How do you deal with minimal gear? Serious question.

[tunalegs]

Although I collect cameras, and so have tons of oddities and rarities - I mostly just use two cameras, both of which are pretty basic. And though I also have plenty of lenses, I pretty much just stick with 35mm and 50mm.



The less you have - the less you have to go wrong.

 

[Pál_K]

From a plethora of cameras and lenses, I choose just one camera to use for a month or two. Typically I will then use just one or two lenses at most.

This is, for me, a happy compromise between enjoying a wide variety of equipment and concentrating on a minimal kit.

 

[mpaniagua]

I mostly use 2 kits (one slr and one rangefinder), which consist of a wide angle (from 18 to 28, depending on the kit), normal and medium tele (from 80 to 90 depending on the kit). Over the years I've learn that I'm mostly covered with that kind of kit. They are small lens and cameras so no problem to carry them.

Of course there are times when I setup to use a specific camera for the joy of it (say a 6x9 folder camera, at TLR, a Technical camera, etc.).


Normally I limit myself to what I can comfortably carry on my shoulders/neck 🙂

Marcelo

 

[cary]

When I travel I use a Nikon FE with a 28mm f3.5 and a 105mm f2.5 Nikkor lenses. Simple by effective kit.

 

[Bill Clark]

When I was in business, I used 90+ percent of my photography, was with my full frame Canon Mark digital camera and a 24-70 f2.8 lens. #2 most used lens is a 50:f1.4.

I do have two other Canon digital cameras, some other lenses used for portraits, were mainly around as back up, just in case. Never had to use them as my Canon full frame always worked, still does, like a champ.

 

[Chris101]

In the past 6 months I have used 6 of my 16 cameras. I have the other ten because I can't ever seem to throw a camera (or computer, or book, or clock, or pen, ... you get the idea) away as long as they work.

The ones I use are: Nikon D850, Leica M4-P, Lytro Illum, Polaroid 600, Bessa-L (with 15mm), and my iPhone 7. There is not a lot of overlap in what they do, so I still consider myself a minimalist.

 

[jawarden]

There's a comment on an Ian Wong Digital Darkroom YouTube video which says something like, 'My only camera is my Contax T2. I just buy film and record all the best times of my life'.

There are times when I wish for this kind of simplicity, but I have self-imposed desires for my personal photography which include wide landscape, low light, tele action shooting, and these need multiple cameras or at least lenses to achieve.


Does anyone here have just one or two primary cameras, and if so, what is it, and how do you find a path between multiple shooting environments and minimal gear?

I've stopped worrying about it. Cameras are small, unlike collecting, I don't know, horses let's say. So why sweat it?

I'm working on a project now that requires square medium format images so I have equipment to make that happen. But that equipment is a pain in the ass to use and carry, so I have other smaller-than-horses cameras at the ready when I'm working on something else.

 

[KenR]

It depends

It depends

I try to choose based on what I think I am going to photograph and what I can physically can carry with me. A small 35mm for a long hard hike vs. a medium format for a day in the park vs. 4x5 for a landscape shot at dusk. I try to be flexible based on the situation. Most of the time I plan correctly, but occasionally not. So what, I try to enjoy the experience anyway.

 

[Guth]

Aside from my iPhone that can act as my camera in a pinch (my most minimal setup), I have a single rangefinder body with three lenses (35mm f2.0, 50mm f2.0 and 90mm f2.0). These all fit easily inside of a small satchel bag along with a few rolls of film, some lens cleaning supplies, a small travel tripod, etc.. This is all easy enough to carry around with me. In actuality I find myself using the 35mm lens the majority of the time. So I can get away with just carrying the camera body / 35mm lens combo along with me (plus an extra role of film or two).

But it should be apparent by now that minimal means different things to different people. The person who dreads lugging around all of the gear that they've assembled could probably do with less. The person who constantly wishes that they had a different lens, camera body or whatever could probably do with more. The person that just enjoys the experience of shooting photos without worrying about this sort of thing probably has it just right.

