Why I Bought A 4 Year Old Camera

Recently I was chatting in a photo forum and mentioned that I am loving my new Canon 5D MK2. Someone noticed and said, “do you mean the MK3?” When I told them no, I recently bought a new MK2 I got flamed with questions of, “WHY?!?!” Well let me explain…

You see, I had been shooting on a Nikon D300 since November of 2008, and it had served me well. At the time of my purchase I was shooting a lot of things that involved movement and on-camera flash (I was shooting a lot of “underground” hardcore punk rock shows). The D300 coupled with an SB900 served me perfectly. As time went on though I broke away from shooting these kinds of shows, and broke away from using on camera flash. Slowly but surely I found myself shooting more stuff in natural light, or with off camera flash. I dreamed of purchasing a D700 for a while, but as time went on and life ran its course, my financial situation never permitted the upgrade.

Fast forward 4 years and now I primarily shoot portraiture and fashion editorials. I was no longer utilizing the 52 point AF system of the D300, and in fact I had reverted back to primarily using my center AF point as I did when I shot film on a Nikon N90s. I often found myself shooting wide and cropping in, which at 12mp wasn’t always the best idea. It was time to look for more. I knew I wanted to make the jump to full frame, but I had some options to weigh. On the Nikon side my options were the D600 or the D800 (I had no desire to drop the kind of money I would need on a D4). The D800 had me salivating, but the thought of having to buy way more hard drive space and ram to handle those file sizes is what turned me off. The D600 had it’s own set backs, and at the time the sensor dust issue was a giant turn off for me. On the Canon side there was the 5D MK3, MK2, and the 6D. The MK3 was awesome, but at $3500 at the time, it was a little out of my price point (I was trying to keep this purchase below $2500 if at all possible). The 6D was nice, but as with all new technology, I didn’t trust it yet. Also the 1/180 flash sync speed of the 6D was appalling to me. That left me with the MK2.

The MK2 has an inferior AF system compared to the MK3, but when I am just using it with the center AF point and for pretty still subjects, it is beyond perfect. The MK2 doesn’t have as good of low light performance as the MK3, but comparing ISO 2000 of my old D300 vs the MK2, there is no contest. The MK2 doesn’t have a burst rate like the D300 or the MK3 but I am not shooting action, and thus I have no need for this. Finally, the file size of the MK2 files is almost double that of the D300 files, but not so extreme that I was looking at massive upgrades for my computer. At the time of my purchase too, the MK2 could be had for $1500. It was a no brainer for me.

At the end of the day, I don’t even think that the camera makes the photo, but rather the photographer does. With that being said though, the upgraded features of the MK2 over my D300 definitely make taking photos much easier for me, and make my job a lot easier in many situations. Technology is going to constantly evolve, and at what point do we say, “ok, this is good enough,” for me, that was with the MK2.

My name is Anthony Tripoli, and I proudly bought a 4 year old camera.

