How do you decide when it is time to switch systems?

I started out shooting Nikon film bodies in college. When the first generation Digital Rebel came out I decided to switch to Canon. My investment in Nikon lenses was minimal and in those days people were still buying used film bodies.

Since that time, I have stayed with Canon and have owned at least 10 different Canon bodies. Over that period of time I have amassed a decent collection of Canon glass. I have supplemented with other types of cameras over that time as needed but I have never jumped ship altogether.

Meanwhile, I have watched others chase the current leader. Canon->Nikon->Canon->Nikon->Sony->Nikon->Fuji->etc Since camera bodies are basically technology items at this point the top dog is always changing. I have always seen this as a fairly pointless endeavor since eventually the technology swings back around.

Lately, however, I have realized that I almost never use my Canon gear. I actually sold my 5Diii 6 months ago because it was just sitting there and I thought my wife's 6D would do the job when I wanted to shoot full frame.

I virtually always grab my m4/3 system because not only is it smaller and lighter but I prefer the usability of it. But sometimes, the small sensor can be limiting.

What has been bothering me of late is that even if Canon's next body is a modern marvel and leap frogs everything else on the market it probably won't be the body *I* want to use. That being said, I have no desire to part with the majority of my Canon lenses. A quick look at my profile tells me I have 20 Canon lenses and 7 flashes.

Who knows, maybe I will supplement again and add 3rd system to the mix.

Ultimately my question is, how do you know when it is time to switch? Especially if you have a big investment in glass.

You are sitting on a large monetary investment that is depreciating, albeit slowly if you have L glass. If you are not going to use it and see no scenarios in your usafe pattern that requires Canon equipment even if Canon cane up with something new and fancy in the future, then hanging on to a depreciating asset seems like a rather illogical thing to do.

dalto wrote in post #18082794
I started out shooting Nikon film bodies in college. When the first generation Digital Rebel came out I decided to switch to Canon. My investment in Nikon lenses was minimal and in those days people were still buying used film bodies.

Since that time, I have stayed with Canon and have owned at least 10 different Canon bodies. Over that period of time I have amassed a decent collection of Canon glass. I have supplemented with other types of cameras over that time as needed but I have never jumped ship altogether.

Meanwhile, I have watched others chase the current leader. Canon->Nikon->Canon->Nikon->Sony->Nikon->Fuji->etc Since camera bodies are basically technology items at this point the top dog is always changing. I have always seen this as a fairly pointless endeavor since eventually the technology swings back around.

Lately, however, I have realized that I almost never use my Canon gear. I actually sold my 5Diii 6 months ago because it was just sitting there and I thought my wife's 6D would do the job when I wanted to shoot full frame.

I virtually always grab my m4/3 system because not only is it smaller and lighter but I prefer the usability of it. But sometimes, the small sensor can be limiting.

What has been bothering me of late is that even if Canon's next body is a modern marvel and leap frogs everything else on the market it probably won't be the body *I* want to use. That being said, I have no desire to part with the majority of my Canon lenses. A quick look at my profile tells me I have 20 Canon lenses and 7 flashes.

Who knows, maybe I will supplement again and add 3rd system to the mix.

Ultimately my question is, how do you know when it is time to switch? Especially if you have a big investment in glass.

If you aren't using something, you should sell it. If there's an alternate system that you would shoot more often on, it's best to use that instead. Simple as that. Yes there's a monetary loss associated with that, but there's an opportunity cost associated to tying up money in gear you don't use.

Alternatively, you could seek out the motivation to shoot with your existing gear. i.e. join a photo club that encourages you to shoot in ways you otherwise wouldn't.

I started with film RF. Switched to SLR, later to DSLR. But kept same old gear (One RF, one SLR). Now I could switch systems any time I need one. I have SLR, DSLR (same lenses) and film RF. So, I still need dRF to be able to use same film RF lenses
And I always sell something I don't need anymore. Sold some L lenses, will sell FF DSLR.

I'm also firmly in the "if you don't use it, sell it" camp as all it's doing is depreciating while holding the floor down. These days it really doesn't matter what system you use as all are close enough to make the differences negligible so pick a system that you like and use and stick with it.

Heya,

I'll know it's time to switch systems when the body roadmap and tech along with the lens line up is a complete package that also appeals to my preference of ergonomics, ability to incorporate flash equipment, etc. Changing systems can be really complicated for one person, or a breeze for another.

