squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
So I'm one of those people who is always buying and selling stuff, never being satisfied with anything, always wanting that one lens, camera, whatever that will do some vague super special thing. I don't spend exorbitant amounts of money, but it isn't unusual for me to buy something and sell it again a month later to get something else.
I did the same thing for music gear, starting around 2000. I eventually stopped, having found pretty much the perfect stuff in all categories. I suspect the same will happen eventually with camera gear.
But. In my view, this isn't by any means an unwise, let alone morally suspect tactic. The art I like to make in my free time--music and pictures--requires some form of technology to accomplish, and how I interact with that technology determines, in part, the kind of art I make. The pleasure of trying out a new guitar or microphone, or camera or lens, is intimiately connected to the process I use to make art, which is connected to the end result. The way I hold a camera--how I feel about the device, the quality of my relationship to it--affects the images I capture.
Furthermore, there is inherent value, in my view, to trying out as much stuff as possible (as long as your kids aren't going hungry in the process). Brilliant people have been performing amazing feats of engineering since photography began; to admire and enjoy their work is a compliment to their innovation, and an implicit celebration of photography itself.
It's often said that all that matters is the image. I'd certainly agree that the end product is the final word, and the thing that will remain when the artist is gone. But from the point of view of an artist (and I use that term loosely, to mean anyone who tries to make some art), the process is every bit as important as the product. In part, the process is the art work--the end product is merely the artifact it creates. To appreciate the process, and the tools that go into it, is to appreciate the whole art form.
Thus, gear lust good.
I did the same thing for music gear, starting around 2000. I eventually stopped, having found pretty much the perfect stuff in all categories. I suspect the same will happen eventually with camera gear.
But. In my view, this isn't by any means an unwise, let alone morally suspect tactic. The art I like to make in my free time--music and pictures--requires some form of technology to accomplish, and how I interact with that technology determines, in part, the kind of art I make. The pleasure of trying out a new guitar or microphone, or camera or lens, is intimiately connected to the process I use to make art, which is connected to the end result. The way I hold a camera--how I feel about the device, the quality of my relationship to it--affects the images I capture.
Furthermore, there is inherent value, in my view, to trying out as much stuff as possible (as long as your kids aren't going hungry in the process). Brilliant people have been performing amazing feats of engineering since photography began; to admire and enjoy their work is a compliment to their innovation, and an implicit celebration of photography itself.
It's often said that all that matters is the image. I'd certainly agree that the end product is the final word, and the thing that will remain when the artist is gone. But from the point of view of an artist (and I use that term loosely, to mean anyone who tries to make some art), the process is every bit as important as the product. In part, the process is the art work--the end product is merely the artifact it creates. To appreciate the process, and the tools that go into it, is to appreciate the whole art form.
Thus, gear lust good.
imajypsee
no expiration date
why do you think you need
why do you think you need
to defend your gear lust? I buy gear all the time and sure don't feel defensive about it...
Mary in SW Florida (owner of tons on Canon and Pentax DSLR and analog gear and LOTS of second and third hand film equipment)
why do you think you need
to defend your gear lust? I buy gear all the time and sure don't feel defensive about it...
Mary in SW Florida (owner of tons on Canon and Pentax DSLR and analog gear and LOTS of second and third hand film equipment)
35mmdelux
Veni, vidi, vici
obssesive compulsive pyschosis.
Why not focus the pyschosis into taking snaps rather than accumulating gear? Two lenses - tele and wide and a nice Leica RF. Problem solved.
Why not focus the pyschosis into taking snaps rather than accumulating gear? Two lenses - tele and wide and a nice Leica RF. Problem solved.
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
THAT'S why I'm on the defense, Mary ;-)
I don't disagree that I'm somewhat obsessive-compulsive, and pretty much hypomanic right across the board. I do get a hell of a lot done, though, and have great fun doing it.
And I take plenty of pictures!
I don't disagree that I'm somewhat obsessive-compulsive, and pretty much hypomanic right across the board. I do get a hell of a lot done, though, and have great fun doing it.
And I take plenty of pictures!
ItsReallyDarren
That's really me
Gear lust I believe is much safer and tamer than all those other 'lusts' out there, not to mention cheaper too! 
back alley
IMAGES
i don't see that he SAID he was accumulating gear but rather buying and selling till he finds what's right for him.
back alley
IMAGES
i like the buy and sell approach also.
i can't afford to accumulate all that much gear but i like to try out stuff.
case in point, the zm 35/2.8 lens, with it i have found my main 35 mm lens after trying many many 35's.
what was the harm in buying and selling all those other 35's?
i can't afford to accumulate all that much gear but i like to try out stuff.
case in point, the zm 35/2.8 lens, with it i have found my main 35 mm lens after trying many many 35's.
what was the harm in buying and selling all those other 35's?
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
I'm accumulating a bit of gear. I have I think one screwmount body, one M-mount, a couple of Pentax film SLR's and a DSLR, and a few lenses for each of them. Also some smaller, fixed-lens cameras. Everything gets used.
But there's no point in having more than this stuff. There would be some point in upgrading some of it, though. If someday I could afford an M7, I'd replace my Bessa with it. And I wouldn't mind trading a few SLR primes for some Zeiss ones. I'm sure I'll buy and sell some more...
