If you’re a regular reader of this blog you may have noticed I didn’t publish the usual Friday Image last week. Instead, I was at a used car dealership picking up a new car. I decided after more than 6 years of excellent service, it was time to change my trusty Honda Civic for a newer car.
The Honda was now 9 years old and had 108,000 on the clock (90,000 of which is my mileage). The replacement car is a 3 year old Volvo, which I hope to run for a similar period and also hope is just as reliable. You see, I like to buy good quality used cars with low mileage, then run these until they start to wear out. This way, the bulk of the depreciation has already been suffered by someone else.
Taking the Honda as an example, the engine was running amazingly well and had plenty of miles left. But there were a few niggling problems starting to surface. The windscreen washer motor had sprung a leak and had to be replaced. Then the air conditioning had packed up a few weeks back. Then most worrying there was an odd mechanical clunk from the engine when setting off or slowing down which could be felt through the peddles. Time to change.
Whilst thinking about buying a low mileage quality used cars, I realised that my camera buying habits were quite different. Most of my cameras tend to be purchased new and I am the one suffering the depreciation. What I should be doing is looking for good examples of excellent used equipment that’s been well maintained. I could probably have saved myself a small fortune by now.
Changing the subject almost entirely, the image you see at the top of the screen is the one that I would have published if I had been able to shoot it in time. It’s a rock formation called The Trinnacle, found at Dovestone near to where I live. It’s one that I have tried to find a number of times in the past but often the path has been blocked by various natural and man made features. This time I was able to reach it and captured the image using my Sony RX10.
Since I had the RX10 repaired (the lens unit was replaced as it had a fungus problem – so much for being sealed) it’s performed brilliantly. The image quality definitely exceeds the previous lens and this continues to be my go to camera for walking. I wonder at what stage I will decide it needs to be traded in for a newer model.
The Lightweight Photographer 
Robin, I love this image! I wonder about the location: you were higher than the top of the rock formation. Is it on a slope?
Thank you.
It’s actually on top of a flat plateau of moorland and your looking down into a valley. The rock formation is just below the top of the plateau which is why I’m looking down. The wide angle lens has also exaggerated the effect slightly.
Hi Robin,
Interesting you have bypassed upgrading the G10 and opted for Fuji outfit instead. I rate Fuji highly having had an X100S. Presumeably you like to carry less on occasions? In your opinion, is the G10 second hand still a good buy at current prices despite its age? I have been looking recently on ebay.
Kind regards
David
Do you mean the RX10 rather than the G10? The RX10 is an excellent camera and I love using it. I bought it new when it was first launched so I paid a lot. The Fuji outfit was intended as a replacement for my equally old EM5 outfit. In the end the EM5 micro 43 outfit is so good I couldn’t bring myself to part with it. A bit like my Honda Civic really.
Hi Robin
Yes of course I meant the RX10 , thanks for commenting. Interesting to see why you use several cameras.
David
What a great image and name – The Trinnacle looks like an ancient rock carving of three people. I have bought and sold (far too many) second-hand cameras on Gumtree and never once had a problem with how they functioned – in fact, I would say they have been much less problematic than all the second-hand cars I have bought! And in most cases I re-sold them (having discovered they weren’t ‘the one’ after all!) for the same as I paid.
Thanks – it is a great name isn’t it. I’m hpoing to hang on to my car for longer than most of my cameras.
Nice Picture. Well done. Traveling to London today for a week and taking my rx10. Was the main goal for buying this camera. I’m in Lisbon airport right now and can’t get rid of the feeling that I have gear missing. I’m just carrying a shoulder bag; never travelled so light with photography gear. Rx10 is an amazing camera and would like to thank you once again for your marvellous work sharing with us knowledge and gear.
Thank you and have a great trip to London. I know when I took the RX10 to London I found it was all I needed. It also made wandering around all day much more pleasurable.