I've been tempted to upgrade my camera lately
to switch from this 8-year-old tech to something newer
I was very, very close
but after a few days of internal struggle, something happened
and I think that I've finally made peace with
the idea of sticking with the A7Rii for photography in 2023
and hopefully beyond that
so let me tell you why I was even thinking about this
what made me stop
and why this camera gives me more than what I need for photography
don't worry, this is not going to be a video about evil corporations
how they push consumers to buy the newest, greatest and shiniest gadgets
even though all of that is true, and definitely a factor
this that happened to me has more to do with creative ruts
since I got here to the Midwest, a month ago
I've been working hard on a couple of projects and not going out as as much as I used to
not doing a lot of photography
for someone like me who needs to do that as often as possible, that comes at a price
that is losing the momentum, not feeling like taking photos as much as before
second guessing myself and things
it is in those moments that I resort to the easiest way out
a new piece of camera gear, a new camera, a new lens
something that will push me to get out again
that one thing, I convinced myself, my camera bag has been missing
and I didn't even know about it
I think this might be a familiar feeling to some of you
but of course this is all an illusion
but let me tell you why I wanted to upgrade my old trusty A7Rii
the reasons I came up with
I've had this camera for 3 years now
it was 5 year old tech already when I bought it
ancient, by today's standards, I guess
and in many cases, it does feel that old
when I compare it to my A7iv, the camera that I use to film the videos for this channel
and the one recording me now
something that is often forgotten when talking about camera gear
but it is very necessary to provide is some context
because my needs might not be the same as your needs
what works for me might not work for you
and vice versa
so you might find some of the features of the A7iv and the newer cameras
like much better autofocus
a must for your photography
but my subjects usually don't move that much
so that's not something I have to have
that applies to a lot more features of course
so, to understand where I'm coming from
you need to know that most of my work is like this
square, black and white images
the A7iv lets me compose in square, in camera
a feature that the A7Rii, somehow, does not have
something that Sony just won't give us with a firmware update
why would they, when you can just spend $2,500 in a new camera, right?
so that's a very nice feature that I would like to have in my stills camera
the battery life is pretty nice too
I've been shooting in very cold conditions lately
and the A7iv just keeps on rolling
while I have to keep switching batteries on this one
it'd be pretty convenient too to use the same type of batteries on both cameras
lastly, the dual SD card slot is something nice to have as well
this camera only fits one memory card
I've never had a card failure in the field
but that doesn't mean it can't happen
it definitely happens
so having two memory cards is like having insurance
whenever that happens, if it happens to me in the future
I might regret it very, very much
so those 3 features alone would be really useful for my photography
for my needs when it comes to photography
seeing the square composition in camera could lead to me making better images
the new batteries could make my workflow easier
and the dual SD card slot could protect me against disaster
that is what I was telling myself, that those reasons were enough to justify another purchase
and they probably are!
I was so, so close to pulling the trigger
but after a few days of struggle, of constant rumination
something happened
it snowed
this winter had been very, very mild
we had no snow for weeks
snow is what I love the most about the winter here in the Midwest
so when that storm came, finally came
I grabbed my camera and went out to do what I love doing the most
to take pictures and record videos
it was so beautiful out there
wonderfully beautiful
I made several great images
images that I can't wait to share with you in the next few videos
and I made them all with this camera
well, I made some with the A7iv too so I didn't have to change lenses
but most of them were made with this one
and you know how many times I wished this camera had this or the other features
while I was shooting those beautiful landscapes?
absolutely zero
I was totally mesmerized by the moment
I couldn't care less about the camera I was using to capture it
I've given it exactly zero thoughts since then
I realized, once again, that having highs and lows in our creative journey is normal
something to be expected, periods that we have to get through
and times when we're going to be tempted to take the shortcut
to buying a new camera or a new lens
because those things won't get us there alone
even when they come with actual pretty useful
features that could make us slightly better photographers
we need to remind ourselves of the reason
of why we do this
because that is all that matters, that's all we need
otherwise, we'll always be struggling and drowning
in a world where there will always be something
slightly shinier and better than what you currently have
so the A7Rii will be my camera of choice for 2023
and I hope it will be for a long time after that
after all, it still produces some beautiful images
it's got only some 29,000 shutter actuations
it's supposedly rated for half a million
I'm sure something else will break before that
and at some point, I'll have to switch to a new camera
but whatever is out there when that happens
anyway, I just wanted to share this little struggle I had with all of you
because I'm sure this is something that happens to most photographers very often
maybe a new camera is what you need
or maybe like me, all you need is to just get out and get motivated and inspired again
I hope the video was useful
thank you so much for watching
and see you in the next one!