littleearth
Well-known
The Corona virus managed to kill my GAS.
I stocked up on Kodak film recently and I'll be documenting these weird times on film. I won't be spending a single cent on gear, no matter how cheap it gets, until this madness is over.
I stocked up on Kodak film recently and I'll be documenting these weird times on film. I won't be spending a single cent on gear, no matter how cheap it gets, until this madness is over.
Borge H
Established
I will try to use my current equipment to document as much as I can now here in Sweden. I think this period with this new virus will be remembered in the future, like the depression in the 1930-ties.
Many think that it will take time before we get through this. It will probably be next year before the virus is a history and we will be immune. The idea now is to slow down the process as much as possible so that the hospitals will not be overloaded. Universities are only giving internet courses and people are suggested to limit social contacts. But we are still free to travel in our country!
Perhaps I will try to document the hoarding of food and some articles like toilet paper. I do not understand why people buy several years of consumption of paper! Do they plan to spend the corona-time sitting on the stool?
Many think that it will take time before we get through this. It will probably be next year before the virus is a history and we will be immune. The idea now is to slow down the process as much as possible so that the hospitals will not be overloaded. Universities are only giving internet courses and people are suggested to limit social contacts. But we are still free to travel in our country!
Perhaps I will try to document the hoarding of food and some articles like toilet paper. I do not understand why people buy several years of consumption of paper! Do they plan to spend the corona-time sitting on the stool?
bideford
Established
I have not posed in a while (simply too busy) but Helen's response was magnificent.
It has been said that there will be some who will look back at this event and know that they learned something about themselves and helped others endure and overcome. There are others that will look back having learned nothing and helped no one.
I know who's neighbour I would rather be.
Bravo Helen.
It has been said that there will be some who will look back at this event and know that they learned something about themselves and helped others endure and overcome. There are others that will look back having learned nothing and helped no one.
I know who's neighbour I would rather be.
Bravo Helen.
alexmuir
Member
Coronavirus economic slowdown and GAS
I recently joined this forum to get a bit of diversity in my photographic reading. This thread, however, has made me wonder if that was a good idea. I cannot really see the point of the original post. Last Century there were two World Wars, many smaller, but no less significant, conflicts and a huge number of natural, and man made disasters. People who were
interested continued to make photographs. Professionals and amateurs alike, using the equipment and materials they had available, and sometimes improvising.
Great photographs were made.
Why do we think this will be any different?
Why do we think the purchase of new gear is important? I'm sure everyone here already has better than adequate equipment to see them through the next year, or more?
Alex.
I recently joined this forum to get a bit of diversity in my photographic reading. This thread, however, has made me wonder if that was a good idea. I cannot really see the point of the original post. Last Century there were two World Wars, many smaller, but no less significant, conflicts and a huge number of natural, and man made disasters. People who were
interested continued to make photographs. Professionals and amateurs alike, using the equipment and materials they had available, and sometimes improvising.
Great photographs were made.
Why do we think this will be any different?
Why do we think the purchase of new gear is important? I'm sure everyone here already has better than adequate equipment to see them through the next year, or more?
Alex.
jbielikowski
Jan Bielikowski
Don't even get me started, I have a vintage camera store, whole country is on lockdown, airmail is cancelled so I can't even sell on ebay. GAS was my business gas and now it's gone.
Solinar
Analog Preferred
My first concern is for the heath of those around me. My second concern is for their financial well being.
I'm 66 and my duties at a state university are on hiatus. Therefore, I've essentially pushed the pause buttons on new photo gears with the thought that I may face mandatory retirement. If retirement comes, I'll have more time for photography.
airfrogusmc
Veteran
In the past day I have had everything cancel for at least the next 3 weeks. I have a feeling it is going to be longer though. This is worse than after 9/11. At least I had some work then. Illinois has closed all schools and take out only from restaurants. I do have some money put away but not enough to weather a long shut down. Money has to go for just staying afloat. I guess it is all better than getting sick or getting others infected. The # of case here in Illinois have almost doubled since yesterday. That kind of puts things in perspective I think. Stay safe everyone.
huddy
Well-known
Any gear changes that I might make are 100% wait and for things to settle down; at most I may buy some film if things settle down and infection velocity drops. bideford's response is spot on. Everyone will be impacted; $1000 checks from governments aren't enough to help folks pay rent/buy food/etc. if they are out of work for 4-6 months. Nothing can replace the human action of loving our neighbors which will come in many colors as these times unfold.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
- I have all the camera equipment I need/want/can use, and more. So COVID-19 cannot affect that at all.
