I've been buying and using cameras for a very long time. I'm slow to change because i hve a streak in me that says if it is solely for my own pleasure, then any wants for equipment never rises to NEEDS. When those rare circumstances of my chosen activity demands equipment, I evaluate and choose the most cost effective product available within my Canon EOS system. If, for example, my EF-S lenses were interchangeable with Canon Full Frame, I probably would have bought a 5DIII in its day. Canon made that possible with the EF(including-s) adapter with the R line. Good on them, finally.

For me, the compelling features of the R system, and especially teh R5 and R6, for stills, since the only video I've ever taken with my camera or phone is by mistake, is the IBIS which will allow me to use non stabilized Prime lenses, since I'm old, and in addition to the IS in my 3 other lenses, I expect great results. Alone, that's worth the price of the R6. Add the mirrorless goodies of EVF, Face/eye tracking, flippy screen and fast frames per second, PLUS a silent shutter when ya NEED it and my head is turned. And with the large MPIX sensor--said to be improved DR, even the R5 with a price reduction next year--Christmas 2021, might play. The real stunning issue for the R line is the RF Glass that gets almost Universal RAVE reviews from ALL the talking heads. (Realistically at my age a 5D4 + some L lenses USED might really fill the remaining days bill.)

Stacking all this up on one side, and then bringing them together with what I've got and NEED (think of the old fashioned split image rangefinder) then I'll upgrade. BUT NOT UNTIL I can't get good images of what pleases me now. And I'm happy, and I'm ALL I need to please. If a business opportunity or a SERVICE opportunity arises that demands more, then I'll figure out how to "git 'er DUUNNNNN!"

So, it is ALL personal or business. If you NEED it to continue what you love then you NEED it. If it's a wouldn't that be nice, then put it in the Parking Space reserved for your Bentley, and keep shooting what (and it's an awesome kit) you have.
C

Hi Judge. I am a model railroader in addition to being a photographer. Many years ago (between 30 and 40). we saw a huge shift in what was the top-end for model locomotives. The gold standard for probably almost 50 years had been exquisite models made from cast and sheet brass and hand assembled in various small factories in Japan, then in other locations in southeast Asia (primarily South Korea). These models could be designed and built as accurate representations of specific prototypes, using detailed castings and mostly standard soldering techniques, and could readily be built in very small lots (maybe 100 or 200 units or so). The importers, who handled research, cooperated with the factories on design, and resold to domestic hobby shops, were almost exclusively small businesses, sometimes sole propriertorships with maybe one or two employees. There was a sort of competition, but it was from a couple or three much larger companies whose products were substantially less accurate models produced in huge quantities for "average" model railroaders at much lower costs and retail prices. A typical price for a brass model was $300 or more (sometimes much more), while the plastic models were generally in the $30 range or so...some more, some a little less.

As our hobby was shrinking at that time, one of the large companies got the notion to consolidate the entire market. They eliminated the low price, low end market and developed a line of models that utilized an enhanced injection molding process to allow for improved detail and also allowed molds to be made quicker and at a slightly lower cost by sacrificing mold life. These models were made in shorter runs, with less variety than had been available in brass. The result was the pretty much forced retirement of the folks who had been providing the brass models,, which are much less available today. Oh...the price of these new models, in equivalent dollars at the time, was generally $100-125. Nowadays, similar models of this type are around $200 before optional items are added (like electronic control systems).

You can imagine what happened over time. These big companies used their resources to advertise heavily in an attempt to make everyone believe that life was "Better" somehow. Are the new models better? Not really. They are OK, but the only real benefit, aside from a slightly lower price point, is that they are optimized for what is called "command control," a way of managing model train movement that is sort of like matrix metering. I have two of them, because they happened to be models that I was interested in. Still waiting for maybe a couple of others some day in the future. New hobbyists can't really afford to enter the hobby now. Those who are left are mainly the "technogeeks." Modelling articles in magazines are all about getting wiring correct and using the command control systems for new and unexpected purposes. There is some discussion of doing accurate modeling, but the basics of economics justifying a railroad and operating techniques are mostly missing.

I tell you this story to emphasize that while there are valid cases to seek performance improvement in cameras (better low light performance, better resolution sometimes, etc.), big ballyhooed change campaigns are generally for the manufacturers' benefit, not the consumers'. You are going to have to decide what works for you. I've looked pretty intensely at mirrorless cameras and find that they do not offer me any benefit over what I have. Of course, others here have made completely different choices, and that's OK. And be skeptical of lens and camera reviews. Very few of them will acknowledge which technical changes make a difference and which just look good on paper. Let your needs (or even your wants) drive you, not the advertising, and not the reviews. Finally, I'm a little bit jealous. The Desert Botanical Garden is one of my favorite places, just not right now. Too hot.

I've been buying and using cameras for a very long time. I'm slow to change because i hve a streak in me that says if it is solely for my own pleasure, then any wants for equipment never rises to NEEDS. When those rare circumstances of my chosen activity demands equipment, I evaluate and choose the most cost effective product available within my Canon EOS system. If, for example, my EF-S lenses were interchangeable with Canon Full Frame, I probably would have bought a 5DIII in its day. Canon made that possible with the EF(including-s) adapter with the R line. Good on them, finally.

For me, the compelling features of the R system, and especially teh R5 and R6, for stills, since the only video I've ever taken with my camera or phone is by mistake, is the IBIS which will allow me to use non stabilized Prime lenses, since I'm old, and in addition to the IS in my 3 other lenses, I expect great results. Alone, that's worth the price of the R6. Add the mirrorless goodies of EVF, Face/eye tracking, flippy screen and fast frames per second, PLUS a silent shutter when ya NEED it and my head is turned. And with the large MPIX sensor--said to be improved DR, even the R5 with a price reduction next year--Christmas 2021, might play. The real stunning issue for the R line is the RF Glass that gets almost Universal RAVE reviews from ALL the talking heads. (Realistically at my age a 5D4 + some L lenses USED might really fill the remaining days bill.)

Stacking all this up on one side, and then bringing them together with what I've got and NEED (think of the old fashioned split image rangefinder) then I'll upgrade. BUT NOT UNTIL I can't get good images of what pleases me now. And I'm happy, and I'm ALL I need to please. If a business opportunity or a SERVICE opportunity arises that demands more, then I'll figure out how to "git 'er DUUNNNNN!"

So, it is ALL personal or business. If you NEED it to continue what you love then you NEED it. If it's a wouldn't that be nice, then put it in the Parking Space reserved for your Bentley, and keep shooting what (and it's an awesome kit) you have.
C