Digital Cameras and obsolescence - planned or otherwise

lesmore49 · 05-08-2009, 11:37 AM

I have another thread about whether the current computers and programs will continue to be able to process pictures for my K10D and KM.

At best it's a guesstimate, but eventually I believe these two fine cameras will become expensive paperweights because of no computer support.

Leads me to my new question....back in the days of film...you could buy a camera ...say a K1000 in '81 and still use it right up to 2004...merrily clicking away and although the K1000 wasn't the most modern slr...pictures it took with skilled hands were every bit as good as a top flight slr , new in the late '90's.

But I bought my K10D in November 2007...by the end of Jan., 2008 it was no longer the top digital SLR in the Pentax range. Fast changes in SLR dom considering the K10D came out in Oct., 2007 or so.

It's still happening...will digital SLR's ever 'settle' down like their film counterparts did...have the same camera models for 8-10 years ?

It's expensive combating obsolescence...although I try to resist...I'm hoping my K10D and KM are feasible still in 10 years or so.

What's your take on all of this too quick obsolescence.

Wheatfield · 05-08-2009, 12:02 PM

Fortunately, obsolescence and usability are not exactly the same thing. Look at what Canon or Nikon have done with their top end cameras. There really isn't much more they can do with them without getting to the point of absurd levels of overperformance.
Canon has a very fast product changeover, I believe they deliberately try to create rapid obsolescence in their products via small incremental improvements, and this is something they've been doing for a couple of decades, so it isn't just a DSLR thing with them.
Pentax, at least, holds off on new models until they have real improvements to offer.
The fact is though, digital SLR cameras are still a fairly young technology, and they are essentially computers with lens mounts. They are going to obsolesce fairly quickly simply for this reason.

I get a couple of customers a day in my store who want to upgrade their P&S cameras to the latest and greatest. They'll have something like an 8mp camera, but they want to upgrade to a 12mp camera. When I ask what they do with their pictures, invariably they either only look at them on their computer screens or they make nothing larger than 4x6 prints. A 2mp camera would be sufficient for their needs, but they are wanting to buy because the one they have is a couple of years old, so it must not be any good any more.
It makes me mental, but not so much that I don't take their money.

Anyway, obsolete is more of a personal concept than it is an industry concept when talking about consumer goods. If what you are using suits the majority of your needs, it probably isn't obsolete, whether or not there is a model or two above it.
I still use an *istD on an almost daily basis, even though I have both K10 and K20 bodies as well.
For some things, I prefer the compact size of the *istD, it's slowness and relatively low pixel count is sufficient for what I use it for.
Consider the number of cameras that Pentax released after you bought your K1000.
Every one of them obsoleted your K1000 in some way.

Dom · 05-08-2009, 12:27 PM

Originally posted by lesmore49

I have another thread about whether the current computers and programs will continue to be able to process pictures for my K10D and KM.

I don't think you'll have to worry about that. There are some awesome open source programs out there that will and do have very good long term support. One thing about the open source community is we don't take stuff out because we've put something new in, unlike micro$oft.

**zplus** · 05-08-2009, 12:41 PM

I still use two k1000s and one *ist D, nothing else.
Stop worrying about whether there is a better camera than your k10d and go take some pictures.
The world is going to end in 2012 anyway...

wildman · 05-08-2009, 03:02 PM

Originally posted by lesmore49

Leads me to my new question....back in the days of film...you could buy a camera ...say a K1000 in '81 and still use it right up to 2004...merrily clicking away and although the K1000 wasn't the most modern slr...pictures it took with skilled hands were every bit as good as a top flight slr , new in the late '90's.

But I bought my K10D in November 2007...by the end of Jan., 2008 it was no longer the top digital SLR in the Pentax range. Fast changes in SLR dom considering the K10D came out in Oct., 2007 or so.

Seems to me the questions is not why DSLR change so fast as why film cameras changed so little over time.

Because film was a more or less universal physical format that depended on manufacturers and suppliers that were beyond the control of camera body manufacturers. In the film days Nikon, Canon, Pentax were given the format by tradition and conventional practice and they had to build cameras that accommodated this given format.

Now Pentax could come out with any system they want without needing industry wide acceptance. Many PS cameras are developed this way.