- At least five and up to ten events I was planning on for March through June have been cancelled. For me, that's money back in the bank.
- Yeah, the market is on a roller coaster for the duration of the crisis. In preparation, I set up my expenses and finances for retirement by reducing my expenses to fit within the Social Security distribution check, so I have little need to worry about what my day to day valuation in terms of stock prices are. When times are opportune, I sell a little; same for buying a little. Mostly, I manage without thinking about it.
- Yes, times will get tougher if this situation continues for too long, or becomes a permanent fixture of life. I have other contingency plans in that case. Meantime, I choose not to get anxious about it. And in the end, I'll cope with what happens regardless.
Life is risky. My photography plans include doing more good photography in the time I have available, and I see no reason for that to change regardless of COVID-19. Unless my Time ends, at which point it doesn't really matter what I think now, does it?
G
lynnb
Veteran
Helen.. you are the classiest gal. I'll just support what others have already said about your response.
Of course everyone's first priority is the health and well being of family, friends and loved ones. That is a given. And also concern about the wider community, particularly the more vulnerable.
Alexmuir you are right, people will always make pictures, sometimes great pictures, no matter the circumstances, with the gear they have available. I do not suggest otherwise. For a lot of the people here on RFF, photography is also about the emotion of using old and rare cameras and lenses of great heritage - particularly Leica - and this economic slowdown may affect their plans and activities. That old Leica film body with a capping shutter or Nikon F that needs a service that one was planning on sending off to a technician - better to do it now than wait, perhaps for a long time? Planning on spending lockdown time printing in the darkroom.. will you be able to do that if you can't get out to buy materials and the online stores can't process orders as more and more staff are taken ill, and supply lines are broken? Dreaming of that special lens for a project or just because you've always wanted it.. will you be unable to do that, for the same reasons? Sure you can use something else, maybe your iPhone, but it's not the same... so the purpose of this thread was to get people thinking about what they might need to continue their photography with passion during this period, and that passion is tied to the emotion of using equipment and film that may not be so easy to get or have repaired.
Of course everyone's first priority is the health and well being of family, friends and loved ones. That is a given. And also concern about the wider community, particularly the more vulnerable.
Alexmuir you are right, people will always make pictures, sometimes great pictures, no matter the circumstances, with the gear they have available. I do not suggest otherwise. For a lot of the people here on RFF, photography is also about the emotion of using old and rare cameras and lenses of great heritage - particularly Leica - and this economic slowdown may affect their plans and activities. That old Leica film body with a capping shutter or Nikon F that needs a service that one was planning on sending off to a technician - better to do it now than wait, perhaps for a long time? Planning on spending lockdown time printing in the darkroom.. will you be able to do that if you can't get out to buy materials and the online stores can't process orders as more and more staff are taken ill, and supply lines are broken? Dreaming of that special lens for a project or just because you've always wanted it.. will you be unable to do that, for the same reasons? Sure you can use something else, maybe your iPhone, but it's not the same... so the purpose of this thread was to get people thinking about what they might need to continue their photography with passion during this period, and that passion is tied to the emotion of using equipment and film that may not be so easy to get or have repaired.
andyturk
Established
My GAS has was put into remission last month by a new-to-me 28mm Summicron v1 which I shot in Myanmar over the past couple of weeks. I'm still showing a couple of possible symptoms, but I'll try to limit the damage to the new 8E replica that may come out soon.
I'm holed up in Viet Nam where life is still relatively normal. I've got a 50mm also, which will provide more "social distance" between me and the subject.
I'm holed up in Viet Nam where life is still relatively normal. I've got a 50mm also, which will provide more "social distance" between me and the subject.
Richard G
Veteran
You’re all class Helen. As usual. So generous.
I’m not buying anything. I already have a lot of stuff. Maybe I should buy for the economy’s sake and the store I support where I bought both my Leica digitals new. On the street right now I have my ‘old’ Monochrom, discreet, and an old, forty plus years old lens (no-one knows it’s worth $3-4K on eBay.) Just not the time for conspicuous consumption when there’s real trouble for young people and those in vulnerable jobs etc. I work in a risky industry for getting the virus and I am nearly 60. Right now I have quite a cold, but only a cold. I think it will be good to document the current time with photographs. I’ll do a little of that. I have so many negatives to file. They’re all digitised. Each time I’ve been sick, very rare, I’ve watched another series of The Wire. Not sick enough this time. I’m off work this week more for a cancelled trip. This is a time that sorts the wheat from the chaff. Almost all wheat on RFF.
