Is this normal to receive so many new models within 1 year?

[Ivan S]

Only really been watching the photography market this last year, but just wondering if it's normal to see so many new models, it just seems most weeks there is a new model DSLR/top of the line morrorless and new lenses here and there, is it always like this?

 

[MWHCVT]

Only really been watching the photography market this last year, but just wondering if it's normal to see so many new models, it just seems most weeks there is a new model DSLR/top of the line morrorless and new lenses here and there, is it always like this?

In a word YES I think really the only real oddity of the year just past is the very quick replacement of the D600 with the D610

In general and I'm not saying its a hard and fast rule
Consumer Level are refreshed/Replaced every 9/12 months
Prosumer Level every 12-15 months
Professional spec every 3-3.5 years

Lens there really is no clear pattern I've seen...

It should be added I don't really follow gear and releases its just not all that important to me

 

[LongLensPhotography]

Realistic - yes; normal - no not really when many cameras are rebadged with almost same specs (550D vs 650D is practically same for example). If you look at it from computer hardware perspective, they will want to put a new chip and software revision every few months... Even cars these days are pushed to very short lifecycles, as little as 3 years before you ought to buy another new and shiny (hell I hate this!)

 

[simonblue]

Sometimes to me it seem that it happen to often,its hard to keep up

 

[parhole4]

As the saying goes "The best camera to buy is the one that comes out 6 weeks after you've bought yours"

 

[Impspeed]

Invest in lenses rather than bodies and you'll be far better off. I don't really get hung up on bodies any more - I bought my first brand new body in 2013, the first new camera I had bought in the past 5 years. I had invested over £8,000 in lenses though over the past 3 years upgrading.

 

[Phil V]

It depends how you look at it.
As someone who's stuck to one manufacturer and confident in the gear I need, I find the pace of change quite slow. My chosen camera is coming up for 5 years old and no sign of it being replaced other than rumours.

 

[Nod]

A few (OK, maybe 10-15) years ago, new cameras weren't as common as they are now, mainly because they didn't need to be. Advances in AF modules were relatively uncommon as were motordrive advances and TBH there weren't many more areas that could be improved. In those days, sensor technology also moved very slowly, in fact, some of the sensors available back then remain unchanged to this day, although the introduction of a smaller sensor did result in smaller photosites on some larger sensors. These days however, Moore's law (among others) means that technology advances at a far greater rate, so upgrades can happen far more often. It doesn't mean we HAVE to upgrade every time a new model's introduced but it does mean that the upgrades are often a leap forward rather than a step.

 

[gramps]

Also in times past an upgrade meant that there was something really better in the piece of equipment concerned, (not necessarily photographic equipment), today an upgrade often means either the company needs a cash injection or sales of the last version were so badly affected by a bug(s) that they had to update it ... ala D600!

 

[1woodroffe]

Totally agree with Impspeed lenses are the way to go, I've wasted far too much money on bodies in the past, once you have a good one build up good quality lenses.