Over paying for novelties or sub-paying for results

Mirrorless photo-video equipment can be a hard and tricky category of products to purchase. Compare to their D-SLR competition there are expensive, distinctive but not always intuitive to operate and their starting evolution was fast and decisive.

Overtime you can spend a lot of money for far less better results than we are thinking at first. That has happened to me during my first days as a new user of the M4/3 format and this can be applied equally with many of the other mirrorless categories.

Fujifilm X-E2 is a very attractive model that can be
 upgraded and perform almost as the newest  XT-1/10

Will I be better served to put big money on the latest novelties? We can answer easily by yes knowing the rapid evolution of the medium but is it worth to wait six months to one year to get the same technological advancement at a fraction of the initial introducing selling price.

Panasonic GX7 / 20mm F1.7 at $639US !

Working the last years of my modest photo production with Fujifilm, Olympus and Panasonic cameras and lenses I have developed a different approach in consuming equipment. I love to see the different manufacturers upgrading theirs products but I prefer to transfer the RD cost of those novelties to the aficionados of the newest models on the market.

Olympus EP-3 / 14-42mm: A very fine deal at $399US two years ago!

Managing cost evolution.

These following simple examples has given me both saving and results at lower cost and a better assurance of reliability:

I have chosen to buy Olympus EP-3 and later on OM-D E-M5 at the end their selling cycle at half price of their initial tag. Those cameras give me a lot of pleasing results and I was able to resale them with a minimum money lost.

I did the same move in buying the Panasonic Lumix GX7 for less than half of the introducing selling price by using a combination of Manufacturer Instant Rebate and bulk packaging with the very good Lumix G 20mm F1.7 (II) lens. And the GX7 and the 20mm lens are delivering excellent results for my purpose. Fuji film X-E2 is another fine example of a top model that can sold for a very reasonable selling price and knowing that a lot of past Fujifilm models like the X-E2 have the possibility to be substantially upgraded had to the value of the camera.

For sure the Fujifilm X-Pro2 or X-E2S, the Olympus OM-D E-M5 II and the Panasonic GX8 are without question more up to date products with design and functionality advantages but I didn’t wanted to spend that level of money. At the end it depends on you if you want to get right now the newest offers. But with time the big forward technological advancements will be substituted by smaller refinements that will impact far less the final photographic image results.

Olympus OM-D E-M5/14-42mm at $499US !

And the less money putted on cameras can be converted to more interesting possibility of traveling, visiting or even buying other photo accessories if you please. After all it's your money...