[matthew]

I'm not sure it's all that bright to "up the ante" in terms of megapixellage and expect consumers to follow up the Size Matters ladder quite as blindlly as once thought.

There are only 2 responses one can have to upgraditis, given(as Ade rightly says) that at some soon point the user will have to refit their pc and software...and this is not taking into account all the other hidden bits you find you need("Does sir require vertical shooting..?

Well, I have to be honest and say that the price of my D800 isn't $3k, which is what the sticker said, but rather will probably be double that. To bring myself back to what I had with the D700 I've added the grip and spare batteries, and could still use a couple more, and I needed a new 64GB card to capture as many photos as my 8GB card would hold. My computer needs a revamp, if not a complete replacement, and new software to draw the most out of the files. I'm in a good place with my lenses already, but I'm also making more use of my monopod and tripod, with the inevitable contemplation of better support and maybe a new bag to carry it all in as well.

But now that the camera is here, the rest of it can happen as funds permit. And given the arrival of Lightroom 4, the computer replacement was inevitable regardless of which camera I use.

… the only snapper who is perpetually happy is either the one who manages to comfortably afford and justify throwing all their spare cash at the issue..or the one who places themselves so outside "growth" that its rigours do not affect them: they spend £500 on a medium-format film camera and class optics for their real stuff, £500 on a P+S that more than copes with the web output you're now largely confined to(the dreams of being David Bailey look like being unfulfilled after all)...the peace of walking away from the playground.

I manage to fall into both categories. I have been on an upgrade path for DSLRs, replacing my E-1 with an E-3 with a D700 with a D800. (I still own the E-1.) I also swapped a Canon SX20 superzoom for the GH1+14-140 and moved from an Olympus 770SW waterproof to the Panasonic TS3. Perhaps in a couple of years I'll also replace my S100 with a similar model. And yes, I've been thinking about trading up from my Nikon F100 to an F5 for quite a while, and could do that later this year…

…what was my point? Oh, yes, I remember: my 135 Zeiss Ikon will never be replaced by a 'better' film rangefinder (I doubt any will ever exist, actually) and I won't ever upgrade my medium-format cameras. In fact, I suspect that an excellent scan from my GX680iii could still rival my D800 for detail and tonality. In that way I know that I already own some of the best cameras ever made, and while I might want different, I'm not chasing better.

I would say that it's a very small segment of the camera-buying populace that upgrades. Most seem to buy camera gear the way I buy home stereo equipment: read some reviews, look up the specs, try a few out, make the purchase, and then stop shopping. That 'stopping' part is the key. The 'upgrade' factor is simply post-purchase shopping, which can be an entertaining hobby, but is independent from photography.