Photographers are a geeky bunch and we love nothing more than to nerd-out over camera specifications. Buying new kit is one of the most exciting things we can do, and it’s something we all look forward to, especially as we head into the season of gifting ourselves as much as our loved ones.
That being said, actually parting with my cash is something I find extremely difficult. Deciding which camera is right for me is difficult enough, but deciding on the right time to take the plunge is an art I’ve never fully mastered. This is made worse by the fact that every time I think I’ve come to a conclusion and picked out a model, the brand releases an update. Dammit!
This starts a cycle of professional-level procrastination, whereby my internal monologue contains phrases such as “maybe next month”, “if I just wait a little longer, the price will have dropped” and “I quite like being warm, so if I wait until the older model drops in price, maybe I can keep the heating on for a few more hours this week”. These are all justifiable reasons to be patient in themselves. Still, my time in retail taught me that humans love to put off purchases, even when we already know we are going to drop the cash eventually. It’s a recognised phenomenon you are taught about in training at major retailers.
This has certainly been the case for me and the Canon EOS R5, which I decided was to be my next camera back in around 2022. It has everything I need in a camera – resolution, with plenty of pixels to spare, blistering frame rate, dual card slots, amazing autofocus, sublime low-light performance, the list goes on – and there really isn’t another model that suits my style better. “But what about the Mark II?” I hear you ask. Yes, indeed, there is that. And the EOS R6 Mark II, which is cheaper and has two SD slots which I recently considered might suit me better, since I have a million high-performance SDXC cards. At present though, the price difference between the R6II and R5 is the lowest I’ve ever seen it and I’m not sure the R5II has enough extra spec to tempt me.
That brings us neatly to Black Friday this year. A quick glance at the latest deals shows that the EOS R5 can be found for almost half of the original retail price at launch. That’s an insane proposition and it’s sent me into my usual spiral. Will I, won’t I? I could wait a bit longer until there are more R5IIs in circulation, which might knock off another hundred pounds or so, but is that really worth another major delay? I’m in desperate need of a gear re-fresh and my lack of the latest tech is starting to hold me back especially when travelling for work, shooting assignments for Digital Photographer Magazine.
I think it’s about time I follow my own advice, that I regularly give to readers. Camera kit is a fixed cost, so it’s always going to be up there with the most expensive purchases you make as a photographer. But delay for delay’s sake isn’t clever, quite the opposite. This year’s EOS R5 deals are just too good for me to ignore. At under £2,800, this is a perfect opportunity for me to get one of the best Canon cameras ever made and take my photography up a notch.
I think I’ll have a new toy this time tomorrow….
