WOULD A NEWER, MORE EXPENSIVE CAMERA REALLY HELP ME?
THE COST OF THIS NIKON BODY ONLY USUALLY RUNS ABOUT $6500. IS IT WORTH STEPPING UP TO SUCH A CAMERA BODY? OR IS IT WORTH AT LEAST STEPPING UP TO ANY CAMERA BODY THAT IS BETTER THAN THE ONE THAT YOU HAVE NOW? WHAT DO I ACCOMPLISH BY DOING THIS?
IT HAS BEEN SAID: IT IS THE PHOTOGRAPHER THAT MAKES THE PICTURE, NOT THE CAMERA! WELL, THAT IS RIGHT, UP TO A POINT. JUST WHAT DO YOU ACCOMPLISH BY STEPPING UP TO A BETTER CAMERA? CAN YOU TAKE BETTER PICTURES BY DOING SO. PHOTOGRAPHERS WHO HAVE TAKEN THE BIG STEP THINK THAT THEY HAVE DEFINITELY TAKEN BETTER PICTURES BY STEPPING UP TO BETTER EQUIPMENT.
Let’s get a list of what you accomplish by doing so:
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GAIN MORE CONTROL:
More expensive cameras tend to have more dedicated buttons, dials, and switches, plus more options to customize settings to suit your shooting style. Some mid-level and higher-end DSLRs and ILCs sport joysticks for faster autofocus-point selection. Not to mention the dual command wheels, present in models in the mid-range and up, which make manual shooting smoother.
Higher-end bodies have the latest output ports, such as USB 3.0, or even Ethernet in the most expensive DSLRs.Certain camera features get ampedup when you step up, too.
Higher-end cameras allow a wider range of exposure compensation and let you shoot at plus or minus 5 EV rather than the 3 EV found in entry-level bodies. Pricier models may allow more shots per bracket when auto-bracketing. And you can make multiple exposures of up to 10 frames with some pro-level cameras, while lower-end cameras might limit you to two, if any.
2- Shoot more on a single charge
Nothing ruins a day like a dead camera battery, and you may not always have a spare on you. With DSLRs, battery life increases significantly in the better bodies. Canon’s EOS Rebel SL1, for example, which uses a smaller battery than Canon’s other DSLRs, checks in with 380 shots, similar to the Pentax K-S2’s 410 shots. Move up to Pentax’s K-3 II and you’ll jump up to 720 shots. Canon’s EOS 5D Mark III is capable of 950 frames before the battery dies, while the Nikon D750 boasts 1,230. Stepping up to the Canon’s 1D X Mark II will bring you up to 1,210, while Nikon’s D5 can nab an incredible 3,780 frames before the battery depletes. In other words, you can get up to double the battery life by upgrading your camera. That might be worth it. If you shoot a lot of film, that will be important for sure.
3- More storage on your memory card
Yes, Nikon, Canon actually had the memory card manufactures develop cards for their higher end cameras so that they can hold more memory. And some other new features in some of the newer high end cameras: a place to put 2 memory cards in one camera. So, if you fill up one card quickly, the second card is already in the camera ready to go. OR, shoot one card all in RAW format and the other in JPEG.
4- Faster frames per second
That means that your camera can shoot faster frames per second. Do you need that? Depends on what you are shooting of course. But, what that means in real life is that if you want to shoot in RAW images, you can do that faster. Entry level cameras will not shoot RAW images in high speed shutters. Only JPEG. So, if you want to shoot RAW images fast, most likely you will need to have an upgraded camera.
5- Designed to withstand the elements better
The higher end cameras are designed to withstand the weather, the water and dirt better.
The underlying chassis of some entry-level cameras are made from plastic parts and are less likely to have weather sealing. Mid-range and higher-end models are usually built with a tough yet lightweight magnesium-alloy chassis—a sign that the body is built to last. Couple that with solid weather sealing and you’ll be ready for tougher conditions.
Ricoh’s Pentax line, for example, includes serious weather sealing across all of its DSLRs, but the K-S2, its step-up model (one notch above its entry-level DSLR), has more than 100 weather seals.
6- The megapixels are big winners when you step up
The megapixel war wins hands down as you go to the bigger, more professional cameras. Not only are the megapixels better, but the images are cleaner with less noise if you go to the higher end cameras. If you have ever taken pictures of a building in a big city and it has a lot of windows, for example, you will notice a certain amount of “image noise” with certain sensors. As you get upgraded that noise is less, and the image is so much sharper. Almost breathtaking.
7- The viewfinder will let you see your subjects better
A lot of the smaller cameras only give you 95 percent of what actually shows up on your sensor. And the other problem is that it is often hard to see what is on your back image sensor. The upgraded cameras have image sensors on the back that you can see much better, and have as much as 100 percent of the image as well.
8- A more incredible autofocus system
The autofocus system that these newer cameras have are incredible. Some of these cameras you can set up to track the subjects as well. So, there is no way you will ever miss certain subjects or events if the camera’s auto focus feature is set up correctly.
9- finally, better video is possible, now with 4k recording
Higher resolution has become even higher with video now, and these upgraded cameras are ready for the newest recording capability. Up to 4k resolution….. keeping in mind of course the amount of space that it will need to use to record that resolution on the memory card. That is one reason, of course for the upgraded memory card for sure.
Finally a quote from a famous photographer:
“Photography for me is not looking, it’s feeling. If you can’t feel what you’re looking at, then you’re never going to get others to feel anything when they look at your pictures.”
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Don McCullin
1935
