gear influences...

[helen.HH]

Hmmmm.... I love M bodies, I love Barnacks , the RF Experience
In the past I was heavy into Leica Glass with some CV...
A Leica Fan Girl for sure 😛

Now my Needs / Desires have Changed and the Clarity & Crispness of Zeiss glass makes me Sing


My Choices generally stem from Two sites... RFf & Flickriver
Thoughts and Views of Photos posted by Friends & Strangers
Usually Inspire and give me a burning Desire to achieve a 'Look'
and suddenly off I go ...

 

[maddoc]

My Choices generally stem from Two sites... RFf & Flickriver
Thoughts and Views of Photos posted by Friends & Strangers
Usually Inspire and give me a burning Desire to achieve a 'Look'
and suddenly off I go ...

+ 1. My choices of lenses/cameras were for the same reasons. Initially I was closely following the threads started by Ned (NB23) here at RFF and liked what I saw, that got me into trying/buying some lenses that I still have and use to this day. Adiitionally, flick-river is for sure a huge pool for inspiration, many great photos / photographer to detect and that has also influenced my choices of lenses. 🙂

 

[benji77]

Nope. I would think I have a rigorous 'self-check' before plunging into camera gear. I must be at least 80% sure that I will use the item in the long term before parting with my cash. Each system is different, and they should have their merits to meld with the others I already have.

I am more interested in the vision that others have, either through their development technique or eye for the scene, especially with the same gear that I have.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Most of digital is no name to me. Just happy with FF and 50 1.2 on it.
SLR, RF, TLR and LF are big names systems. And I have almost all of them🙂

 

[KismetSky]

I can easily say that I've been heavily influenced by the members here on RFF. Not so much by the general consensus of what gears are good or bad, but more by the images that are shared. If I see a particular scene captured a specific way, I think to myself "I like that look, how can I achieve something similar." Whether it be the medium, the lens, the scanning, the post processing, etc etc.

(maybe it's the bag, it must be the bag 😉 )

 

[Darthfeeble]

My motivation is this incurable urge to see if something might work better. Severe in camera bag gas. The most detrimental situation was when I sold off the Leica M9 and 4 lenses to fund a DSLR and 3 lenses. What on earth possessed me on THAT move?

 

[thegman]

Not here, maybe a few years ago when I was first getting into photography, I wanted a certain amount of 'validation' about gear choices, i.e. was I crazy to use film in this day and age? Is a certain lens good enough?

After a while though it becomes apparent that there are in fact very few terrible choices in gear, and that most people aren't any more in the know than you are.

The idea of 'investing in a system' at all is more about fantastic marketing than anything else. The fact that we've allowed ourselves to believe that 'pros use at least two bodies', or 'pros have a 'go to' kit of primes', is all about getting us to buy things and unrelated to photography.

I think more satisfaction and less stress can be had by not following companies around and just do what you want.

 

[willie_901]

People here I influenced me (indirectly) to start using a Canonet QL17. Similarly I was influenced to pick up a Zeiss Ikon M and sone Zeiss, CV and Nikkor lenses.

I found support and reinforcement when I started to use the X100.

 

[back alley]

interesting to hear about how images have an affect on gear purchases…we don't talk about that much...

 

[Godfrey]

interesting to hear about how images have an affect on gear purchases…we don't talk about that much...

That's the driver for me. I like to see what different formats, different lenses, different sensors do and how it affects my photos.

I was stably set with a couple of Nikons and a Leica M for years, aside from dabbling with compacts, subminis, and MF now and then. I've through 3x as much gear since 2001 than I went through from '76 to '00, but that's because things were changing so much and so rapidly. Now, however, my perception is the the pace of useful improvement has slowed and I've learned that which I needed to get on with just making photos.

