I have been in photograhy for a very long time- it has always been my day job. I know a lot about equipment but I will never opine on equipment that I have no experience with or put forth suggestions for purchases or upgrades based on published reviews or even manufacturer's or retailer's claims alone.

So many folks on this forum seem to know ALL the specifications and features of just about EVERYTHING. I will not live long enough to gather all that information without research! Since I am not a photographic equipment distributor or retailer, I only research equipment I am considering for purchase for my business. When it comes time for an upgrade or a retooling, the following is my strategy:

What I can help you with are important factors to consider before you spend your hard-earned money to upgrade or change your gear.

If you feel that your present equipment is preventing you from maximizing your photographic quality potential, it might be time for a change. If that is the case, the next step is to compare the features, capabilities, and see which ones address the issues with your present gear.

The next consideration is ergonomics. Does the potential new gear a better fit for your hands, level of dexterity, accessibility to controls that would make for more convenient and speedy camera operation.

Then, consider the total investment as to compatibility with your existing gear, lenses, flash gear and other accessories. Will you have to purchase replacements for any or all of your present inventory?

Think about your final output. Do you need a higher pixel count to accommodate larger prints? Do you need more sensitivity for low-light work? Do you need lenses as per type or focal length that are not available for your present system?

Unless you are thoroughly familiar with your potential purchase, it is best to visit a local dealer and get an in-person demonstration. Nothing like wrapping your hands around a camera and feeling whether or not it can be an extension of your hands and your vision.

This is a hard question! Do you feel that an improvement in your technique would upgrade your work without the expenditure on new gear? I have done that. At times I stuck to my old gear and other times I wrote the check!

None of this is based on ageism- you only have 3 years on me and I still lug around and use heavy and bulkey gear.

Keep up the good work and enthusiasm!

I’m an 80 yr young photo enthusiast. My main interest is landscape with a few wildlife photos in the mix. I find myself looking at full frame high resolution photos with some amount of jealousy. My hands are shaky so I (14 years ago) settled on the Sony brand when they were the only ones with IBIS. I guessed that this would allow me to use non IS (Cheaper?) lenses. I progressed from an Alpha100 to an Alpha 77II. When I was cameraless for a too long time period while Sigma had my A77II body to match with the AF of their 17-70 lens , I bought a A77 body to use while the A77II was not available to me.

My kit now includes the A77 & A77II APSC bodies and the following A mount lenses.
Tokina 11-16 mm F 2.8 APSC only Sharp with some chromatic aberration near the edges
Sigma 17-70 mm F2.8-F4 mm f 2.8-HSM macro APSC only . fairly sharp
Sony 70-400G F 4 – F 5.6 Full frame and APSC Compatible (An incredible lens)
Minolta 50 mm F 2.8 Macro 1:1 capable Full frame and APSC compatible (A very very good lens)
Sigma Art 30 mm f 1.4 APSC only (Sigma Art – need I say more? )
Sigma dock to adjust Sigma A mount lens’ firmware and AF settings
1ea 64 GB card
1 ea 132 GB card
4 batteries and several chargers
USB cable compatible with Sony A77
USB cable compatible with Sony A77II
AODELAN intervalometer time lapse controller (Never used)

All my cameras and lenses are in good to excellent condition.

Now for the kicker: I’d like to trade my current kit and a minimal amount of $$$ for a good to excellent condition used A7R3 body with it’s 42 MP sensor and e-mount lenses spanning the range from 14 to 400 mm. (the 61± MP sensor of the A7R4 is just plain overkill IMHO and would likely overtax my computer’s storage and processing power)
If I make the change in equipment should I keep the Sony G 70-400 and add an adaptor to allow it’s use on the e-mount body”

Am I mistaken in wanting the A7R3 as a stepup from the capabilities I now have?.
Is my desire to hold down the extra $$$ to under $400 for the change reasonable ?

I’m an 80 yr young photo enthusiast. My main interest is landscape with a few wildlife photos in the mix. I find myself looking at full frame high resolution photos with some amount of jealousy. My hands are shaky so I (14 years ago) settled on the Sony brand when they were the only ones with IBIS. I guessed that this would allow me to use non IS (Cheaper?) lenses. I progressed from an Alpha100 to an Alpha 77II. When I was cameraless for a too long time period while Sigma had my A77II body to match with the AF of their 17-70 lens , I bought a A77 body to use while the A77II was not available to me.

My kit now includes the A77 & A77II APSC bodies and the following A mount lenses.
Tokina 11-16 mm F 2.8 APSC only Sharp with some chromatic aberration near the edges
Sigma 17-70 mm F2.8-F4 mm f 2.8-HSM macro APSC only . fairly sharp
Sony 70-400G F 4 – F 5.6 Full frame and APSC Compatible (An incredible lens)
Minolta 50 mm F 2.8 Macro 1:1 capable Full frame and APSC compatible (A very very good lens)
Sigma Art 30 mm f 1.4 APSC only (Sigma Art – need I say more? )
Sigma dock to adjust Sigma A mount lens’ firmware and AF settings
1ea 64 GB card
1 ea 132 GB card
4 batteries and several chargers
USB cable compatible with Sony A77
USB cable compatible with Sony A77II
AODELAN intervalometer time lapse controller (Never used)

All my cameras and lenses are in good to excellent condition.

Now for the kicker: I’d like to trade my current kit and a minimal amount of $$$ for a good to excellent condition used A7R3 body with it’s 42 MP sensor and e-mount lenses spanning the range from 14 to 400 mm. (the 61± MP sensor of the A7R4 is just plain overkill IMHO and would likely overtax my computer’s storage and processing power)
If I make the change in equipment should I keep the Sony G 70-400 and add an adaptor to allow it’s use on the e-mount body”

Am I mistaken in wanting the A7R3 as a stepup from the capabilities I now have?.
Is my desire to hold down the extra $$$ to under $400 for the change reasonable ?

My wife and I are 71 and although people tell us we look younger than we are; my wife has said that both the d500 and the d850 have too much resolution and are too sharp with good glass as they show every crease and wrinkle.

I do notice that the high resolution cameras (d850) with good glass produce fantastic shots when I do everything right.

I did not compose this as well as I could; but this lass does not pose when I point a camera at her. No post process on an as shot jpeg. cloudy midday, iso 1600, f/8, 1/400s with 70 to 200 f 2.8 nikkor at 200mm and single point focus just right of her left eye. At 1:1 with only her eyes filling the screen on a 23 " monitor the shot looks good with well defined hair and eye lashes. I think this shot might look good if printed at 40" wide
I keep the shutter speed high to avoid camera shake affects. comments please

I'll be 81 in 3 weeks. Six months ago I purchased a Canon EOS R5, a Sigma 60 - 600, and a Canon 800 R (lenses) and shoot birds mostly without any pods, every day, either in my neighborhood or at Gilbert Lakes, in the Phoenix, AZ area. My doc said I am the most fit 80 year old in his practice (sweet little lie?) and he has festooned one of his two offices with pictures I have supplied to him. I use a Cotton brand vest. The R5/Sigma combo is 8 pounds. No problem getting very sharp shots. Highly recommend this setup for an old guy!