I’ve been working out some theories on the most practical way to upgrade technology. Cameras, computer hardware, and software technology move at an alarming rate. The question is: when does it make financial and practical sense to upgrade? There are considerations of implementation and cost involved. Here I will outline these considerations and my theories and strategies.
Moore’s Law describes a long-term trend in computer hardware where capacity of circuitry doubles every 24 months. These same principles can be applied to almost all technologies, though the timing is different for every technology and situation. Technology upgrade theory is all about cost, implementation, and gain. Developing a good strategy is dependent on the nature of the technology and that must be studied carefully.

Know the Technology and know the habits and schedules of the manufacturers of that technology.
Example #1 Adobe is on an 18Month upgrade cycle: they allow you to skip versions and still get upgrade pricing: and their upgrades are usually major.
Example #2 Nikon usually upgrades the flagship models six-nine months before the top prosumer models. The top of the line prosumer cameras usually have many of the desirable features of the Flagship model at 40% of the price. Nikon is notoriously slow in getting their announced cameras to market.
FYI: Nikon is making a major comeback; the D3X with the 14-24, WOW.
Example #3 Intel Processors are updated very often. The updates usually amount to only small gains (6-15%), but sometimes there is a major leap in the technology. These leaps usually require a new Motherboard with a new chipset. We are currently seeing a technology leap in processors that has captured my attention (probably ancient history by the time you read this). The Intel i7 processors and the X58 chipsets that are currently available on Windows will be coming to a Mac near you soon.

If It Ain’t Broke, Don’t Fix It This is very true if it does not interrupt a progression of upgrades, workflow, or resale.
Example #1: The new version of the software doesn’t help me, but the companies upgrade path requires progressive upgrades. It will save me money in the end to upgrade rather than buy a complete license in 18Months.
Example #2 I need to learn how to use this because I’ll need it eventually and I won’t have time to learn it on the spot.
Example #3 Mac computers hold their value through one upgrade cycle, but the resale value takes a huge drop after that. People remember the most recent model info, but have short memories and aren’t willing to pay much after that. An Apple employee taught me this principle of Apple hardware.
Example #4 I’m still running XP on a portable workstation. This is an 11 pound laptop with three hard drives. I tether it to a Canon 1DS Mark III or a Canon 5D on location using Adobe Lightroom. There were software and driver issues with Vista at the time I implemented this mobile workstation. Vista 64Bit could now be installed on this machine, but it works extremely well in its current configuration, so I’m not touching it. Actually, it’s one of the zippiest computers I own, which really helps on location. Also, XP is a solid and mature OS.

Skip a Version, and Keep On Working The time and money required to make an upgrade can be significant. Most of the time, it makes sense to skip a version and keep on working. The exception is for vital technology and major upgrades.
Example #1 I love my Canon G9 compact camera, but it’s not a primary business tool. The newer Canon G10 looks great, but I don’t need it, and the G11 will come out soon enough. Never forget that the pictures don’t wait for you! If you have pictures you want to make with a new technology, don’t hesitate, get it done. The pictures never wait!

The Bleeding Edge I live on the BLEEDING EDGE, because that’s how I roll, but I DO NOT RECOMMEND IT!
Example #1 I built an XP 64 Bit workstation; this workstation costed $12, 000 USD: it has 3 Raid 0 arrays, 18 hard drives, SAS raids, and a custom cooling system. I’m the only guy who can run this monstrosity. It did run like a bat out of hell for its day, but the technology has passed by this bleeding edge masterpiece and now a computer of its specs would only cost around $6000 USD. Note that this bleeding edge machine is not yet three years old. Moore’s Law is totally true here.
Example # 2 My first GPS managed to get me across the river from my destination. It also took me to a Wal-Mart distributor instead of a store and often took me many miles out of the way.