G

 

[van_d]

Occasionally, but not often. I'd be less worried about what everyone else is shooting and more focused on what I'm shooting with and whether or not it works for me, not everyone else, but that's just me. /shrug

 

[Michael Markey]

you decide to buy into a new camera system…after several purchases and some time using your new gear you decide you like it and plan on keeping it for awhile…you look around and see that there are quite a few others that are also using this same system and you begin to feel like you are part of something bigger…you are pleased that a few other photographers who's work you admire and opinions you respect are also using this same gear.
then, it happens…some people start to sell their gear and use another, different system…you feel abondoned and start to question if you have made the right choice and begin to wonder if you should investigate this new system…

sound familiar?
have you gone through this yourself?

No ...don`t recognise any of that .
I know what I want something to do and stick with it if it does what I want.

The only external influence is the images.
As for the rest I agree with Thegman ...its marketing and product placement and I find it difficult to relate to that.

 

[RichC]

Not what I do.

The photographs I take and how I take them dictate my photo gear. I couldn't care less what people use or about jumping on bandwagons.

When I need new equipment I will note reviews and comments, but take them with a huge dose of salt and come to my own conclusions.

Example: I prefer a digital camera with manual controls, so bought an Epson R-D1 as my main camera, 3 years later I traded it for a Leica M8 because I needed higher resolution and a more rugged camera, then 6 years on I sold the Leica (and all its lenses) to buy a Nikon D800E - I needed yet more resolution (I print very large) and the flexibility of an SLR, the latter traded off against the loss of simple manual controls.

The Nikon D800E fulfils all my needs and then some, and I can't see myself outgrowing it, and it'll be my main digital camera for many years unless I win the lottery and can afford a Leica S2! (I did consider the Nikon DF, but was very disappointed - low resolution, and the manual controls are a fashion statement rather than integral to the camera. I was hoping for it to be designed as a manual camera from the ground up, like a digital Leica M.)

 

[rluka]

Would negative influence count? You see the gear you used became mainstream and start looking for a new sanctuary where you can feel different

 

[oftheherd]

I have gotten things due to RFF induced GAS. Usually I have found the functional and useful. But how many can you really use? I have perfectly good cameras that sit unused for that reason. But I havent really convinced myself to get rid of them when I know they are good photo takers, and do occassionally have a use for me. But since joining RFF, I have only bought into the Kiev 35mm system. Everything else I already had except for some zooms in C/Y mount for a trip that never came about.

So I haven't worried about getting rid of anything, and I think I have successfully completed my wife's 12-step-photo-ebay GAS problem. 😀 😀

 

[Mcary]

When I bought my first DSLR I joined a photography forum that was made up of people that used/loved that brand of gear. At first it was nice, but the constant belittlement by members of the forum of photographers that didn't use that brand got rather old after a while so I left.
For me photography is about both the journey and the destination, so I'll use what lets me get to my destination in the most enjoyable manor for while at the same time admiring and enjoy the results of others regardless of what equipment they happen to use.

 

[sanmich]

Influence to try something new? sure
but to dump something that doesn't answer the expectations? no.
could it be more of a digital thing? due to the inherent constant motion?

 

[van_d]

Would negative influence count? You see the gear you used became mainstream and start looking for a new sanctuary where you can feel different

Hipster. 😀

 

[rwintle]

My main system is Nikon DX. Knowing what I now know, I kinda sorta wished I'd gone Canon, simply because of legacy lenses and their failure in most cases to achieve infinity focus because of where Nikon puts the sensor in relation to the lens mount. At the time of purchase, I had no idea I'd end up owning and wanting to use so many different bits of glass.

The other thing I didn't anticipate is just how much low-light shooting I've ended up doing. Full-frame would help tremendously with noise at the silly ISOs I frequently find myself using.

As for RF's and 35mm SLRs and the like - well I haven't really invested in any particular system, but I am very pleased with having a K-mount body and an M42 adapter for it. That seems awfully flexible to me. 🙂

 

[rluka]

Hipster. 😀

Though I heard this quote in the community: "Being user of that brand is like being a citizen of our dear country, you love your brand and country, but you're never sure if they love you back"

Not much support of the community in form of promotion, sponsored user gathering, official user group or events.
Those marketing stuffs really help on users who use their gear brand as a form of group identity.