Originally posted by monochrome It is a question of expectations and choosing the right camera and lens to meet them. If I mount the DFA*70-200/2.8 on KP the focus speed, accuracy and tracking are the equal of just about anything else out there. If I then mount my new DA*50-135/2.8 (over ten year old design) and press the back AF button it feels like I could read half of War and Peace before the lens motor starts. Once it gets moving it is completely, silent and locks in perfect, accurate focus though. The 50-135 images are rich and full of character, especially on the K10D with its CCD sensor. The 70-200 images on KP and K-1, while stunningly sharp, have a noticeably colder, clinical quality.
I don’t use the 50-135 for chickadees on the feeder and I don’t use the 70-200 for grandchild portraits.
Absolutely. And I wouldn't deny that the newer equipment performs better, offers some fantastic conveniences, and can increase the number of "keepers".
But (and I know
you know this) you
could use the K10D + 50-135 for those chickadees. You might have to work harder to get the shots... pre-focus on the feeder, use an aperture setting that gives sufficient depth of field for small errors, shoot in bursts to get one good capture, get closer to the feeder, maybe use a different bird feed that was more attractive to the little critters, so they'd visit more often or spend more time on the feeder, giving you more opportunities to get a good capture, etc. But it's doable.
My point being, having the latest kit is wonderful and all, but it's not essential... not necessary, even. Skill, ingenuity and tenacity will produce results on outdated cameras and lenses (as evidenced by the many thousands of amazing photos out there taken with such equipment). Some folks appear to lose sight of this, or don't want to acknowledge it. They fixate on getting the latest gear because it has one or more features, performance improvements or technical specifications that they believe are vital to achieving their goals. They don't want to have to work so hard for the shot, and would rather let the technology do more of that work. And once they fixate on the gear, the frustrations begin... my brand can't do what "brand X" does... my camera's AF tracking isn't good enough... my camera has a four year old sensor... my lens focuses too slowly... etc.
Shooting an obsolete system, or even - as in my case - obsolete models with a still-current mount, frees the user from kit envy across different brands, wasting time and emotion waiting for new models, time and money spent on trying to achieve the perfect system (which we all know doesn't exist) - and puts the onus on the photographer to be skilful and creative with what they have. Which, as it happens, is both fun and satisfying
I've no issue with folks buying and shooting the latest equipment, and I make no apology for doing so myself every once in a while. But when the desire for equipment translates into frustrations that negatively impact our enjoyment of the hobby, that's a problem.
Apologies to the OP for going off-topic