Second Best is Usually Fine In many cases the top of the line comes at a 25-33% premium. This sounds like a pittance to pay, but if you can upgrade more often, you will leapfrog those gains. Sometimes top of the line gear holds its resale better, but this rarely makes up for the investment.
Example #1 Top of the line processors like the extreme line of Intel processors are often 40% more expensive, but the next to best processor is only 6% less efficient when properly over-clocked. The next generation of processors will cost you another 30% if you properly re-market the second best processor you purchased and the performance gain might be 20%. An upgrading process to one of these machines might include buying a processor every 18-36 more, and selling the old on Craigslist or eBay.
Example #2 The top of the line pro versions of digital cameras come at a huge premium. The Canon 1ds Mark III is $7,000 while the Canon 5D Mark II is $2,700. There are some different features, but $4300 is a lot to pay for them.

Disposing of outdated technology is a thankless chore. I always seem to have a bunch of old cell phones, memory cards, and cables around. I don’t want to throw the stuff away, but it’s tricky find a home for outdated technology. I take most of my equipment that still has value to an eBay dealer. He takes 20%, but does a nice job of marketing and shipping the stuff.

Unfortunately, there is no simple answer to upgrading technology. I can only suggest that you make educated decisions; set guidelines for upgrades until enticing new models show up; and above all else know the technology. All the information you need is available on the web today. I’m sure that’s how you found me!

Prepare to be humbled!

The Seitz 6X17 is a 160 megapixel camera and every pixel is real, not interpolated data. It’s a scanning camera and does not use the Bayer Filter Pattern associated with most modern camera sensors. Betterlight is another manufacturer of scanning backs and they have an excellent explanation of how scanning backs work. Seitz makes some of the most fascinating photographic equipment: from Web LiveCams to 360 Pano Cameras their stuff is cool. There website is fill of interesting photographic examples of what their products work.

This is the RoundShot D3 360 Camera. It spins around while scanning. This system uses only a slice of the lens so horizontal distortion is reduced.

This is the Tablet Control System. If you read my previous post on tethered tablet shooting, then you should appreciate what this control system adds to workflow.

I’ve worked with rented Betterlight scanning backs a couple of times, but have yet to own one; maybe for my 40th birthday. This stuff is not cheap, but you could be the only kid on your block with a 160 megapixel camera!

I’m using a Lenovo X61 Tablet PC for tethered shooting. It has really changed the way I shoot. I’ve been shooting tethered to laptops for some time, but a tablet is a much better way to go. Laptops need to be set up on a table or a stand which is never convenient. Tablets, however, can be hand-held or stuffed into a bag carried over the shoulder while the tablet is still connected and powered on. Just make sure the vents are not covered or you’ll cook your processor. I’ve got a special shoulder strap sleeve on my tablet. Not needing a surface to set up and being able to use a digitizer pen instead of a keyboard and mouse is what makes a tablet perfect for tethered shooting.

Tethered shooting does slow you down a bit, so it’s certainly not ideal for all situations. I’m shooting 21 megapixel RAW files and I’m satisfied with the transfer rate. It takes about 2.5 seconds for the image to be viewable and it just keeps downloading as I shoot. Connecting and reconnecting is a pain, but tolerable most of the time. I sometimes use the tablet like a Polaroid test print; once I have the lighting and exposure the way I want; I disconnect and shoot away. When I’m set up on a tripod; I also use the tablet like a cable release.

I’m rarely tethered for the entire shoot, so I always download the images from the card to my workstation and run my DAM routine. I do a lot of work making selections and adjustments on the tablet using Adobe Bridge/Camera Raw or Lightroom during the shoot. I don’t want to orphan this work, so I copy the XMP sidecar files from my tablet to my workstation. I put the XMP files in the folder with the files from my card, and I have all my tablet editing work on my workstation. This workflow guarantees that I save ALL the images that I shot, not just the tethered stuff, and ALL my editing work. Also, the tablet copy of the images makes an excellent backup if your camera only has one card slot.

There’s nothing like Canon’s Live View for nailing the focus. Live View gives you a 10X zoom directly from the sensor. Having files instantly available in editing applications is also a great way to guarantee that you’re getting sharp and properly exposed images.

If you’re shooting with an art director looking over your shoulder, you can hand them the Tablet for them to view the photos instantly which allows for a heightened collaborative experience. We pass the tablet around so that everyone can get a look and make adjustments that wouldn’t have been possible otherwise. My fear, though, is that it will get dropped sooner or later.

