What factors should I take into account when deciding whether to buy now or wait for something better?

Question

Is it always better to just buy now and ignore marketing hype, announcements, and speculation? If I always wait for the next model, I will never buy anything.

What about buying the cheapest thing now as a stop-gap, and waiting until after the next big photo-show? Or renting equipment until I find something I really like working with? (Won't that get expensive over time?)

What do you do when you want to get new kit?

I would really like to hear how best to make the decision to buy or to wait.

Answer

Does it do what I need now?

That's the key one. There'll be another better one in 6 months or whatever, but in the mean time do I want to miss 6 months of photos I could be taking?

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