Ok I will throw out some stink bait. I am often amazed at how many people think that they MUST have the latest and greatest new equipment. They have great stuff but no idea of what to do with it. Others take junk and excel which begs the question, "Just how much of a part of the total success is the tool, and how much of it is the person running the tool?"
I use some old stuff. I have an old Voigtlander that was bought in the 50s that I still use. I have an old 4x5 view camera that is probably about that old. Both still work well, with some limitations.
Lenses are another long term investment. Do you upgrade every time a new lens appears? Who buys used lenses?? How used??? grin Zoom or primes??? Oh the choices.
Digital with its short life expectancy is a much tougher choice. It's not a mature industry, at least not yet but it seems to be getting closer. Not that long ago for what you would spend for a 5D you could get the D30 that was a 3.3 MP and the state of the art. Each new model does bring improvements, but when is the improvement enough to justify the new investment? It's not like the old one quits working. All tough decisions.
Its all part of the overall product. IF money is no object, you always get new stuff. Still that rarely is the case. So it brings us back to how much of a great photo is tool, and how much is between the ears of the person running it?