I’m not buying anything. I already have a lot of stuff. Maybe I should buy for the economy’s sake and the store I support where I bought both my Leica digitals new. On the street right now I have my ‘old’ Monochrom, discreet, and an old, forty plus years old lens (no-one knows it’s worth $3-4K on eBay.) Just not the time for conspicuous consumption when there’s real trouble for young people and those in vulnerable jobs etc. I work in a risky industry for getting the virus and I am nearly 60. Right now I have quite a cold, but only a cold. I think it will be good to document the current time with photographs. I’ll do a little of that. I have so many negatives to file. They’re all digitised. Each time I’ve been sick, very rare, I’ve watched another series of The Wire. Not sick enough this time. I’m off work this week more for a cancelled trip. This is a time that sorts the wheat from the chaff. Almost all wheat on RFF.
peterm1
Veteran
+
That reminds me:
One L lama is a priest
Two L llama is a beast
But I will bet you a silk pyjama
That there is no three L lllama.
Ogden Nash
Henry
Well-known
Assuming my economic position isn’t wrecked I plan to spend money when things start to recover. It unsticks things if we lubricate them, the economy is a machine like any other, money is the lubricant. Right now it would be irresponsible to spend in camera stuff, but in six months?
ranger9
Well-known
The photo shop here sent out an email today announcing curb service: Order what you want off their website, then drive by the store and someone will bring it out to you so you don't have to get out of your car. You can drop off film or transact rentals the same way. Not exactly a world-altering breakthrough, but at least it shows they're trying to adapt.
Overall, I don't like having a lot of photo stuff (see topic 1 in this sublimely brilliant essay) but if there were some piece of gear that would have genuine utility for me right now, I'd probably go ahead and buy it if it were available. If the world economy tanks, the rich will be insulated but everyone else will be on the ropes, and a few hundred extra dollars in your checking account would keep you out of the breadline for a couple of months at most.
Bingley
Veteran
I am teleworking at the moment. On March 31 I will retire. Think about what that means given the economic downturn and plunge in the US stock market... my retirement savings have lost a lot value in the last three weeks. At the same time, our daughter will have her baby, and our first grandchild, this weekend... don’t know whether we’ll be allowed into the hospital to see her after the baby arrives... I was hoping to take photos of a beautiful baby in the hospital... so the world is out of joint and we’re just trying to cope as best we can. But I’m still chasing pieces of gear that will have some permanence... Maybe another vintage Zeiss Sonnar... just being selective at the moment in terms of purchases...
farlymac
PF McFarland
You're right, Helen, no need to get all indignant about someone's rant.
Anyway, my GAS was exhausted last year, and I have been planning on getting most of my gear auctioned off by a local company that has a national clientele list. So that will be put on hold, though it does give me more time to catalog everything in a concise manner. Those funds could then go to purchasing a few pieces I want to complete my Leica kit.
On another note, I had been planning on making a trip home for a family gathering, but as the reports of outbreaks kept piling up I questioned whether it was a good idea to make the journey, as I could possibly travel through several blooming hot spots where no one was showing symptoms yet or some other traveler was spreading it ahead of me. Plus the idea of getting quarantined out-of-state didn't appeal to me either. My choice to stay here turned out to be the right one as the place they rented to hold the gathering closed due to directives from the state health department.
PF
Anyway, my GAS was exhausted last year, and I have been planning on getting most of my gear auctioned off by a local company that has a national clientele list. So that will be put on hold, though it does give me more time to catalog everything in a concise manner. Those funds could then go to purchasing a few pieces I want to complete my Leica kit.
On another note, I had been planning on making a trip home for a family gathering, but as the reports of outbreaks kept piling up I questioned whether it was a good idea to make the journey, as I could possibly travel through several blooming hot spots where no one was showing symptoms yet or some other traveler was spreading it ahead of me. Plus the idea of getting quarantined out-of-state didn't appeal to me either. My choice to stay here turned out to be the right one as the place they rented to hold the gathering closed due to directives from the state health department.
PF
DownUnder
Nikon Nomad
Huh. In the current economic climate, GAS to me is something I get after eating too many refrito beans...
There I was, planning a return trip to Southeast Asia for April, and now the rug has been pulled out from under me. The OzzyDolla (aka South Pacific Peso) has just hit $0.597 cents, something not seen in almost 20 years, and every Asian country I was hoping to visit except one is in lockdown - the exception is Indonesia, for now, in the next few days it too could go under lock and key.
