I use both digital and analogue cameras: from camera’s of the roaring fifties to my trusted Nikon D80. And you might wonder why I have not upgraded to a newer DSLR for the last 10+ years and why I am more than happy with my older camera. It simply is the best camera for me.
Megapixels don’t make a photograph
When I bought my D80, a lot of discussing was focussed on megapixels, especially for the consumer market. Having a camera that could take photographs with a higher resolution was always a better camera. The jump that the D80 made compared with its predecessor the D70 was enormous: from 6.1 MP to 10.2 MP. It made it possible to print photographs in a resolution good enough for books and exhibitions. In short 10.2 MP are more than enough for what most people and I actually will need. And as on as the number of megapixels is good enough to print sharp images, more important things contribute to a fabulous photograph than the number of megapixels. And that statement still holds true for my D80: I can make great photos that look amazing with this camera.
I am not a videographer
The main disadvantage of the Nikon D80 is that it will not shoot video. It was not something that anybody was looking for in a semi-professional camera in the noughties. We were amazed that we could shoot a photograph and view it straight away: no trip to the shops needed! Most of us did not think about making videos: we took still images, and we bought our equipment to match this: no continuous lights, we bought flashlights. We created a still image: magical and unmoving.
In the years since a lot of photographers also started making videos. It was a logical next step. If you could make great looking stills, why not add movement. However, I was amazed by the still image: I think it is a completely kind of sport to make a video that tells a great story over time than that it is to make a photograph that amazes and tells its own story. A photograph misses the time component; the viewer has to use their imagination to decide what happens before or after the image was taken. This is what taking photographs is all about for me: to use my own creativity and to challenge the viewer to use theirs.
Why upgrade?
Why upgrade? It is a question I ask myself frequently. My D80 is still a camera that takes the pictures I want to take. It is easy to operate and has more than enough options right at my fingertips. In the end, what makes this a great camera for me is that I can use it effectively: it even takes my favourite lensesses. Of course, I count on it that I will outlive my Nikon D80 and will have to replace it at some point in the future. And if I do I will have a few things that I will look forward to: to go to a full-size sensor, but that is all. Apart from that, I want a camera that does the same as the Nikon D80 does for me: take great photographs: easily and quickly.
Around me, I see others upgrade their camera gear often and regularly. To keep up, to tell clients, customers and colleagues that they keep up with others. To have new features and new options. However, I often wonder if we really use them or imagine us using them, without ever using them. And I wonder if some would take better pictures by being forced to do their work with less: to relly on their own ingenuity instead of really on the features of their tools. So I challenge myself to create great images with the tool I have and the tool that is good enough for me. And I would challenge you as well: take that old camera and see where it leads you.