I almost switched to Pentax. I'm out in the swamp & ocean a lot, I wanted water resilience both on the body & lenses, without paying 1D prices and a lot of the L's actually are not weather sealed, so it's not like that was a no brainer. My issue was cost. Pentax stuff is not expensive, but, it's also a smaller representation out there, so less of it is for sale used at good prices, unlike volumes of Canon stuff floating around. It made my feel to switch hard, because I knew I could sell my Canon stuff and move over, but I would end up spending more to get lesser Pentax glass because most of it was not an option used and I would have to buy new (the bodies are available used, but the good pentax lenses are rare to find used).

Nikon doesn't appeal to me at all, mostly from a glass perspective. Also, menus & ergonomics. I'm pretty satisfied with Canon in general for what I do. Glass however matters to me, as I like the character of a lens, it doesn't have to be top tier, I may just like certain properties about it, and a lot of Canon lenses have that for me, while also being able to easily adapt vintage pentax stuff no problem too.

Unfortunately Pentax is just not a good roadmap ultimately for me to move into. The lens line up is just not there.

Sony appeals to me right now, but limited on the lenses I'd want, but the body adapts to Canon lenses. Kind of a partial system in that sense to me.

Right now, I'm leaning towards eventually including a Sony A7S type camera into my kit, able to use the lenses I generally use with a full frame right now, as a means to get really great ISO performance (nothing else matters to me from a full frame, and I have two). That may happen later. Canon just doesn't have much that can even begin to match the A7S in ISO at the cost level.

For the other stuff I do, I'm quite content with what I have. Nikon & Sony just don't have the body & lenses in the used market for what I do at the price I want. Granted, I may be ignorant to some Nikon offerings. But I know Sony doesn't have what I need. I'm currently in the swamp and on a kayak with a 7D ($400 used) and EF 300 F4L IS ($550 used). Just under $1k for that setup, and it suits me great for wildlife/birding for light weight, speed, rugged, stabilized, and relatively modern. Sony just doesn't have this. And again, maybe I'm just not familiar with Nikon's line up, to have seen an alternative. I had almost moved to Pentax with a K5 IIs and 300 F4, completely weather sealed, but it would have been around $1500 (that's used body, new lens).

If Sony was able to get the speed & AF down, I'd probably be a lot more likely to move over. Also, would want rugged body/weather resistance. From there, some lenses need to come up, and they need to be used/refurb at lower prices.

I'm too frugal on gear prices to really change systems often I guess. The Canon used market is really a gem mine for someone like me in that way.

Very best,

I shot the A7r a year along with the 6D. Would bring both cameras with me to shoots.

After using for landscapes, it was apparent, that the A7r was a keeper, that 36mp no AA filter, images were just crisper than the 6D. I got so comfortable shooting MF, that I would shoot fairly critical situations and get the keepers I wanted. After the A7ii came out, the writing was on the wall for me, even before the A7rii came out. The features I wanted were there, IBIS, strong image quality, small form factor.

The sony system has grown a TON since then, PDAF with canon lenses, totally unexpected. Sensor changes for low light, silent shooting, Eye AF, lens ecosystem on steroids, flash systems modernized, smooth reflections app, the icing on the cake was tremendous.

Like any system, sony isnt perfect, but by far the best for me.

In all the years shooting, I have never seen such a revolutionary product such as the A7rii.

It makes the 5Dc -> 5D2 somewhat tame (most revolutionary move by canon IMO).

I think the time to switch is when there's a compelling product that is superior in every way to your current gear, and even then only after your current gear breaks. Better is a relative term though.

My personal reasoning :

Is there anything on the market that is superior to my 60D? Yes. Are there better sensors? Yes. More Portable? Yes. So maybe I should switch. BUT!

Do those things have better battery life? No. Do those things have equal or better after-sale support? No. Does the target audience of my photos care about sensor improvements and every last pixel of sharpness and DR? No. Is it cost effective to switch? No. Will I be in a better off position after I switch? No. Should I switch? Easy - no.

My personal situation is my camera sees action less than 10 times a year (10 when I'm feeling motivated). Switching or selling anything would involve huge losses and I would get peanuts for my gear after spending significant cash to buy them in the first place. Might as well hold on to it and try to reinvent what I use the gear for.

