Obsolescence

You know one thing that’s bugged me for a really long time is how people tend to trash on things that are older. Houses, cars, technology, sometimes even people.

For example I was helping a friend recently pick out parts to build their first computer. One of their friends told them that if they don’t get the newest components on the market then their computer is trash and why even bother. At the time of writing this it’s the Intel 13th gen CPUs and the Nvidia 40 series graphics cards.

Don’t get me wrong those components are great but so are all of the other ones on the market. Just because it’s a few years old doesn’t mean it’s bad hardware. At one point those parts were the newest ones on the market. When I built my first computer it was with parts 3-5 years old and used from eBay and Facebook marketplace. That first build taught me so much and helps to bring me where I am today.

My first camera was an Nikon D100 (2002) then a Canon 7d (2009), then 1d mk2 (2004) and now it’s a 5d mk 4 (2016). I purchased my 5D Mark 4 in early spring of 2023, 7 years after it’s release and you know what? It’s still fantastic. My 1D Mark II from 2004 still gets pulled out when I’m looking for a certain aesthetic because it’s still an awesome camera. My 7d was my primary camera for years even when newer technology was available to me.

Just because something has age doesn’t mean it’s quality has diminished. No one should get keep their knowledge or pretend that the barrier to entry into certain fields is a certain standard. The most important thing that someone can do to get into a field is just to start.

So build that computer out of older components, buy that camera that came out a decade ago and is a fraction of the cost of a new one, pick up the hobby lobby entry level set of art supplies and just start your passion. Don’t let anyone tell you what you have to have to be able to complete something, just try it and see if you like it. You got this.

TESRTECK