I’ve now had my Nikon D70 digital SLR camera for almost three years, and in that time I’ve taken about 600 photos that I have considered worthy enough to put on Flickr (some of which I have not yet posted). It looks like after listing fees and shipping and such, I could get about $400 on eBay for a camera that originally cost me closer to $1000, meaning a 60% depreciation or, put another way, each of those pictures cost about a buck apiece.
I love my Nikon D70, but a few months ago I made perhaps not the wisest decision in the world, purchasing a pretty amazing telephoto lens that, while powerful and convenient, also adds additional weight and bulk to an already weighty and bulky camera. As a consequence, I find I’m now even less likely to take my big, heavy, expensive rig with me when I go places. And there’s not much point having an amazing camera if you never take it anywhere.
So I’m thinking I might be putting camera and lens up on the auction block and “downgrading” to the smaller, cheaper, lighter, cuter Nikon D40. Being able to worry less about the heft and price of the equipment means being able to worry more about taking good pictures, which is really the point. Or am I crazy?
You are not crazy, but you may be foolish; falling into the trap of upgrading when you old camera is perfectly good.
Have checked out the D40, which must be cheaper for a reason. I assume it is more plastic, lighter duty…
If you are going to end up giving the D70 away, maybe you should just keep it in the closet. You might regret selling it.
As the person who bought a telephoto lens for you, then bought the same lens from you to facilitate your latest lens purchase, I think you might be indulging yourself with a trade up (down?) If you do go for it, think of me before you pretty much give away a top notch lens.
Stu
I’m not trying to upgrade or downgrade or make or lose money, I’m trying to get to a place where I use my camera as much as possible. I love the fancy new lens, but I think it was probably a mistake to purchase it. I can sell it for almost the same price as I paid for it, as lenses hold their value well. I won’t be giving it away. As to what to do with the camera, that is the biggest question. I could just keep the D70 with the non-fancy lens and go back to where I was before, which I was happy with for a good two and a half years. Or I could switch to the smaller, less fancy D40 and maybe take more and better pictures, or maybe not. That’s the question. Regardless, it seems to make the most sense to sell the lens now, for almost as much as I paid for it, rather than just putting it away in a closet.