05-08-2009, 11:37 AM	#1
lesmore49 Pentaxian Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Western Canada Posts: 12,343	Digital Cameras and obsolescence - planned or otherwise I have another thread about whether the current computers and programs will continue to be able to process pictures for my K10D and KM. At best it's a guesstimate, but eventually I believe these two fine cameras will become expensive paperweights because of no computer support. Leads me to my new question....back in the days of film...you could buy a camera ...say a K1000 in '81 and still use it right up to 2004...merrily clicking away and although the K1000 wasn't the most modern slr...pictures it took with skilled hands were every bit as good as a top flight slr , new in the late '90's. But I bought my K10D in November 2007...by the end of Jan., 2008 it was no longer the top digital SLR in the Pentax range. Fast changes in SLR dom considering the K10D came out in Oct., 2007 or so. It's still happening...will digital SLR's ever 'settle' down like their film counterparts did...have the same camera models for 8-10 years ? It's expensive combating obsolescence...although I try to resist...I'm hoping my K10D and KM are feasible still in 10 years or so. What's your take on all of this too quick obsolescence.

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05-08-2009, 12:02 PM	#2
Wheatfield Moderator Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: The wheatfields of Canada Posts: 15,981	Fortunately, obsolescence and usability are not exactly the same thing. Look at what Canon or Nikon have done with their top end cameras. There really isn't much more they can do with them without getting to the point of absurd levels of overperformance. Canon has a very fast product changeover, I believe they deliberately try to create rapid obsolescence in their products via small incremental improvements, and this is something they've been doing for a couple of decades, so it isn't just a DSLR thing with them. Pentax, at least, holds off on new models until they have real improvements to offer. The fact is though, digital SLR cameras are still a fairly young technology, and they are essentially computers with lens mounts. They are going to obsolesce fairly quickly simply for this reason. I get a couple of customers a day in my store who want to upgrade their P&S cameras to the latest and greatest. They'll have something like an 8mp camera, but they want to upgrade to a 12mp camera. When I ask what they do with their pictures, invariably they either only look at them on their computer screens or they make nothing larger than 4x6 prints. A 2mp camera would be sufficient for their needs, but they are wanting to buy because the one they have is a couple of years old, so it must not be any good any more. It makes me mental, but not so much that I don't take their money. Anyway, obsolete is more of a personal concept than it is an industry concept when talking about consumer goods. If what you are using suits the majority of your needs, it probably isn't obsolete, whether or not there is a model or two above it. I still use an istD on an almost daily basis, even though I have both K10 and K20 bodies as well. For some things, I prefer the compact size of the istD, it's slowness and relatively low pixel count is sufficient for what I use it for. Consider the number of cameras that Pentax released after you bought your K1000. Every one of them obsoleted your K1000 in some way.

05-08-2009, 12:27 PM	#3
Dom Guest	Originally posted by lesmore49 I have another thread about whether the current computers and programs will continue to be able to process pictures for my K10D and KM. I don't think you'll have to worry about that. There are some awesome open source programs out there that will and do have very good long term support. One thing about the open source community is we don't take stuff out because we've put something new in, unlike micro$oft.

05-08-2009, 12:41 PM	#4
zplus Site Supporter Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Kansas City, Missouri Posts: 166	I still use two k1000s and one *ist D, nothing else. Stop worrying about whether there is a better camera than your k10d and go take some pictures. The world is going to end in 2012 anyway...

05-08-2009, 03:02 PM	#5
wildman Veteran Member Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: Flyover America Posts: 4,469	Originally posted by lesmore49 Leads me to my new question....back in the days of film...you could buy a camera ...say a K1000 in '81 and still use it right up to 2004...merrily clicking away and although the K1000 wasn't the most modern slr...pictures it took with skilled hands were every bit as good as a top flight slr , new in the late '90's. But I bought my K10D in November 2007...by the end of Jan., 2008 it was no longer the top digital SLR in the Pentax range. Fast changes in SLR dom considering the K10D came out in Oct., 2007 or so. Seems to me the questions is not why DSLR change so fast as why film cameras changed so little over time. Because film was a more or less universal physical format that depended on manufacturers and suppliers that were beyond the control of camera body manufacturers. In the film days Nikon, Canon, Pentax were given the format by tradition and conventional practice and they had to build cameras that accommodated this given format. Now Pentax could come out with any system they want without needing industry wide acceptance. Many PS cameras are developed this way.