Find out if you need new photo equipment
14.1.2020
Translation: machine translated
When is the time to replace your old equipment with something more modern? That depends on what you want to do. After all, not all areas of application have progressed at the same pace in recent years.
Want to know whether you need a new camera or another lens? I still remember an article from 2011 in which author Ken Rockwell answers the question succinctly:
No.
The explanation is obvious: If you have an obvious need, such as a fast camera for taking pictures of animals, then you realise this anyway and don't need to ask anyone. Conversely, this means that if you need to ask, then you don't need a new camera.
Everyone knows that good photos are not primarily the result of good equipment, but of know-how and favourable opportunities. I wrote about this a long time ago.
What you need depends on your goal
Strictly speaking, I only need a bed, drinking water and something to eat. The rest is optional. But if I only organised my life around what I need, it would be pretty joyless. That's why I like to buy myself things that I don't necessarily need.
So "need" also has another meaning: I need something for a specific purpose. To take appealing pictures of a football match, I need a telephoto lens and a fast camera. To make 4K videos, I need a reasonably up-to-date camera. And so on.
That's why I'm now going to go through the individual areas of application. Where has so much changed in recent years that new equipment is due, and where not?
Video
In the video sector, I would most likely recommend a new purchase if your camera has been around for a few years. Manufacturers have made great progress here.
Most new cameras today are mirrorless. This has the advantage that you can also look through the viewfinder while recording video. In addition, a mirrorless camera can use its normal autofocus, while an SLR camera has to rely on a second, usually somewhat less powerful autofocus when recording video.
4K (more precisely: UHD) is standard today. Many current cameras can also record Full HD at 120 fps, which makes slow motion recordings possible. If you need 4K with a frame rate of 50p or 60p: not all cameras can do this, even today. You need to take a close look here.
Always check whether the camera has a microphone input and a headphone output. Especially with the smaller and cheaper cameras. Among the Sony compact cameras, only the very latest (and very expensive) RX100 VII offers a microphone input. It does not have a headphone jack either.
The autofocus is now much better suited to video recording than it used to be. Lenses play an important role here. A modern lens usually focuses with a stepper motor. This enables a quiet, smooth and precise movement to the focus point - exactly what you want for videos. At Nikon, lenses with stepper motors are labelled AF-P, in contrast to the older AF-S lenses. At Canon, the abbreviation is STM. These lenses focus much better in the Live View mode of SLR cameras than the older ring motors, as these have been optimised for the normal SLR focus system.
Canon has a clear explanation page for the different AF motor types in Canon lenses.
If you want to take an ambitious approach to video production: Some newer cameras are able to record in 10-bit colour depth and with 4:2:2 subsampling. However, you will only benefit from this if you are appropriately equipped and skilled in post-production.
As a rule, 10-bit recording is done via HDMI to an external recorder, for example with the Nikon Z 6. The Panasonic S1 can also record 10 bit and 4:2:2 to the internal card.
A new purchase is particularly worthwhile for Fujifilm users with an affinity for video. The manufacturer was not one of the best in the video sector for a long time, but has really stepped on the gas in recent years. For example, the X-T3 offers 10-bit recording in the F-Log profile, also with 4:2:2 subsampling via an external recorder.
Sports, action and wildlife
For a long time, sport and action were the main reasons to buy an expensive camera. Because only the expensive cameras were fast enough. Speed is required for autofocus and continuous shooting.
Nowadays, even cameras that are not quite so expensive are equipped with fast autofocus. But what is even more important: modern AF systems have much better object recognition. In the best cameras, such as the Sony A9 II, this goes so far that the camera keeps a face in focus even if it is temporarily out of view. Artificial intelligence makes it possible.
High continuous shooting rates can be achieved by all kinds of devices these days - including smartphones. If this is important to you, you are generally better off with a newer camera. However, it's worth taking a close look at the technical data, because it's the details that count:
- Does the camera have a mechanical shutter? If so, what is its speed? Often only the speed of the electronic shutter is advertised. This is significantly higher, but it can lead to distortion (rolling shutter effect) and problems in fluorescent light.
- Does the camera achieve the speed even with tracked autofocus and tracked exposure metering?
- How long can the camera maintain the continuous shooting speed? This has to do with the size of the internal buffer memory. And with the file size. With a 50-megapixel RAW, the chances are slim that the speed can be maintained for several seconds.
When photographing animals, how loud the camera is also plays a role. With SLR cameras, the mirror slap makes a certain amount of noise, although this has been greatly reduced in recent years. You can only shoot completely silently without mirror slap and with an electronic shutter. In this mode, you can only look through the viewfinder with a mirrorless camera.
Portrait photography: If, then with eye autofocus
If you equipped yourself for portrait photography five to ten years ago, you don't necessarily need to replace anything in this area of application. A good portrait doesn't need a particularly fast or particularly high-resolution camera. And your fast lens from 2010 will still serve you well in 2020.
However, there is also an important argument in favour of a new camera in the portrait sector: eye autofocus. This allows you to concentrate fully on the person being portrayed without constantly worrying about whether the focus is really on the eye.
Here are three cameras that have eye autofocus. The Fujifilm X-T3 shown above can also do this.
Sometimes it's the small accessories that make the decisive difference - not the camera. The cheapest upgrade for portrait photography is a folding reflector. It allows you to shape the light. This one is also a softbox, which softens hard light.
Landscape photography
Here it depends on what your requirements are. Good landscape photos are possible with any camera, and for most, an upgrade is not necessary even after years. However, a camera with a high dynamic range and high resolution will bring out even better image quality. If you want to go the whole hog, you need a full-frame sensor, and medium format may even be an option.
Note: If you get yourself a megapixel monster like the Sony A7R IV, you will also need correspondingly sharp lenses. This will be quite expensive overall.
An accessory tip here too: you can improve your landscape shots with filters without having to spend a four-figure article. The Nisi packages are also quite expensive, but they include a grey gradient filter to darken the sky - very useful in landscape photography.
Header image: Shutterstock
David Lee
Senior Editor
David.Lee@digitecgalaxus.chMy interest in IT and writing landed me in tech journalism early on (2000). I want to know how we can use technology without being used. Outside of the office, I’m a keen musician who makes up for lacking talent with excessive enthusiasm.
