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10/24/2002 04:57:00 PM · #1 |
| In the discussions on new and newer and fabulous but expensive digital cameras I never read a thought on expected the life time of our investments here. When I bought 35 mm film camera's I expected them to last at least some 10 years - and they do (nad longer). But my experience with digital is making me cautious to go out and spend an arm and a leg on a new and very expensive Canon DSLR. I have had a Ricoh RDC-7 now for over 2 years and more and more pixels are dropping out. The Ricoh was not very cheap when I bought it, but for the ~30,000 pictures that I took with it the investment does not seem too bad. How about spending about 3-4 times as much for a new Canon (excluding the expensive wide angle lens that I will have to add) and finding out in 2 years time that the same happens here? You can always buy new film, but a new sensor for a camera? At what price? |
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10/24/2002 05:52:58 PM · #2 |
I would expect that if I bought a nice new Canon D60, that in 2 years time it
would be obselete and about time to replace it. The current digital
camera market is not a place to go looking for long term investments.
You might be able to get a sensor replacement but after maybe 3 years
it would be doubtful if the sensor chips were even being made to that
spec.
Lenses are where the cost and the investment lies.
Though saying that, my HP C20 that I won about 5 years ago is still
going strong.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/24/2002 5:52:31 PM. |
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10/24/2002 07:43:56 PM · #3 |
a lot of the really new .. and by that i exclude the canon D60 and Nikon D100, I am talking about the canon D1S or whatever it is and the Kodak in a Nikon Body 13 mega pixel cameras use CMOS which as far as i know is less likely to drop pixels and is easier to replace and should not matter what future specs are being built.
am I way off on that?
also my Olympus' 2000z 5+ years old and 3040z 2 years old are both working fine still |
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10/24/2002 07:48:53 PM · #4 |
Define "obsolete"? IS it totally worthless? I don't think so, i think most pros are quite satisfied with D60, other than the cropping factor. There would be better technology out there, but as far as it being uncompetitive, I think not.
Originally posted by Gordon:
I would expect that if I bought a nice new Canon D60, that in 2 years time it
would be obselete and about time to replace it. The current digital
camera market is not a place to go looking for long term investments.
You might be able to get a sensor replacement but after maybe 3 years
it would be doubtful if the sensor chips were even being made to that
spec.
Lenses are where the cost and the investment lies.
Though saying that, my HP C20 that I won about 5 years ago is still
going strong
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10/24/2002 07:54:14 PM · #5 |
Originally posted by paganini:
Define "obsolete"? IS it totally worthless? I don't think so, i think most pros are quite satisfied with D60, other than the cropping factor. There would be better technology out there, but as far as it being uncompetitive, I think not.
I was defining obsolete as being outdated, surpased by current technology, difficult to get replacement parts, etc. Maybe not
2 years but perhaps 4 years. It certainly isn't going to be 10 years.
Sure it'll still take pictures as good as it currently does, it
will still be obsolete. Image sensor size is not the only feature
that makes a camera worth having.
My only point in this is to point out that buying a current digital
camera as an investment in the future is a bad idea. You'll find
you can't resell it for much at all in a few years, as the same
money will buy a much better new camera and the technology will
have moved beyond it. The lenses are a different story.
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/24/2002 7:52:59 PM. |
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10/24/2002 07:56:55 PM · #6 |
What other features are you talking about? Surely the sensor is the only thing, isn't it? You can argue the same way someone would argue about film cameras in the 1980's and yet many pros still uses them (i.e. the newer cameras would have these matrix metering modes, etc. which is now standard). If you're talkinga bout that, it doesnt' have to be digital for a camera to be "obsolete". The only thing that is rapidly developing is the sensor and the processing algorithm, which wouldn't matter much if the sensor already produces decent images.
Originally posted by Gordon:
Originally posted by paganini:
[i]Define "obsolete"? IS it totally worthless? I don't think so, i think most pros are quite satisfied with D60, other than the cropping factor. There would be better technology out there, but as far as it being uncompetitive, I think not.
Originally posted by Gordon:
[i]I would expect that if I bought a nice new Canon D60, that in 2 years time it
would be obselete and about time to replace it. The current digital
camera market is not a place to go looking for long term investments.
You might be able to get a sensor replacement but after maybe 3 years
it would be doubtful if the sensor chips were even being made to that
spec.
Lenses are where the cost and the investment lies.
Though saying that, my HP C20 that I won about 5 years ago is still
going strong
[/i]
I was defining obsolete as being outdated, surpased by current technology, difficult to get replacement parts, etc. Maybe not
2 years but perhaps 4 years. It certainly isn't going to be 10 years.
Sure it'll still take pictures as good as it currently does, it
will still be obsolete. Image sensor size is not the only feature
that makes a camera worth having.
[/i]
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10/24/2002 08:00:27 PM · #7 |
Originally posted by digitallywet:
a lot of the really new .. and by that i exclude the canon D60 ... cameras use CMOS which as far as i know is less likely to drop pixels and is easier to replace and should not matter what future specs are being built.
am I way off on that?
a tad bit - the D60 uses a (quoting the manual) "High-sensitivity, high-resolution, single-plate CMOS sensor"
as to the expected life of said sensor, i have no clue :( what i've heard is that CMOS sensors are less expensive, use less power, and are easier to manufacture than the traditional CCD sensors - if the need arises, hopefully that means "inexpensive to replace"
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10/25/2002 12:34:10 AM · #8 |
| Well, I work for Intel, and we predict 7years for our processors. I would expect at least that from a CCD or CMOS sensor. Hopefully ten years is not much of a stretch. This is a really good question. The sensors should not be subjected to the heat a processor is, and should last much, much, longer. |
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10/25/2002 02:54:05 AM · #9 |
Originally posted by Zeissman:
Well, I work for Intel, and we predict 7years for our processors. I would expect at least that from a CCD or CMOS sensor. Hopefully ten years is not much of a stretch. This is a really good question. The sensors should not be subjected to the heat a processor is, and should last much, much, longer.
That sounds optimistic, but am I really the only one to notice that pixels are dropping in my CCD? Take a picture with the lens closed and look at all the pixels that are not black. That gives a good idea of the problem. I have no idea why it happens; bleaching out due to bright light? Any suggestions?
* This message has been edited by the author on 10/25/2002 2:52:33 AM. |
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10/25/2002 06:01:13 AM · #10 |
Originally posted by johnmk:
That sounds optimistic, but am I really the only one to notice that pixels are dropping in my CCD? Take a picture with the lens closed and look at all the pixels that are not black. That gives a good idea of the problem. I have no idea why it happens; bleaching out due to bright light? Any suggestions?
My 2year old coolpix 990 is dropping pixels too. It does mean I have to start spot editing for print on the wall, and despeckle to deal with dpc entries. I expect the dropout rate to start accelerating too.
I'm thinking of getting an SLR in the spring, but Im completely aware that I'll be replacing the body again in 2 years time (but that will give me a spare).
It may be that a refurnishing industry springs up, replacing the CCD and electronics in old models with new kit.
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