So my travel plans have evaporated like so much gas, pfft!! Later this year, maybe. Or whenever.
My partner will return early next week from an ill-timed visit to Malaysia, to 14 days at home in "self-isolation" (= quarantine) by government order. So I'll get to play nursemaid and do the shopping for two weeks, if there is anything left to buy in our local stupormarkets after the buzzards have done their pecking.
My new plan will keep me busy and, I hope, sufficiently stimulated to keep me from getting bored and depressed.
1. A complete inventory of all my film stocks frozen at home.
2. The same for my enlarging paper stocks and testing the older (mostly FB) papers for fog.
3. All cameras will be cleaned and the shutters tested.
4. Each camera will have one roll of film shot with them and the films processed. Two Nikon D700s in mothballs will be taken out, batteries recharged, cards checked and reformatted, and shots taken. Autumn in Victoria (Australia) is very beautiful in parts, the European trees change colors and it's truly a joy to get out on cool, sunny days to look at and photograph nature and architecture.
5. My five portable hard disks will be inventoried and duplicate files (each and every file to be checked beforehand as after making minor additions and corrections I have the bad habit of saving them with new titles.
6. FINALLY I will finish reading the manual for my still-new Nikon D800, to me the best DSLR I've ever owned but, I now suspect, a little too much camera for me. But it was a bargain, and I love its ergonomics and how it handles.
After buying the D800, I vowed I would never ever buy another camera in this lifetime. Time will tell and we'll see.
All of which should keep me busy for... two weeks? Six months at the very least!!
One's time at home can either be wasted or made productive, depending on one's mindset. As an old Chinese proverb goes, when there's no beef, eat pork, when there's no pork, eat chicken. All the way down the food chain to tempeh and tofu.
C'mon, we have to laugh - it's the best escape valve we have in this misery-ridden crisis.
There I was, planning a return trip to Southeast Asia for April, and now the rug has been pulled out from under me. The OzzyDolla (aka South Pacific Peso) has just hit $0.597 cents, something not seen in almost 20 years, and every Asian country I was hoping to visit except one is in lockdown - the exception is Indonesia, for now, in the next few days it too could go under lock and key.
So my travel plans have evaporated like so much gas, pfft!! Later this year, maybe. Or whenever.
My partner will return early next week from an ill-timed visit to Malaysia, to 14 days at home in "self-isolation" (= quarantine) by government order. So I'll get to play nursemaid and do the shopping for two weeks, if there is anything left to buy in our local stupormarkets after the buzzards have done their pecking.
My new plan will keep me busy and, I hope, sufficiently stimulated to keep me from getting bored and depressed.
1. A complete inventory of all my film stocks frozen at home.
2. The same for my enlarging paper stocks and testing the older (mostly FB) papers for fog.
3. All cameras will be cleaned and the shutters tested.
4. Each camera will have one roll of film shot with them and the films processed. Two Nikon D700s in mothballs will be taken out, batteries recharged, cards checked and reformatted, and shots taken. Autumn in Victoria (Australia) is very beautiful in parts, the European trees change colors and it's truly a joy to get out on cool, sunny days to look at and photograph nature and architecture.
5. My five portable hard disks will be inventoried and duplicate files (each and every file to be checked beforehand as after making minor additions and corrections I have the bad habit of saving them with new titles.
6. FINALLY I will finish reading the manual for my still-new Nikon D800, to me the best DSLR I've ever owned but, I now suspect, a little too much camera for me. But it was a bargain, and I love its ergonomics and how it handles.
After buying the D800, I vowed I would never ever buy another camera in this lifetime. Time will tell and we'll see.
All of which should keep me busy for... two weeks? Six months at the very least!!
One's time at home can either be wasted or made productive, depending on one's mindset. As an old Chinese proverb goes, when there's no beef, eat pork, when there's no pork, eat chicken. All the way down the food chain to tempeh and tofu.
C'mon, we have to laugh - it's the best escape valve we have in this misery-ridden crisis.
valdas
Veteran
I am about to post a camera to Poland that I have sold on ebay. I wonder how it works those days if you say airmail is cancelled... I will visit the postal office this afternoon, will see what they say.
PhotoGog
-
I sold my Pentax 67 kit last week for a handsome sum. Too bad one can not buy toilet paper in Sydney for love nor money.