Editorial

Gear

Opinion

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Joey Buczek
When it comes down to which the “best” camera is for someone to buy, it ultimately comes down to one thing anyway: whatever one will satisfy that inner desire for one. Let’s face it, we can get pretty much any new camera these days and create equally great work (as long as we can create great work), and all will be good. But the one thing that still drives someone to choose something in the end is whatever makes them feel good about their decision in the end. We’re emotional creatures, can’t get away from that. Let the guy buy what he wants, its his money and decision, anyway. Good luck with your new, er old, er, new, camera!
http://twitter.com/thrusloes Paul Waring
Well all that aside, I own a 350d, not much but hey I produce great images because I know how to use it to it’s full potential.
http://about.me/mitchlabuda Mitch Labuda
Konica Minolta 5D used a lot. Can anyone tell?
wilteduk
Yeah, that’s all well and good, but you changed from Nikon to Canon and not one mention about the cost of changing lenses!
http://click.lovelldsouza.com/ Lovell D’souza
Any camera in the right hands does magic. As long as you know how to use it.
james_ragle
I have ancient equipment, Canon 1Ds and Hasselblad 500C. The photographer makes the image the equipment simply records it. There are times I would like better or newer tools, but that’s not what creates art. http://www.jragle.com
Chris Yee
Went and did the exact same thing. Picked up the 5D Mk II in the past month or two and have been perfectly happy. The new cameras are honestly showing less and less of a gain over their predecessors in my own opinion. Of course they will always be better, but when is the 1% increase in performance going to be worth the $3000 extra cost? A question I would imagine more photographers are starting to ask and will be asking in the up and coming years. This of course assumes there aren’t any completely revolutionary new breakthroughs in sensor tech that change everything.
JTousey
I call bull crap!! Gear is important. go buy a kit camera from Walmart, costco and try to shoot a Concert in a dark bar. lets see how nice your images look?? better cameras have better iso for low light better AF sensor. and better glass crisper and quicker focuses as well as better stops for more light not to mention the quality of the actual glass. come on people think before you open your mouth. a kit camera will be alright in studio. but take it away from your flashes and lets see how professional your images look.
http://www.facebook.com/nappsack.photos Nappsack Photos
I sound like he switched platforms altogether. I am not sure when he purchased this MkII but the D700 is about the same price now so why not just stay on the Nikon platform? I didn’t understand why he mentioned not wanting to purchase a bigger hard drive when that is the cheapest thing in this whole equation…to each his own the 5d mkii is still a bad ass camera, yes there are other other options that could have been smarter or better but he will enjoy his time with this camera and get some great images.
http://www.facebook.com/nappsack.photos Nappsack Photos
I agree I had a 7d then I bought a 5D then a 5d mkII both are solid cameras they have their shortcoming but over all a solid camera
http://www.facebook.com/brandontylerharvey Brandon Harvey
Love the fact that he weighed his options and stuck with what he needed and not what marketing and media wanted him to have!
Spy Black
“The D800 had me salivating, but the thought of having to buy way more
hard drive space and ram to handle those file sizes is what turned me
off.”
You’re not a professional, now are you?
http://www.facebook.com/WiZhouPhotography William Zhou
This article is a bit annoying, mostly because his conclusion seems to be “I am happy with my upgrade.” As others have pointed out, there are a lot of cameras that would have fit his bill and made him happy. This isn’t a Canon vs Nikon debate but I feel like he switched platforms for entirely wrong reasons.
Shooting wide and end up cropping? The answer is to compose your images better, not buy a new camera with higher MP.
Fully conscious of my decision, I carefully bought a Fuji S5 Pro, a six year old camera. I love it too, but I dont see my purchase particularly unusual. Even the d700 is five years old. It annoys me that his final line is what it is.
Dan Lubbers
I’m still rocking a 5D mark 1 as well. I have it covered in black tape, cause I’m tired of people asking me why I shoot with a mark 1. I will be upgrading in the near future, but too many people buy product they don’t know and will never know how to use just because it costs more and they can say, well I shoot a Mark III or 1DX.
Funny video about this phenomenon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bEwUnENlc9M
http://www.danlubbers.com
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WZFNDSQFYXL2TP3NP2AVEQV32U RUSS
YOU got a camera and are happy with it?
CONGRATS :-) a lot of people don’t even get that far.
You bought a fine camera and a proven workhorse.
(can i have your old nikon stuff?) hehe
Andy Hodapp
I too recently got a Canon 5D MkII for $1,500 new. I actually got two, sort of, I got one from Amazon at the price of $1,800 because I didn’t think the price would drop any further when being sold by a reputable dealer, but then three days later, they dropped the price to $1,500. I called customer service to see if they could do anything. They told me to send back the camera and order a new one and I would get the $1,800 back and would save $300. I tried to tell them that I had already started using it and that it would be a lot better to just send me the $300 so they didn’t have to sell the camera as used. They kept with it and I sent the camera back and got the money back but it was very strange for Amazon to do. Also loving the camera, I do landscapes and portraits and the high ISO performance, better autofocusing and faster burst rate of the 6D and 5D MKII would have done nothing for me so I am extremely happy I was able to get the camera for the price I did.
