what you have and don't worry about it. If the newer models offer something you want, then sell the old stuff and get the new. No sense crying over spilt milk. Cameras are investments only in the sense that they are investment in either your personal satisfaction or your business. In either case, once they quit serving their purpose, just cut your losses and move on.
Honestly, it sounds to me like you've got a case of Fear of Missing Out. You seem afraid that your old gear is going to be worthless and you think you might be missing out on something by not going mirrorless. But, you can't seem to articulate or justify why you should switch. So, the decision is up to you. Will you be happier shooting with the equipment you already have, or with new equipment?
Here's a suggestion. Sell some of that equipment and use it towards an R5, RF 24-105, RF 100-400 and RF 16 for your wife. Give it all to her at the next holiday and let her enjoy taking pictures with gear that she can appreciate and use. Then, maybe find yourself a new hobby that's more rewarding for you.