 

[aizan]

Amateurs are not required to have an identifiable and marketable style like most artists and professionals do. They have more permission to try out different gear and not settle on any one thing. That’s not to say that experimentation isn’t necessary for everyone at certain times, but hobbyists don’t have the bottom line of selling work hanging over their heads making them commit to a visual and technical franchise.

 

[Archiver]

Thank you to everyone for the very thoughtful responses. I'll get back to this when I've finished some work. 😀

 

[bayernfan]

Before going out, I spend a few moments pre-visualizing the subject(s) and the images I want to create. Then I select a single camera/lens combination that feels most suited to the task.

 

[zuiko85]

Don't know what to say. Like the concept of minimal equipment, but the execution of that concept.....ah not so easy.
Unless of course you have talent or an artistic mind.
Alas, not me.

 

[sebastel]

Serious question: How do you deal with minimal gear?

Serious answer (really serious!): I own lots of it.

Of course, this needs some further comments.
I really like the concept of minimalism. Especially, as I don't like to be overwhelmed by choice - that's why I typically bring one camera, with maximum two lenses (primes, mostly a 21/50mm equivalent combo). And I bring it everywhere.

On the other hand, I like to be able to use all that lovely old stuff that is easy to get these days. This also matches well with a certain collecting tendency. Result: in my drybox, there are quite a number of cameras and lenses, which I can choose from. But still I choose a minimal kit - just not the same all the time.

Currently: Pentax ME super with mounted 50mm f/1.7 + 20mm f/4 in the bag (or pocket).

 

[David Hughes]

It's looking as though a lot of us have a lot of cameras for a lot of fun and a couple for serious photography.

In my case, roughly speaking, the film ones are fun and the digital are serious.

I often wish the digital ones were as simple and straight forward as the old film ones.


Regards, David

 

[Rob-F]

I wrote, above, about how I cope with a large amount of gear, by using them one at a time. There is another side to me. Sometimes I go back to the way things were when I only had one camera, and only one, two, or three lenses. I bring just my Leica M2 and a 35mm Summaron, 50mm Summicron, and a 90mm, either the chrome Elmarit, or the 90 Tele-Elmarit. I carry it in a Domke f-5xb. Or else, I just take my X100, or X20. I can do a lot with just the M2 and a 35; or with just the X20.

 

[Axel]

...
I often wish the digital ones were as simple and straight forward as the old film ones...

I thought so for a long time until I discovered that it´s me who is not as simple and straight forward
to take a digital camera and make the photo 😉

 

[David Hughes]

I thought so for a long time until I discovered that it´s me who is not as simple and straight forward
to take a digital camera and make the photo 😉

It's all those buttons, switches and the screen that complicate them. I can grab my film cameras quickly, wind on and be focussing easily. Grab a digital camera quickly and strange things can happen, like an icon* of a fish in water blowing a bubble appearing...

All my film cameras have plain uncluttered backs and the same at the front either side of the lens. So I can hold them firmly.

Regards, David


* And searching to find the icon to discover how to turn it back in the fat little manual is also a pita.

 

[Rob-F]

It's all those buttons, switches and the screen that complicate them. I can grab my film cameras quickly, wind on and be focussing easily. Grab a digital camera quickly and strange things can happen, like an icon* of a fish in water blowing a bubble appearing...

Regards, David


* And searching to find the icon to discover how to turn it back in the fat little manual is also a pita.

Now, that I haven't seen yet. Which button would that be on my D700? :angel:

 

[Axel]

It's all those buttons, switches and the screen that complicate them...

You mean just as actual phones, cars and kitchens? 😀

Serious - the better way is dealing with lock-buttons and turnable screens and
have a look at the f*m* from time to time.

Knowing my (digital) tools prevents me from GAS additionally because I don´t
want to waste my decreasing lifetime with facing "new" bells and whistles also.