I havent really switched.
I shot canon for years, then found a job that supplied me with a pair of 1D bodies and a bag of glass (being made redundant soon though)

It didnt make sense to keep my canon kit when work issued me one - so i sold it all.
I wanted a smaller lighter camera so i started with an X100, then moved to a Leica M system.
The M and the 1D complement each other, the M is quiet, and easy to use, the 1D big and bulky, but blazing fast frame rate, AF and has a wireless flash system.

I honestly dont think there is a real need to switch, unless the switch is going to make you significantly more money, or give you significantly more wnjoyment

I was a Canon shooter with a 5d2 and 7d along with a bunch of lenses. When the Sony mirrorless A7 series came out with the weight savings it was a no brainer for me to start migrating away from the big and bulky to the light and small. I travel a lot and don't need the extra bulk and weight the DSLR systems impose.

As a bonus I've seen an improvement in image quality with the A7R images.

I've been looking at Fuji the past few weeks. I honestly don't know how I'd leave the EOS world being so invested and familiar with it. The small form factor of the upcoming XT2 is really exciting though. I need to rent for a weekend and check it out.

I'm still waiting for Canon to release a FF mirrorless. I think it will happen, but not sure when and IF I will be able to wait.

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #18086252
I've been looking at Fuji the past few weeks. I honestly don't know how I'd leave the EOS world being so invested and familiar with it. The small form factor of the upcoming XT2 is really exciting though. I need to rent for a weekend and check it out.

I'm still waiting for Canon to release a
FF mirrorless. I think it will happen, but not sure when and IF I will be able to wait.

Rumors point to a FF mirrorless being announced this fall

FarmerTed1971 wrote in post #18086252
I've been looking at Fuji the past few weeks. I honestly don't know how I'd leave the EOS world being so invested and familiar with it. The small form factor of the upcoming XT2 is really exciting though. I need to rent for a weekend and check it out.

I'm still waiting for Canon to release a
FF mirrorless. I think it will happen, but not sure when and IF I will be able to wait.

If Canon does decide to make a mirrorless FF body it'll be great to have a bag full of canon lenses to use with it. However if they make it an EF mount it'll defeat the purpose of small form factor since the lenses will be huge. I'd definitely buy into such a camera but there will be a love/hate relationship.

Even currently an older fuji 16mpx sensor bodies I own does a fantastic job at iso 3200 and even higher. IQ is stunning and it takes on the duties of effortless usage while out and about. Majority of cases I'd use the fuji with 16mm f/1.4 (24mm equiv) instead of my 5dmk3 w/ 24Lmk2. Now that everyone is excited about the Fuji X-T2 I can see how it'd be closer to 5d3 performance but with small fuji lenses.

I recently picked up a older BNIB X-E2 for $380 CDN!!! and updated it with firmware 4.01. Basically I transformed the older body to a current newer 16mpx fuji X-E2s model simply by updating software. I only saved $520 CDN!!!

I will not switch to Fuji as a primary system but the IQ is a whole different world. When you consider this type of IQ coming from a crop sensor it's very impressive.

Since I use a spider holster system it'd be cheaper for me to buy a new Canon 6d (smaller/lighter FF) than to buy a $2000 newer Fuji body. The holster already makes camera bodies easier to handle since I have the body on my hip. I still want to buy an X-T2.

Definitely a difference in how the RAW files and colour rendition between Canon and Fuji. I dont mind investing into both systems at this moment in time.

AlanU wrote in post #18086277
If Canon does decide to make a mirrorless FF body it'll be great to have a bag full of canon lenses to use with it. However if they make it an EF mount it'll defeat the purpose of small form factor since the lenses will be huge. I'd definitely buy into such a camera but there will be a love/hate relationship.

The live view AF performance of the 1DXII is a nice sneak peak of how a Canon mirrorless body would play with adapted EF lenses, and its very promising. If I hadn't transitioned over to native sony FE mount lenses already, I'd take a hard look at what Canon has in store.

With regards to using DSLR or DSLR sized lenses on a mirrorless body, the key thing is having flexibility within a single body. It's nice to be able to own a single body that you're able to use as a compact set-up for casual shooting (encouraging you to shoot more frequently) and a no-holds barred high performance set-up, simply by swapping lenses.

When the manufacturer of my current gear goes out of business.

I'm not afflicted with GAS and all brands take excellent pictures.