How to survive the internet, photo sites and avoid GAS

Andrea Taurisano said:
It makes absolutely sense, provided one really knows what one needs and wants. Unfortunately, my (and I guess other photographers') experience is that each time we think we finally understood what we need and want.. only to find out that not even our new piece of gear is making us better photographers...

...that's where I think the key to GAS immunity lies: in understanding (or fooling oneself to believe, if you will) that you can achieve just about everything with most cameras and lenses. And the few images you can't achieve with what you have... perhaps you can happily live without.
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I think you've made the point well. You can probably make 90% of all of the images you'll ever need to do with one body and probably two lenses, and the brand and model really aren't all that significant. Some 'feel' better than others, but they'll all get the job done. All the other 'stuff' out there makes the remaining 10% you need to shoot a little less difficult to shoot.
 
There's an easy cure for GAS. Want something badly that you can't afford. Then start saving for this item, and refuse to be distracted into buying anything else whilst saving. Perhaps something like a Leica M or Nikon D4, or if they're too affordable, maybe an expensive classic car. This really works.
 
I was hoping for recipe :eek: but OP was just asking.

My solution - do photo forums and socialize at same place, same time.
:)
 
nongfuspring said:
I stopped fetishising equipment when I became genuinely interested in photography. I look at a lot of really good, innovative, exciting photography portfolios/blogs, which I find much better reading than gear-oriented blogs, most of which are REALLY infantile.

For a time I got really interested in gear was that I was interested in the different aesthetic qualities they'd give me, and I thought that by choosing the right gear I could achieve the look I wanted only by using the corresponding camera/lens. Over the last two years though, as I've gotten much better with PS, I've come to realise most of the time the difference in aesthetic each piece of gear would give me is often very easily emulated through post processing.

In other words my own skills in post (wether it be using chemicals or software) are much more significant than the gear that I use, and from that point forward I realised I don't need to keep buying more stuff.
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BINGO! I agree 110%. Obsessing over photo gear is like a literary journal obsessing over word processing software or the merits of fountain pens and journal books instead of literature itself.

~Joe
 
Obsessing over photo gear is like a literary journal obsessing over word processing software or the merits of fountain pens and journal books instead of literature itself.
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I used to read literary journals. I feel they might have been more fun if they did obsess a bit about shiny toys.
 
Guilty as charged! I do obsess over typewriters, fountain pens and journal books. But they're just tools, and books don't write themselves.

~Joe
 
I think I succumb to GAS for two main reasons, and one lesser but more valid one. When people talk up a camera, lens, or supplemental gear, especially how they are doing better now that they have it, why wouldn't I want to do better too? But more than that, I think I want to be able to say I have one of those and really like it too. After all, it if is good for some others, it must be good for me and I want to join the crowd.

I have had GAS for some Super Press lenses, but about the time I was able to get them, my back started bothering me really bad. I couldn't use it and haven't gotten back into the habit as I find my folders also provide often good enough photos without the weight. My 9x12 cameras surely do. Wanting lenses or accessories I will use is not so much GAS, unless I find I just wanted them and I'm not really using them.

But the other two reasons I have pretty much weaned myself from. I have a Contax set and of course my Fujica set. I have also gotten a Kiev set which I sometimes enjoy using. I can get pretty much everything I want with those in 35mm. Oh, I do often enjoy carrying my XA, but that's just because it is so easy to carry and still has usefulness as a camera.

I really need to get back to my Super Press 23. It is so versatile. But funny, I enjoyed it so much with only the 100mm f/3x5 and the 65mm lenses. The 50mm and the 250mm f/5 are heavy to carry, and a 75mm equivalent just isn't a favorite cup of tea for me. Sigh.

For those of you who still suffer, I understand, and sympathize. But I won't be attending any more meetings thank you. :p
 
jippiejee said:
I've wasted a lot of money on the detour to what I wanted in the first place.

I always shot my Oly XA little rangefinder until I wanted some more versatility. Instead of buying that M6/7/P that I really wanted, I first got some ****ty Zorki-4, then immediately after a CL to save some. And while that CL was a fun little camera, I still would have liked the better rangefinder of the M6/7/P family, so instead I bought an M4-P. Which is a great camera, but it didn't totally kill the lust for a measuring variety with higher shutter speeds, thus keeping gas alive.

Same with my digital route: I really thought an M9 would make me happy. But I bought a digilux-2. Which is a great camera, but it comes with a small sensor and evf. So I soon upgraded to an X1 with a much better sensor and fixed lens. Which kept the lust alive for more flexibility, so of course then the M8 entered the house. To save some. And bought some more lenses for it. To upgrade those to better lenses soon again. But it still had that little crop factor problem, keeping the M9/MM/M the more desired upgrades ahead. So I finally bought an M9 too.

I should have realized that I'm not rich enough for all these detours and should have bought what I wanted in the first place: an M6 and M9 set and kill the unhealthy shopping distractions. :)
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You describe something that happened to many of us, I think.
 
I think sometimes detours are necessary to learn what in fact we want in the first place though. I thought I wanted a Black Paint MP until I got one, then I realized I didn't. I got a Mamiya 7 too, thinking that I liked RFs and wanted medium format, obvious choice? I didn't like the build or the electronic nature of it.

My first TLR was sidelined by my Hasselbald, now I don't have the Hasselblad, I realize that all along, I preferred the TLRs... It would be great to know exactly what we want, but unfortunately I've had to do this inconvenient learning thing along the way.
 
