will the madness ever end

hey all, i just joined the form today.

i bought the canon 30D last year and now they have the 40D out now, i'm assuming next year they'll come out with the 50D and year after that 60D.. etc.. etc..

when i shot film camera (still do quite a bit) i looked foward to getting that new film that fuji or kodak would come out with, i would spend my $6-8 dollars per roll and go and shoot. since digital has come out, for me to try the new technology i now have to spend $1500-3000 every year instead of $6-8 dollars.

i wonder if or when digital cameras will get to the point that we can no longer tell between the quality of a camera like the 30D verses camera's of the future. i mean there can only be some detail a camera can pick up from a picture.

i'm probably confusing everyone, but i don't know how to ask this questions very well. i was just wondering what everyone's thoughts were

For me the annalogy is printer paper compared to film, not bodies.

I only upgrade bodies when one breaks or a new body has a feature i just need to help my shooting style.

I myself am foaming at the mouth for the new Epson Signature Fiber paper (digital world of film)...

The IQ of the bodies isn't increasing damatically, I'm sure you don't NEED to upgrade each year

Here's a couple of thoughts.
First, it's about 18 months between xxD body updates, so the 50D is probably 18 months away. Second, buying a new model when it comes out is optional, particularly since, three, the increase in image quality with each upgrade is only quite small. Four, shoot a hundred rolls of film a year, add in processing costs, and by the time a new xxD dSLR model comes out, your old one has paid for itself.

oh - and welcome!

Welcome to POTN! In my case, the madness will never end.

Welcome to POTN!

Just because a new body comes out, doesn't mean you need to get it. I plan on keeping my 30Ds until at least the successor to the 40D comes out... but more likely longer. There are still people here that shoot with 10Ds...

The real madness is not about bodies.

Just wait until you start exploring lenses...!!

Pete wrote in post #4224480
Just wait until you start exploring lenses...!!

Yep... that's MY madness! haha!!

i have some good lenses, i've always said that most important part of a camera is the lense. F4 at 60 is the same whether you have a $3000 body or a $500 body.

I can't see any end to this in the near future. Sensors are improving - the best are 14 bits in raw mode now. Then comes 16bits, 24 bits... and on and on. Features improve aka live preview. When you have a good lens collection, any improvement in sensors, or functions will make each lens more useful. As long as photography is competitive there will be a need to have the best equipment. If you want stability, go to 4x5 view cameras. I sold my Sinar 4x5 for $1000 more than I paid for it after using it for almost 10 years. The Rodenstock lenses went for more than I paid too. What a contrast to digital!!

Welcome to the forum.
The next innovation has to be a new sensor. Both Nikon and Sony’s new models have high ISO noise as low as, or better than Canon’s so the difference between bodies has shrunk greatly. Maybe the Foveon guys will finally solve their noise issue and we won’t have to suffer through anti-aliasing softness any longer and get a digital sensor the true equivalent of film

If you spend $1500 per year on bodies you are Canon's favorite type of customer! (And there are many of them here.)

I shoot with a 10D, still produces amazing photos, depending on the guy looking through the viewfinder. Buying a new body every time one comes out is silly to me and unwarranted to say the least.

it is really no different that cars.............why do we "need" new cars when the 1997 still works and runs well? And the new one is more than you would have paid for a house 20 years ago.

bauerman wrote in post #4224725
If you spend $1500 per year on bodies you are Canon's favorite type of customer! (And there are many of them here.)...

But that assumes that you keep your old equipment. You could always sell your previous body. For instance an upgrade from a 30D to a 40D really isn’t $1300. It’s about $300, less if you get lucky on Ebay.

stathunter wrote in post #4224754
it is really no different that cars.............why do we "need" new cars when the 1997 still works and runs well? And the new one is more than you would have paid for a house 20 years ago.

Exactly why I buy good used cars and drive them into the ground!