For the past year I have wondered if dSLRs and CMOS technology have reached their peak. There have been advances in ISO and video, but when it comes to dynamic range and acuity, pretty much nothing new. There is plenty of debate as to whether or not today’s 16-18 MP dSLRs like the new Canon 60D, Canon 7D or Nikon D7000 take sharper pictures than their predecessors. In an effort to boost ISO capabilities, the camera makers are scrubbing out noise - and detail. Color filter arrays (CFA’s) are supposedly the blame for reduced color accuracy in trade for better ISO performance (Google the Sony A900 and CFA to get the scoop). And the big question is whether today’s lenses can resolve enough detail to feed the new high density sensors.

My two big gripes with the Canon 1Ds Mark III are focus point selection and the low-resolution rear LCD display. Do I want to pay $8,000 for a 1Ds Mark IV just to address those two issues? No! I believe that gear does NOT matter provided you already have good equipment. Photography is about content and if a picture lacks subject matter, it does not matter how many pixels there are. If new equipment opens up the opportunity to take new pictures in places / times that could not be done before, then there is value. Spending $8000 to select focus points easier and to see Live View on a higher resolution screen is not going to improve my pictures. I might like the new camera a little better, but realistically, the subsequent pictures will not be any better.

The days of upgrading for the sake of upgrading are over. Canon, Nikon and Sony are in tacit agreement too. No new Canon 1Ds Mark III, no new Nikon D3X and no new Sony A900. Surely the big boys have 30-40 MP sensors in their R&D labs. Odds are that dynamic range is lower and AA filters are canceling out sharpness. While the R&D engineers try to resolve those challenges, the marketing department is distraught over research showing 74% of the dSLR owners are happy with the 5D Mark II or D700 and that they do not plan to “upgrade” in the next 12 months. (These are totally fictitious numbers, I’m just trying to make a point.)

I like shiny new toys just as much as the next guy, and Canon, Nikon, et al will eventually give us new toys. Whether I need a new toy is an entirely different discussion. And an even more philosophical discussion is whether or not the new equipment will actually make better pictures. Today my gear is “good enough”. I like the idea of newer, better equipment, but I do not like the price tag because we are so far into diminishing returns.

“Gear does not matter provided you already have good equipment.” The beauty of that statement is that today’s used market is full of bargains. Used Canon 1Ds Mark III’s are selling for ~$3500 USD. Used Leica M8.2’s are in the $3100 range for a mint condition body. Leica M8‘s are $1900‘ish. These cameras are top performers, capable of producing excellent images. My M9 pictures are no better than my M8 pictures. Some aspects of the M9 files may be better than a M8 file, but the actual pictures themselves - zero difference. Insert your favorite cliche - “F8 and be there”, “focus on content”, “gear does not matter, the photographer does”, etc. The point being - either M is equally capable.

Two months ago I was shooting a $7000 M9 with a $3500 ‘Lux ASPH. Add the usual Leica bling (case, strap, etc) and it is a $11,000-$12,000 package. Today that has been shrunk to under $4,000 with a Leica M8.2 and Voigtlander 50mm F1.5 Nokton. Admittedly, the Leica M9 is attractive with its full-frame sensor, but it is just as fun to shoot the M8.2 as it is to shoot the M9. The M8.2 fits my need for having a smallish sized camera as an alternative to the Canon 1Ds Mark III. The lens-de-jour is the Voigtlander 50mm F1.4 Nokton. For some crazy reason Voigtlander discontinued this lens, which is a shame because it is really a good lens for just ~$300‘ish in the second hand market.

At the other end of the gear spectrum are the lower priced cameras which get more and more new features with each new generation. The Canon 7D’s feature list is a great example. For all intents and purposes the Canon 7D is a mini 1-Series that costs 70% less than a Canon 1D Mark IV.  Likewise the newly announced Fuji X100 has an incredibly sexy optical viewfinder with a digital projection overlay, 1.5x APS-C sized sensor and aspherical lens --- all for $1000 if Fuji delivers on their marketing story.

Photokina 2010 validated my feelings that full-frame dSLRs like the Canon 1Ds Mark III have reached their peak. The hidden message here is - shoot what you got, and if you need better - go shopping in the used gear market for the high end gear. And for new gear, take a good look at the $1000 price point because that segment offers an amazing amount of features and performance for very little cash.