A  few years ago, I dumped my aging Nikon D70 and plunked down a big chunk of cash for the Nikon D300.  At the time, the D300 was state of the art for DX (i.e. not full frame) DSLR.   I wasn’t prepared to pay the FX (full frame) premium, and I’m still not.   Wake me up when a decent FX DSLR is under $1000.   The D300 was and still is a great camera, full of features that I’ll probably never come close to using to their full advantage.  I’m happy with it, mostly.   My D300 is now just over 3 years old (I pre-ordered it and got one the 1st day they were delivered to camera shops) and just like everything else in the digital world, it is considered “old” and in some circles, even “obsolete”.    It is still the same camera and still takes great pictures, I’ve had no problems with it and have traveled all over the world with it.

Do I need more stuff?

As I read various photography websites, I see reviews for the newer models.  First came the D90.  Then they rolled out the D300s.  This year they rolled out the D7000.    According to Ken Rockwell, the D7000 is a damn fine camera and my aging D300 is no longer worthy.  I was considering possibly trading in my D300 for the newer model.  But, upon further consideration, it is probably not worth it to me.  I don’t think a newer camera will improve my photography in any meaningful way.   Instead, I’ve been thinking of other photo-related ideas that might result in some more interesting photos as opposed to just emptying my bank account (or the gift-giver’s bank account).

Is a new camera on your wish list this year?  If so, here are some alternatives to consider.

• Sign up for a hands-on workshop.   Taking a class from a respected photographer can be very rewarding and leads to renewed enthusiasm for the art of photography.
• Take a photo field trip.   Often local photo clubs have regularly scheduled outings and field trips.  These can be very useful for learning from others, getting new ideas, and exploring new places to shoot.  Planning a longer trip to a place like Yosemite or Yellowstone may ultimately cost less than the price of a top-of-the-line camera body and be more rewarding in terms of the inspiration and images you can take.
• Books and Videos.   Perhaps not as exciting as actually shooting images, but there are some excellent books and videos that can teach valuable new techniques or enhance skills you already have.
• Get a quality backup hard drive and software.   With digital images it is imperative that you keep a set of backups somewhere.  There are horror stories all over the internet about people who lost years and years of vacations, birthdays, family, friends, and work to a hard drive crash.   Disk drive prices are ridiculously low, there is no excuse for not having an external hard drive backing up everything you do on the computer.  I’m not just talking about photos, but documents, music, videos, and finances.  A catastrophic crash can cost you far far more than the relatively inexpensive price of a good backup drive and software.   If you don’t  have a good backup system, you are tempting fate.  Hard drives in most home computers are notoriously unreliable over long periods of time.  You have been warned!
• Photo gadgets!  Sometimes, the little things can provide a creative spark and ultimately lead you to new ways of viewing the world and open up a fresh approach to photography.   Sites like PhotoJoJo have some cool inexpensive gadgets.  I also recommend the LensBaby stuff.