The business of photography is still going strong, which means there are a lot of cameras, lenses and other photography gear to try out – and in my job, it feels like I am talking about a new camera being around the corner almost every day.
Luckily, for anyone who wants the latest and greatest, an ample way to upgrade to new gear is trading in something old against the cost of something new. UK photography retailer Wex has just such a trade-in program, offering to buy your old kit and use that value against any new purchases (or get cold hard cash). And Wex has a handy tool enabling you to check the value of your old kit before making any sort of trade.
But what are other people selling? Well, Wex has given me a list of its most requested trade-ins over the last month, and this month's winner (or perhaps loser) is the Fujifilm X100V.
A very unsurprising entry in the top spot; considering the furor already around this camera, combined with the Fujifilm X100VI launch which also happened this month, it has driven secondhand prices sky-high. Considering the nonsensical prices that people have chosen to pay for second-hand copies on eBay, it makes a lot of sense that people are trying to make a quick buck while interest is through the roof.
Just missing out on the top spot is the Sony A7 III. At almost six years old, the A7 III has certainly been surpassed in technology by newer cameras – although with 24MP images, in-body image stabilization, autofocus tracking and 4K video it can still hold its own. And when the list reveals just how many photographers are still working with DSLR cameras from over a decade ago, it also sheds some perspective on how long a camera can last.
You might assume that many people are trading up to the latest Sony A7 IV, but this camera actually features as the sixth most requested trade-in – so it perhaps isn't striking a chord with people who have actually bought it. What the data doesn't reveal is if these photographers are buying a different Sony camera instead, or are in fact switching systems!
The first Canon mirrorless entry is the Canon EOS R5, which is the tenth most requested trade-in, but with not much sitting above that camera in Canon's lineup, I can only assume it is people looking to either downgrade and make some quick cash or switch brands. Luckily for Canon, though, its other mirrorless cameras don't feature heavily on the rest of the list. The story is the same for Nikon, with quite a few people looking to get rid of their Nikon Z6 II (twelfth place), but its other cameras are faring much better for satisfaction.
The overall top ten requested trade-ins are relatively unsurprising. There are a good number of people looking to trade in their Canon EOS 5D Mark III and Canon EOS 5D Mark IV, as well as the Nikon D850 and Nikon D750, which all take top spots, as you can logically assume photographers look to upgrade to their first mirrorless camera now that manufacturers have signaled the DSLR era is very much over.
The full top 10 results are below:
If you are thinking of getting some new photography gear then why not check out our guides to the best mirrorless camera or the best camera for beginners.
