Want vs. Need.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

It's that time of year when a lot of new cameras come on the the market. And just a couple weeks ago Canon release their new 5D III. I actually held one in my grubbly mits yesterday. It felt great. Just like my Canon 7D. The 5D III is a great camera. No doubt. Perhaps the best camera for what my needs are. But nothing is perfect. The price of this camera is the biggest downside at $3799 (in Canada). For the few advantages this camera has over my Canon 7D, I think I will wait just a while for the introduction price to drop a little.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

When you consider the new Nikon D800 is priced at $2999 and has some better specifications, the Canon must be coming down in price soon, right?...

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

So my mind drifts in another direction - The Fuji X100 @ $1199

This camera is styled like an old film rangefinder and takes fantastic photos. It is small enough to fit into a jacket pocket too. Not something I can do with my 7D. My Olympus OM-PC film camera is just a bit bigger and not pocket sized... But I looked at the Fuji yesterday and it was just so dang confusing to use. Plus it has a fixed 35mm equivelant lens. This forces you to use what it has to offer. This could be a limitation or something that forces you to develope a style. That may or may not work for me. That, and my 7D can do everything this can, just in a bigger package. My 7D takes better photos and has way, way, more range of usability. I guess the Fuji X100 is just something I would like to have, not actually need :(

And this camera was released about a year and a half ago so it may be seeing an updated version soon any way.

photo courtesy of dpreview.com

Well, how about the new Fuji X-Pro 1?

Sure it looks super retro cool. But here's a whole new can of worms. It is a component system again. Just like my Canon. Buy the Fuji body ($1699) and buy the lenses you need (at maybe $399 each). The advantages with this camera? Maybe better picture quality than my 7D. The downside? Slower and more confusing to use. You have to access the menus, just like the X100 to take use all the features. Maybe just another want, not need.

I could list a bunch of crazy expensive Hassleblad or Mamiya medium format cameras which would of course take great photos but is that even a possibility here in Duncan? Nope. My 7D will do just fine. For now :)

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