[sjwaldron]

Back in my initial stages, I replaced quite a few of my digicams that became "worn out" and I destroyed one or two on accident as well. My 3 DSLRs up until now have functioned without issues. The *ist DS was having issues with the back control wheel after a few years, but some alcohol and a q-tip cleared that issue up after trying it a year ago or so. I'd say upgrades are more about justification rather than wearing them out.

[RioRico]

My oldest camera is older than me (i'm 50 it's 56) and still works well.

My oldest camera is older than anyone alive in my family, a pre-WWI Kodak Monitor 6x9 folder, and it still works fine. Respooling 120 film onto 620 spools is a bother, though.

In 1976 I owned 8 or more still film cameras in various formats: 135 FF and HF (half-frame, APS-C size), 6x6cm, 9x12cm, etc. Each was a different tool for varied purposes. (And photography was my job then.) By 2000 I was down to just one 135/FF camera; but then I started gathering digicams, varied P&S's of 1-5-8mpx, each again a tool for different ends. (And I was beyond employment by then.) Some of those digicams died, or were killed. RIP.

And in 2008 I got my K20D, and I started buying used lenses on eBay, and odd lots of photo gear that sometimes included film bodies, of which I now own about 40 (and hope to sell-off 10 of them). I never intended a collection -- it just happened. Six were inherited. A few are thrift-shop or yard-sale box cams that echo back to my youth. The rest are mostly happy accidents. The only other camera I think I 'need' is some 645 folder, but those are getting costly. Ratz...

NEED: I've already differentiated between GOTTA HAVE and REALLY WANT. How much does anyone 'need' another camera? That's similar to: What do you want to do that you can't do with what you have? If one REALLY wants (or needs) to do something that's beyond their existing gear, then it's time to 1) get more gear, or 2) reduce one's expectations, or 3) find a workaround. Do I *need* an ultrawide lens, or can I stitch together panos? Do I *need* a high-ISO body, or can I make-do with a tripod and PP work? Et cetera.

So the answer is: I need a new camera whenever I think I do, if not before.

[hegedus]

I have K10D, and it has a few issues that I have learned to live with. First issue is heavy back focus, which I resolved in debug mode by setting the value to +180. Then, it seems to me that SR is not doing its job anymore. It sometimes blurs my images rather than stabilizes it. I don't know if that can be fixed at all. And third, focus is really slow when I try to take pictures of my children. I learned how to deal with it, though. I take a picture, and if it is in focus, I switch to manual focus, and than shoot a lot of pictures in a row, and many of then turn out to be in focus just right.
Now, as I said, I can live with that, but I would love to get K-5 and forget about all of these things, although it will not change my life upside-down.

[emtor]

When I started out shooting my Olympus OM1 did everything I needed it to do. Then came the "digital revolution" and I found other hobbies. Many years later I wanted to pick up nature photography again and bought a Nikon D50. Then a Nikon D3000 which proved to be pretty useless for anything else than family pics and the like, so I dumped it and bought analog medium format gear and a scanner. Still needing a decent digital I went for a second hand Pentax K20D which arrived yesterday. Playing with the K20D in my livingroom has given me an indication that this camera is pretty much what I need to shoot scenery in very harsh and low light conditions and expect very decent results. Yes, there are better cameras out there, but the K20D beats most cameras costing the same amount of money.
Yes,-sometimes you need new gear to do what you want.

[uccemebug]

No kidding?

I work in IT for the financial industry. Whether technical or management, they stick you with a phone. We had a rotating batch of three for two revolving roles at my last gig, and every VP & Director at my current shop's got their own phone plus a work smartphone. Two jobs before that I had a work phone in Canada and was issued another while on a six we stint in Japan (that later turned into five years, a wife and a child but that's another story).

I also caused a new iPhone to enter circulation by dropping the rental I was carrying....

Camera wise, I've got five film SLR's, two 135 film toy cameras, two 110 film toy cameras, a rangefinder, a 1954 TLR, and my Pentax DSLR. Toys aside, only one was new. I use all of them except the 110's. Some are great street shooters, others are for travel, and some are good for auto-everything. The rusty/moldy TLR is mostly good for fun.

If my *istDS dies I'll likely replace it. There's a lot of upgrade in today's models.

Now, as I said, I can live with that, but I would love to get K-5 and forget about all of these things, although it will not change my life upside-down.

It borders on "need" IMHO when you're working around major malfunction.

Still needing a decent digital I went for a second hand Pentax K20D which arrived yesterday

Welcome to the forum!

[RonHendriks1966]

Well my plan was to have a second body, so next to my K-7 (wich was a replace for my K20D that I allready handled for 6 months) a K-5 was a good idea. Do I need a second body? Well maybe not, but it shore comes in handy in at least some events I attend in a year. And planning to go more often in the future. Then I thought, in future I can rebuild the K-7 into IR-camera, so that's a good plan. Just it then hit me: A groop purchase pulling the price down to 1065 euro's at start and then again CASHBACK, making the body price 945 euro. So I looked and found a fool to pay me to much for my K-7 and bought TWO K-5's. Maybe in future I convert one of them into a IR-camera

[grainbelt]

lets see...

I'll 'need' a new camera when the weather sealed, top-LCD, articulating rear LCD, K-r sensor using, K200D replacement comes out.

Until then, I'll be ok with my K200D. If it dies, I'll grudgingly buy a K-r.

[slip]

2 reasons

1) faster and more accurate focus

2) better high ISO performance

besides this, nothing much else

randy

[Ex Finn.]

I need a new/second body so I can reduce my carbon print due to unnecessary lens changes .

[bsamcash]

Because I want one.

[John Araki]

The camera body is "disposable" where the lens endures. That's why I need a new camera. Migrating from a perfectly wonderful K10D to a k7. And in 2-3 years, I'll probably still have the same lenses, but will be looking to upgrade to my next, almost best thing...K3 when Pentax rolls out a "k1"?

[uccemebug]

So I looked and found a fool to pay me to much for my K-7

Noted.

[eddie1960]

My oldest camera is older than anyone alive in my family, a pre-WWI Kodak Monitor 6x9 folder, and it still works fine. Respooling 120 film onto 620 spools is a bother, though.

There is an alternate though more expensive option for you Rio

Film for Classics - Providing film for antique cameras. Rochester, NY and Worldwide.

[eddie1960]

I don't need a new camera but there are a couple of old ones I desperately want

http://cameraquest.com/jpg5/sikont30.jpg

[yeatzee]

because everyone here keeps telling me my beloved K-7 is a peice of crap and should be thrown in the trash (nearly a direct quote). *



*sarcasm.....true but still sarcasm...