I have a few questions/rules that I follow before making the
move to upgrade a piece of equipment. Nothing crazy or scientific, but it keeps
me from making spur-of-the-moment, uninformed or just plain bad purchases. And
yes, I’ve made my share of purchases that rank as “what the heck was I
thinking?!”
Do you want or really need it: I like to start out with the
most difficult question first. Am I looking to upgrade because it’s a shiny new
toy, or is it something that will help advance my images, the way I make
pictures or my business in general? If the upgrade doesn’t net me a 25% plus
improvement, then it’s a certain no-go. That’s not to say that I don’t get it
at some point and time. I usually add the item to my wish list, and when I can
afford to “treat” myself, I’ll get it (with my other half’s approval, of
course).
Do your Homework: Usually, I’m looking to upgrade because
the item I currently have doesn’t do something I wish it did, it doesn’t meet
my current expectations, or it replacement does something that makes what I do
easier. I view my gear as my tools of the trade – I take the handyman’s
approach: Yeah, I have a hammer. It’s not broken, but if there’s a new hammer
that weighs less, delivers more striking force, but doesn’t transfer shock
through the handle, you bet I’m gonna upgrade! The same rings true with cameras,
printers and related gear. There has to be a significant amount of change to
warrant the upgrade.
Be patient, grasshopper: When a new camera is announced,
it’s darn tempting to drive down to the camera shop and throw a couple hundred
down on a camera that’s only in beta testing. But you have to keep in mind that the specifications aren’t finalized until production starts, and there’s a good
chance that there’s a bug or two to be worked out. If you’re the type of person
who has to see that new movie the day it comes out, or you’re willing to deal
with a few inconveniences that might rear their head, then slap your money down
on the counter. I like to wait a couple of months for the initial kinks to be
worked out. Now and then, I will break this rule. A good example is when we
swapped out our Canon Image PROGRAF iPF8300 for the new iPF8400. The old printer had died, and no new 8300s were to be had. Basically, its
same printer, but the way it lays down the inks is totally different, so all of
our old profiles were now useless, unless you wanted images that looked like a cross between a Warhol and an Monet. Funky, but not what I want. The printer was so green to the industry that the only
available profiles were for Canon papers. Fortunately, we have the equipment to
make our own profiles, so we were up and running in about a day.
Learn from others: You gotta love those early adopters –
they get a hold of the first units, use them for a few days, then usually post
their impressions and experiences on blogs or write reviews on photographic
sites. It’s here where you’ll learn the good, bad and ugly about the item
you’re thinking of purchasing. Is the information relevant to you? The key is
to learn how to read the reviews. For instance, most reviews carry labels
denoting the experience of the reviewer. I tend to give more weight to a review
written by someone with a skill set similar to mine, and I particularly hone in
on reviews by nature shooters. I also pay attention to when a review was
written, giving more emphasis to whose composed within the previous 30-days.
Why? Because products and their firmware are usually upgraded fairly soon after
launch, so an item you buy a few months after it’s been introduced, will more
than likely come with the latest and greatest firmware and with the least
issues.
I’ve been spending the last few days researching point and
shoot cameras. I’ve had my Canon Powershot G10 for many moons now, and I really
need a camera that “lives” in my truck, just for those times there’s an
incredible shot to be taken, and my big bag o' gear’s sitting on the rack in the studio.
That’s why I bought the Fuji HS20EXR several months back for (Bridging the Gap).
While it’s a good camera, it doesn’t really suit my needs, plus it won’t fit
into any of the cubbies in my truck (which is weird, seeing that I can fit my
small Gitzo pod.
So now I’m running through the plusses and minuses of
Canon’s G1 X, G15 and the SX50 HS, and their related price tags. I’m early in
the process, so there’s lots of homework to do. So far, there’s no smoking gun.
They each offer great image quality and shoot in RAW mode. It all depends on
the nuances I deem most important that’ll hone my decision, and whether I decide
to move the potential purchase from the want to need column. Now only if Hawaii
had a lotto to play…
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