Changing brands

[Lurchorama]

This is a post I put up on my blog today, hope its ok to post here too.

Changing Brands



Changing brands in most things isn’t a huge deal. In motorcycling for instance we tend to have our favorite brand (eg: Kawasaki) but I’ve owned Honda and Yamaha and currently ride a Suzuki Bandit. Video gamers are a little more hard-core however, but once the new range of models come out its not unusual for someone to go from Sony to Microsoft or vice-versa.


Cameras are a different kettle of fish. When you start out with a DSLR you’re buying into a system. Over the years you invest (usually too much) money in lenses and all kinds of accessories that are generally specific for that brand. So when it comes to upgrading your camera you have to think long and hard about changing brands and starting that collection all over again. You will also have to learn all over again all the eccentricities of that brand (which can be fun mind you).


I’ve had this issue recently. I love my K5, I really do. But with Pentax still sitting on their hands regarding a full frame camera, it offered no upgrade path. And I like new toys. So I had to decide; Do I keep the K5 and hope the big P finally gets their shit together, or Do I jump ship to a brand that does have a solid way forward.
It’s tough.


So I had a deal all in place to trade to a Nikon D7000. I read review after review on the camera for nights on end. Spec wise its easily on par with the K5. Both have attributes that are better and worse in comparison, but essentially are equivalents.
But I never got a sense of “wow” about it. With all the excitement over the D600 and now the D5200; it’s like it got lost in the middle somewhere. I still intended to push forward with this deal; but the brain just couldn’t convince the heart that it was the right thing to do.
I couldn’t get excited about the prospect.
I even went into the local Teds store to have a play with one. Now, I dont want to take ANYTHING away from the D7000; it is truly a fantastic camera and if I was looking to a) change brands, and b) upgrade from something older; I’d be all over it like a fat kid on candy.


Today however I did the opposite. I went and re-read a whole stack of reviews about the K5. It reminded myself why it is such a great camera and why the industry really jumped up when it was released. It also made me realize that in the two questions I asked myself before (Keep or Jump ship) there was a third.
Just be happy (at least for a bit).
So I sent a message to the poor guy with the D7000 with my apologies and an offer to pay for the service he just had on it. I then pulled the K5 out of its bag and we running around the house chasing the dog, just for fun.

So whats the moral to this story? If you’re feeling like an upgrade, it’s probable that you’re actually more than happy with what you have. Go back and read all the reviews on your camera; it will help get you excited about it again.