sy
:-)))))
http://www.facebook.com/jpchavezvega Jose Pablo Chavez
Good luck with the autofocus system
http://www.facebook.com/zedkin Zedkin Nimgram
I recently bought an 8 years old camera…the canon 20D.
I’m just taking my first steps into DSRL photography, I didn’t want to spend too much and I didn’t use that much mp. I’m used to shot daylight portrait. And the images are for the web. 8mp is enough.
Of course, I want a better camera, mostly with better iso performance, but ratter spend that money in good glass.
http://www.facebook.com/andrew.losurdo Andrew Losurdo
i just bought a 10 year old Imacon/Blad 343 Scanner. Does the job, so im more then happy
jc5034
I still love my MK 2 and only used the center focus most of the time.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001500666442 Jonathan Schertzer
Why I wouldn’t buy a 4 year old camera:
1400 for a used 5d mark ii vs 1800 for a used 6d. The extra 400 dollars gets you:
Some of the newest technology available
Higher fps
more megapixels
Better noise handling
Better IQ
Improved autofocus
IMO it doesn’t make much sense to buy a 5d mark ii anymore unless you find one really cheap, the 6d is a much better camera and not much more money.
noct12
Agree completely. Canon I did the same thing myself – full frame is what converted me and I have several prime Canon lenses + a Canon EF 300 F2.8 I picked up cheap in working condition. I am multi system now so use the best of both worlds and don’t bother with keeping up with the Jones syndrome any more, its too expensive and so what with speed, if you know what you are doing what you use is immaterial. An utterly awesome lens to use is the Canon EF 100mm F2 if you can get one and the EF 180mm macro F3.5 is no slouch either and for flashless work on a Canon are beautiful to use. I Don’t use flashless much these days- too lazy I suppose but there are an awful lot of “professional” [I use the term very loosely] pic takers out there who would not know how to take a photograph properly without using flash and use of M aV Tv and M beyond alphabetic comprehension
http://twitter.com/georgesocka George Socka
he had to buy full frame worthy lenses anyway
http://twitter.com/kristian_dale Kristian Dale
After using the first 5D since 2007, I finally upgraded last week! I actually went with a used MarkIII, but I was really close to buying the Mark II as well. They are both awesome tools.
http://twitter.com/donkittle Don Kittle
You’ll love it, Von Wong. The skin tones are spectacular! Great dynamic range in the shots too. I think the D800 is a little better for DR but not quite as nice in skin tone gradients (tends to bloom a little compared to the DM22).
http://www.facebook.com/greg.zastawny.7 Greg Zastawny
I see you know everything, probably your Mam buys you lenses and Dad camera hyh?? do u have 6D already? GPS I used in my car ass…. !!
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=1427504236 Robert Bäckman
I´m doing exactly the same thing. Just sold my D300 and opting for a 5D Mkll. What I don´t understand is why so many are so anal about technology. Old cameras are still going strong and they get cheaper by the minute. Too match my frame rate I had on the the D300 I bought an old 1D MKll N that work nicely for shooting sports, it 45 focus points and a whopping 8,5 fps. So the 5D MK ll will suite my purposes for calmer objects. So my bottom line is that now you can buy two older cameras and still get money over for the more important items, FAST GLASS!!
Sam Dickinson
I did very similar recently and bought a D3. I’m totally happy with it. I have fairly shaky hands, so D800 was out (and yes, I have used one for about a month), so for me it was a toss up between the D600 and the D3. At the end of the day, price won out for me as megapixels wasn’t an issue.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Nicholson/1245004619 Richard Nicholson
I’d like to know where you shop, or what your definition of “very low” is, then.
And the switch was from Nikon to Canon, so yeah - all new glass too. I just bought a nice 8gig ram, 2 TB drive computer for $800, ~and~ a 3 TB NAS for $140 more. So the author’s logic plumb escapes me, since even now a 5DII is about 2 grand + glass on top of that.
http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Nicholson/1245004619 Richard Nicholson
I shoot live music in local clubs. I used to do it with film, and got really good at making do with a 1/30th or even 1/15th wide open. Then I got a Rebel Xt about a year ago to learn digital. Even that thing blew my film cam away, but I quickly realized I couldn’t get the shots I knew I should be getting, so I upped to the 7D. Gear ~was~ holding me back. But concert shooting is some of the most challenging photography there is and most people really don’t need the very top of the line, they just think they do. Hell, I compared pics I shot with a $30 point n shoot to another guy’s pics off a $5000 setup – guess what? ;)
http://www.facebook.com/people/Richard-Nicholson/1245004619 Richard Nicholson
Well, gear is important. Sometimes. I shoot bands in bars too, so I know. But most people don’t, and they don’t need high ISO. But the basic point is always – pro gear doesn’t make you a pro by itself. If you know how to use that high priced gear, then yeah. I know a lot of guys with more money than photo skills.
Spy Black
I think this guy just made all this shit up. None of it makes any real-world sense. I think he’s just a Canon fanboi fanning flames.
JTousey
Agreed!!
the_pro_amateur
Massive upgrades? You skipped out on a D800 because of less than $350 of (nice to have anyway) computer hardware? I just added a 2TB drive for photography, fast, good name behind it, and 24GB of high speed RAM with a lifetime warranty. I’m on a PC though, so upgrades and swapping out hardware is both easy and cheap for the same or higher quality. I suppose if you’re one of those people who thinks Apple is a good investment, it’s a bit scarier a prospect to upgrade.
