Introduction
For the vast majority of shooting I do, even on weddings, I find my aging DSLR is still more than enough camera for the job. After all, it`s the photographer, not the camera, right?Nikon 35mm F2 DISO 200 | 1/1000 sec | F8
`Do I need a new camera?`
Unsurprisingly, I get that question a lot. I also ask myself that question a lot, especially after working at DPReview for the last eighteen months. My answer has always been `no.`
Until now, that is.
You see, I shoot all my personal work on a Nikon D700. Why is that, you might ask? Well, I was handed-me-down a Nikon D80 way back, built up a collection of lenses, and followed the (questionable, these days) full-frame upgrade path. And once I got there, to my used (and abused) D700, I abruptly stopped. What on earth did I need more camera for?
I don`t think I`ll ever get rid of this D700 because a) it`s covered in tape to hold it together, so its ugly and therefore worthless to most resellers, and b) it`s been around the world with me and back again, and hasn`t missed a beat.
It still shoots 5fps, and that`s usually enough for weddings and events. Exposed properly, ISO 6400 is perfectly usable. It`s stood up to everything I`ve thrown at it (and accidentally thrown it at). And, most importantly, I`ve become familiar with all of its ins and outs, and how to work around its limitations. I am able operate it completely by muscle memory and, despite its aging tech, I`ve been confident that if I didn`t get the shot, it wasn`t the camera`s fault - it was mine.
With my flash and exposure set, focusing and grabbing this image of a soloing saxophonist on the dance floor didn`t pose much of a problem for the D700 and an 85mm F1.8 D lens I was using - but that wasn`t always the case.ISO 6400 | 1/200 sec | F1.8
But as I was shooting a recent wedding, the Nikon D5 kept popping up in my mind. I was lead reviewer for that came ...
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