But there's no point in having more than this stuff. There would be some point in upgrading some of it, though. If someday I could afford an M7, I'd replace my Bessa with it. And I wouldn't mind trading a few SLR primes for some Zeiss ones. I'm sure I'll buy and sell some more...
squirrel$$$bandit
Veteran
Perfect example...I like my Canon 35, but I'd upgrade to the Zeiss in a heartbeat...
noimmunity
scratch my niche
I have gone through a similar process with backpacking gear, dialing in my kit to a minimum weight and simplicity. It is impossible to know what works best for oneself until you try many things out.
Cameras and lenses are really expensive, though, and having more can be a real hindrance in some ways. I keep thinking I will sell some lenses to simplify, but in actual practice I use different sets for different circumstances, each one having its place, and everything gets used. Compared to many people here, my equipment list is tiny.
Reading about/looking at photos from all the different lenses is likely to make one want to try all of them for oneself. It is better, I think, to focus that energy elsewhere...
Photography is a funny, contradictory art: on the one hand, it is very egalitarian. Virtually anybody can use a camera to make photos. On the other hand, it is also very elitist. The cost of the best equipment is prohibitively expensive for all but a niche group.
The thing that is really pointless are the interminable athletic debates over which lens is better and why. Although there are objective factors, there are also many many subjective factors involved, too.
Cameras and lenses are really expensive, though, and having more can be a real hindrance in some ways. I keep thinking I will sell some lenses to simplify, but in actual practice I use different sets for different circumstances, each one having its place, and everything gets used. Compared to many people here, my equipment list is tiny.
Reading about/looking at photos from all the different lenses is likely to make one want to try all of them for oneself. It is better, I think, to focus that energy elsewhere...
Photography is a funny, contradictory art: on the one hand, it is very egalitarian. Virtually anybody can use a camera to make photos. On the other hand, it is also very elitist. The cost of the best equipment is prohibitively expensive for all but a niche group.
The thing that is really pointless are the interminable athletic debates over which lens is better and why. Although there are objective factors, there are also many many subjective factors involved, too.
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noimmunity
scratch my niche
ferider
Veteran
How are GAS and Sex related ?
Discuss ....
Discuss ....
ItsReallyDarren
That's really me
How are GAS and Sex related ?
Discuss ....
GAS has more resale value in the classifieds forum?
crawdiddy
qu'est-ce que c'est?
Gear lust I believe is much safer and tamer than all those other 'lusts' out there, not to mention cheaper too!
Addiction is no laughing matter.
Even Hooked-On-Phonics is tragic in its own way.
Andrew Sowerby
Well-known
Often when I think about buying some new gear I look through my Flickr account and ask, would a Summilux (or whatever) have made this picture any better? The answer is pretty much invariably "no". Sometimes that stops me from pulling the trigger on another purchase. Not always though ...
tbarker13
shooter of stuff
If that's one of the ways you enjoy the hobby, then by all means, enjoy it that way. I always cringe a little when I hear of someone buying gear just to collect it and never use it. But who cares if you like to try out lots of stuff?
I've been doing that pretty much non stop for the past 18 months, and I think I'm finally wearing down and settling on a kit of 5-6 lenses. Once I get the final pieces in place, it is my goal to put a 6-month moratorium on future purchases or sales.
I've been doing that pretty much non stop for the past 18 months, and I think I'm finally wearing down and settling on a kit of 5-6 lenses. Once I get the final pieces in place, it is my goal to put a 6-month moratorium on future purchases or sales.
back alley
IMAGES
for me it's not really about the 'better' lens or camera but the 'better for me' lens or camera.
same example, the 35/2.8 zm lens...it's smaller than the 35/2 and i prefer the feel of it so that makes it better for me, maybe not a better lens.
for my talent level i care more about the feel than the 'sharpness' of a lens, the way it handles and the experience of shooting is more important than the image. heresy? i don't think so, more like a realistic appraisal of my abilities. i'd rather enjoy the total experience.
hence the blue zi...
same example, the 35/2.8 zm lens...it's smaller than the 35/2 and i prefer the feel of it so that makes it better for me, maybe not a better lens.
for my talent level i care more about the feel than the 'sharpness' of a lens, the way it handles and the experience of shooting is more important than the image. heresy? i don't think so, more like a realistic appraisal of my abilities. i'd rather enjoy the total experience.
hence the blue zi...
T
Todd.Hanz
Guest
I think as you eventually find the gear that most satisfies your lusts you'll become a shooter, opinions change.
Todd
Todd
Joe
Established
Collecting is, according to Freud, a manifestation of castration anxiety.
Also, Freud's ideas about sexual fetishism are analogous, the primary drive being displaced onto secondary accoutrements. it's not the photograph that one desires but rather its function as validation for the fetish object, i.e. the camera.
Also, Freud's ideas about sexual fetishism are analogous, the primary drive being displaced onto secondary accoutrements. it's not the photograph that one desires but rather its function as validation for the fetish object, i.e. the camera.
bennyng
Benny Ng
Gear lust I believe is much safer and tamer than all those other 'lusts' out there, not to mention cheaper too!
Really funny!!!
I just got into RF and it's indeed a confusing world. Obviously, quite a bit of GAS attack recently while finding my ideal combination of gear. However, as what the veterans here pointed out, I'm sure in a few months, things will cool down and sanity will be restored. I hope.
Cheers,