While at Photoshop World, I played with the ModBook from Axiotron. I previously blogged about it here. It’s a tablet only setup, so it doesn’t function as a standard laptop like a convertible. I wouldn’t want to do much writing on it, but it’s a really nice tethered shooting setup. I’m told that they are designing a special carrying case for it with a strap that holds it in a usable position. A very cool and unique feature of the ModBook is the built in GPS. With the GPS set to recording a track, you can match the time and place with the time stamp on the photographs and embed the exact location into the image file. You can also us it to find you way home after the shoot.

Lenovo and Fujitsu are the leaders in Tablet PCs. Dell and HP also make respectable models. For Vista users, I recommend the Lenovo X61 with the Superview display. I have the model with the touch screen which I never use. Poking at the screen with your finger doesn’t work as well as the digitizer pen and you can’t use the handwriting tool. I would prefer the higher resolution screen. The X61 comes with built in wireless from Verizon Sierra or AT&T. Though not lightning fast, these 3g cell phone wireless services are really nice.

It doesn’t take long to get used to Vista’s tablet features such as the Tablet PC Input Panel fly out shown above. You can write on it and use the handwriting recognition or hunt and peck using the pen on the mock keyboard, then insert the text.

In a very short time I’ve come to rely on my tablet for so much. It’s small enough that it’s no burden to take with me everywhere, so I always have it handy. It’s always connected to the internet, so I use it for e-mail like a PDA. It’s a great tool on a shoot, so it’s camera gear as well. I never envisioned how much I would use this little toy. It’s become the most used piece of photography technology I own.

The diagram is sized down to fit on this blog, but the size relationships are still good.

The angle of view changes, but the other characteristics of the lenses stay the same. A 7mm lens has an incredible amount of depth of field at 2.8 mm. It also has a fair amount of distortion. It’s really tough to get shallow depth of field out of these small sensors. I often use Photoshop techniques produce shallow depth of field looks. The technique is simple.

1. Duplicate the background
2. Blur the new layer
3. Add a black layer mask
4. Paint the layer mask white where you want it sharp

It’s time for the manufacturers to stop cramming more pixels onto tiny chips and start making physically bigger chip and lens combinations. The signal to noise ratio will vastly improve if the chip dimensions grow and the chip resolution stays the same. More megapixels on a chip isn’t doing us much good at this point as we are at point were lens resolution is the lowest common denominator. At 15-17MP the lenses resolving power for the physical dimensions of the sensor becomes an issue. Raw processors like DXO can correct for lens some lens characteristics, but this is synthetic correction and doesn’t replace the need for true lens resolution.

Nikon finally has a full frame camera coming out in the Nikon D3. This is a step in the right direction for Nikon, but a fairly small step. The D3 retains the same 12 Megapixels, which is a decent size for many applications. The problem is that the Chip is cropped to 6Megapixels if you use the DX lenses. Nikon pushed DX lenses for their 1.5X multiplier sized chip and now those lenses will only get you 6 megapixel images. They do get fantastic high ISO results by not upping the pixel count.

The first compact camera to use a larger chip is the Sigma DP1. It uses an APS sized Fovion X3 sensor instead of the 4.73X multiplier sensors in most compact cameras. It also has a fixed 28MM sigma lens. This is a specialized combination, but could become a cult classic with photojournalist. I attended a presentation by 5 National Geographic photographers: Sam Abell, David Burnett, Annie Griffiths Belt, Bruce Dale, and Steve Uzzell. A seemingly silly question was asked: “What’s the best lens to use?” They all agreed that on a 35mm film camera a 50mm lens would be preferable because of the realistic representation. That would translate into a 28MM lens on a APS sized sensor. I was surprised that these great photographers all agreed so quickly. I expected the answer to be ” it depends on….”. I’m in advertising and I never try to make things look normal, but if 5 National Geographic photographers agree that a 50MM lens on a 35mm camera is going to produce good work, there must be something to it.