A camera as a stress toy?

lxmike

lxmike

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As an only child photography suited me, why? well, for me it is a solitary endeavor, just me and my camera, an enjoyable way to chill, as it were, it has been around me since my first camera in 1977. Today I regularly find myself mooching around the house exercising an empty camera, tripping the shutter, fondling it and generally enjoying the tactile nature of holding a camera just for the sake of holding it, yesterday it was a Leitz IIIc, today l have played with a Bessa R all day. My question is this, 'Am l alone in doing this?, am I strange?, maybe yes! however, l feel sometimes photography can be very tactile, maybe others on here have cameras they wander around at home with just clicking away on 'empty'.:eek:
 
Nah, I think it's just the two of you! :D

Actually, I periodically exercise the shutters of my many cameras with mechanical clockwork shutters, and I rather like the feel of the mechanisms and the sounds they make.

- Murray
 
CMur12 said:
Nah, I think it's just the two of you! :D

Actually, I periodically exercise the shutters of my many cameras with mechanical clockwork shutters, and I rather like the feel of the mechanisms and the sounds they make.

- Murray
Click to expand...

Thanks Murray, cameras are so tactile and often sound pleasing, that's why GAS is inevitable:eek:
 
While I don't walk around the house exercising the shutter on any of my cameras, I do agree that certain cameras "can be very tactile" and I am attracted, and find myself using more, the cameras that fit comfortably into my hands and give me the sensory feedback, regardless of the image quality they can produce.

Best,
-Tim
 
You are not alone. I have my M3 since a few days on my desk simply to hold it in my hands, to look through the RF and to press the shutter. The Leica is empty and right now it is more fun playing with it than using it with film.
 
Timmyjoe said:
While I don't walk around the house exercising the shutter on any of my cameras, I do agree that certain cameras "can be very tactile" and I am attracted, and find myself using more, the cameras that fit comfortably into my hands and give me the sensory feedback, regardless of the image quality they can produce.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

for me the feedback l get from holding a camera is often crucial
 
Lux Optima said:
You are not alone. I have my M3 since a few days on my desk simply to hold it in my hands, to look through the RF and to press the shutter. The Leica is empty and right now it is more fun playing with it than using it with film.
Click to expand...
nice, l am indeed not alone:cool:
 
I do this all the time!! But in a way it almost causes me more stress haha, my ocd kicks in and i start imagining that the focus has somehow magically become out of whack in the last 3 hours or that the shutters are changing speed from 125-500. Just read all of my few posts, pretty much all of them are worrying about something that probably isn't a problem at all! But hey the way I see it and I've had this view my whole life is that if you worry about the problems before they are real problems you either A) will be able to fix them quickly and on your own because you have already researched the worst case scenario or B) won't ever have to deal with the problems (almost like an anti-jinx) and yes, i know this sounds ridiculous.
 
Sometimes I check to see if my mechanical Kalart synchronizer is still in synch with the Compur Rapid shutter on my Voigtlander Bessa RF camera.

Popping off an AG-1 flash bulb is satisfying, at low cost.

If I'm more stressed out, I'll go out and take a meaningless picture of the transformer box or some tree nearby. I must be stressed lately, as I have a whole roll of film of transformer and tree pictures.
 
In February this year while recovering from surgery I would have 3 or 4 in bed with me focusing on photos on the wall and tripping the shutter. And my shrink said that was normal behavior.

David
 
uh, I've been playing with a recently purchased FG all day today. Even took some pics of it with my other 'toy'. They make good subjects as they don't complain....about anything.
 
This goes to the reason I ( and, I suspect, many others) still use film......

Because that is what the cameras we like take. Thirty six brand new sensors, placed in front the film gate one at a time by the flick of a thumb.
 
Timmyjoe said:
While I don't walk around the house exercising the shutter on any of my cameras, I do agree that certain cameras "can be very tactile" and I am attracted, and find myself using more, the cameras that fit comfortably into my hands and give me the sensory feedback, regardless of the image quality they can produce.

Best,
-Tim
Click to expand...

Good to hear this from a "serious photographer" (one more accomplished that me, at least).

I wouldn't say that any of my lenses actually produce images of inferior quality, but I definitely bond with cameras for reasons other than the lens, itself.

- Murray
 
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