http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=202600340 William Collins
I’ve considered picking up a 1d mkiii, I wanted to use it for event photography. I liked the ruggedness and the $1500 going price. I dont need 22mp, since most would go up on the web anyways.
sy
I’ve been shooting professionally with the 5D II for 3 years, never missed a shot. In my poinion The AF issue is a non-issue..
http://pulse.yahoo.com/_WZFNDSQFYXL2TP3NP2AVEQV32U RUSS
I bought a Nikon D2X and have not regretted it once.
The shutter count as we speak is over 190,000 so far.
I’ll gladly pay Nikon the 350.00 to have the shutter replaced when needed.
The happiness it’s helped create when doing free family portraits, of/for people who cannot afford to have them done, is priceless. And later today I’ll be taking even more photographs with it.
:-) old cameras are awesome.
TimucinHIZAL
Respect RB67. i think too…
http://profile.yahoo.com/I63TTNEQV2DEHKFY5K4ID5NN2A Luke
Had a 5Dii from November 2008, I’ve never found myself wanting for much more from it… the only niggle has always been low light AF… however I just can’t justify £2100 vs £1065 that I bought my (2nd) brand NEW 5Dii (and sold my trusty old backup 40d). I now have a matching pair that will carry on serving me for another 4years at least.
http://twitter.com/justinabe22 Justin Abe
I switched from a D7000 to MKII when they had the printer/gift card sale at B&H so I paid $2600 and got a $400 Amex card. So it’s like I paid $2200 for the MKII 24-105 and a Pro 13×19 printer. And now just the camera and lens is $2999 +$400 card.
It’s seems sluggish compared to my D7000, but the full frame is nice, the lens is way better than what I had. Video is better. I miss the dual card slots, and CF is more expensive, but I shoot mainly portraiture and still life. And even with the sports candids I do I still find the camera works fine. I miss Nikon but the deal I had on this Canon I couldn’t pass up. The D800 and MKIII are way too expensive for what I need my camera to do, and If you ask me a D3200 could produce images that I need, and clients wouldn’t know the difference.
Did I make compromises? Yes, a lot. But do they add up to the $1500 difference in cost from a MKII to D800/MKIII? Hell to the NO. That $1500 would be much better spent on a lens or more lighting/accessories
http://twitter.com/ralphhightower Ralph Hightower
Hi! I’m Ralph and I use a 30 year camera that I bought new.
Why?
1) My Canon A-1 still works.
2) MA Motor Drive
3) Minor investment in FD lenses or T-mount.
4) Sunpak 522 flash
5) Film is still available
But the big reason is that everything still works. Yes, I’m looking to buy a DSLR; but I don’t know if a DSLR would have the longevity of my A-1. It’s a doggone “arms race” with Canon and Nikon trying to out-pixel and out-feature eacy other. It’s like they are now using Detroit’s model of “planned obsolescence”. If I’m going to spend $2000 dollars on a camera system, I want it to last a while.
http://twitter.com/duskrider Andre Goulet
Oh, BS. I change hard drives and RAM on Mac’s all of the time. There are Macs you can’t do this to easily, just as their are PC’s you can’t do this to easily. There are Macs you can do this to easily, just as there are PC’s you can do this to easily. Geez.
the_pro_amateur
When people go on about “I just got a new Mac”, I’ve never seen it NOT be one of those idiotic consumer scams, the iMac. Need a hard drive update? It’s (I believe) a 15 step process that doesn’t even mention a hard drive until step 10, and involves disconnecting a thermal sensor among other silliness. If you’re buying a tower, there’s more options, but you’re over paying either way. I ran a studio that had iMacs when I started, and it cost us far more to update (read: throw them out and buy new ones), than it ever would with a PC. No need to get upset, I understand buyer’s remorse :)
stefanhellbergDOTcom
Just one questions…Why not the D600? Better than 5D mark II in terms of specs but pretty much same price and you could have saved your glass and flashed. Why not?
/Stefan
http://stefanhellberg.com/
Emery Clark
I just bought a 4 year old D700. love it
Spy Black
Well, you don’t need the latest DSLR to shoot well, for the same reasons you’re still shooting film. Your biggest problem transitioning is that Canon changed their lens mount, rendering your perfectly good lenses useless on their modern bodies. That’s one advantage with Nikon, every lens back to Ai fits on all modern bodies, and on the lower end DX bodies, every lens going all the way back to their 1959 beginnings fit!
http://twitter.com/ralphhightower Ralph Hightower
Yes, it’ll be a new investment in lenses. I’m thinking about getting a Canon F-1N so I can capitalize off my FD lenses.
Joven
You don’t know how much he shoots, either. Buying more hard drives may be more of a hassle than buying new gear, especially if most of that new gear is subsidized by the cost of selling off his old gear. He also said that 12MPs wasn’t enough for the type of shooting he was doing.
He switched systems, and is now happy, why is everyone acting so hurt about a decision that he made for HIMSELF? It’s like you didn’t even read the article.
http://twitter.com/duskrider Andre Goulet
Macbook Pro’s outsell iMacs by orders of magnitude. They can be upgraded in minutes. I still call BS. Your perspective is slanted mightily by your angst. Ergo, you are talking out of your butt. Buy an all-in-one desktop or an Ultrabook and see how upgradable it is. Furthermore, I can tell you how often anyone upgrades any of their computers internals: almost never. They buy new ones anyway.
One might think it idiotic that you would toss out iMacs instead of spending the 2 minutes to upgrade the RAM (1 phillips screw, 2 pull tabs!) and about 35 seconds to plug in a Firewire drive. Tough upgrade there, eh? So, buyers remorse aside, I still call BS on your comment. Just because you don’t know how to do this stuff doesn’t mean others are in the same boat.

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