I used to buy, sell and swap loads of gear. My cure was buying well used, often scratched and dented items that I'm not afraid of using. This has stopped my collecting and now I only have cameras and lenses I use. I still have more than I should.
If you enjoy the gear why worry?
 
jippiejee said:
In my personal experience, the best cure for GAS is to not compromise. Just buy what you really need and want, and be happy ever after. I've wasted a lot of money on the detour to what I wanted in the first place.

I always shot my Oly XA little rangefinder until I wanted some more versatility. Instead of buying that M6/7/P that I really wanted, I first got some ****ty Zorki-4, then immediately after a CL to save some. And while that CL was a fun little camera, I still would have liked the better rangefinder of the M6/7/P family, so instead I bought an M4-P. Which is a great camera, but it didn't totally kill the lust for a measuring variety with higher shutter speeds, thus keeping gas alive.

Same with my digital route: I really thought an M9 would make me happy. But I bought a digilux-2. Which is a great camera, but it comes with a small sensor and evf. So I soon upgraded to an X1 with a much better sensor and fixed lens. Which kept the lust alive for more flexibility, so of course then the M8 entered the house. To save some. And bought some more lenses for it. To upgrade those to better lenses soon again. But it still had that little crop factor problem, keeping the M9/MM/M the more desired upgrades ahead. So I finally bought an M9 too.

I should have realized that I'm not rich enough for all these detours and should have bought what I wanted in the first place: an M6 and M9 set and kill the unhealthy shopping distractions.

Then, the internet and its photo gear jerks are a safe place again. :)
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That is some good advice - if you know what you want, just buy it and don't compromise.

But if you aren't sure what you want or need, then what??

You must decide which cameras and lenses YOU want and need.

The first thing you must do is disconnect for a while from anything and everything that tries to get you to buy new cameras and lenses. Avoid camera websites and camera magazines in particlar. Avoid camera club commandos and camera store sales people. How else can you decide what camera and lenses YOU want and need for your particular style of photographing and your subject matter rather than what cameras and lenses THE CAMERA COMPNIES and camera salesmen want you to buy?

When people are being screeched at constantly to BUY THIS CAMERA by the advertising agencies hired by the camera companies, it's no wonder people get confused and buy gear that doesn't work for them (inbedded in the message is the thinly veiled implication that your current camera is inadequate, obsolete, can't produce quality images or is an "amateur's camera").

People usually get GAS for a camera or lens because of advertising, not because of their own well reasoned decisions. They don't think their impending purchase through; they get confused or dazzled by the advertising and make an ill considered purchase. After a few weeks or months, they realize that the new camera is not what they truly needed - and then they are stuck. Their options are: Trade it in and get 1/3 of what you paid for it or sell it outright and get 2/3 of what the new cost was (IF you are lucky). You were confused by the ad agencies. It cost you money that you didn't need to spend.

Guess what: The camera maker is happy - they got what they want (your money). The ad agency is happy - they got paid by "CaLeiKon." Does either care if the camera you just bought is a good fit for you and your photography? My guess would be no.

Get away from the nonstop advertising. Clear your head. Ask yourself some questions. Look at your most recent photographs; figure out exactly what your subject matter is and exactly how you choose to photograph these subjects. Once you figure out those issues, ask yourself what is the best camera and lens to pursue your particular photographic passion.

That's how you end up with the right camera and lens from the start - and save yourself alot of money, heartache and frustration in the process.

JMHO, based on personal experience - and a stint working behind the sales counter in a camera shop. ;)
 
Photo gear is tools for producing photos.
Not polishing. Not worshiping. Not amassing.
Figure out what you like to/want to/need to photograph and then buy only those tools that you need to do that.
Grow up.
Act responsibly and you won't have this silly, non-existent "problem" to piss and moan about.
 
I don't have a problem.

I have certain camera platforms that are my favorites, and I do try to use them as often as possible. But I'm just so interested in all these cameras that I was never able to experiment with when I was younger, and want to see if I can get the most out of whatever it is.

I also like repairing cameras, and that keeps my GAS from getting too out of hand, because I buy "non-functioning" stuff, and overhaul it. I've also found that a cheap Agfa/Ansco 6x6 folder can make very good images without having to haul a bunch of auxiliary gear around (no meter, no rangefinder, maybe a hood and filter). I do have an affinity for Nikon gear, and am now getting off the detour I took into other SLR's to fill out some kits.

But it's really great to be able to try out different things, because I found that there are many platforms out there that I would have rejected outright when I was younger, because of a perception that they just couldn't have been as good as my Nikons. And also that there is no "perfect" camera. There are compromises built into every one of them.

PF
 
nobbylon said:
I used to buy, sell and swap loads of gear. My cure was buying well used, often scratched and dented items that I'm not afraid of using. This has stopped my collecting and now I only have cameras and lenses I use. I still have more than I should.
If you enjoy the gear why worry?
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Sound advice, I took my Rolleiflex GX out to the beach yesterday, high winds meant it got covered in sand. It seems to have survived without issue, but the fact is I considered not going out in case it got damaged, which is just ridiculous.

I need cheaper cameras, not better ones, cameras I'm not afraid to drop in the sea.
 
One question might be, 'at this time, how much of your photography is because you like the create images, and how much is because you enjoy playing with gear?'

I freely admit that I love gear as much as the act of photography. And the purchase of new gear often leads to new photographic discoveries and enjoyment.

Every camera I have bought has been because it offered a significant feature or attribute that none of my other cameras possessed, and every time, my desire to take photos has increased, as have my skills in composition, timing, and post processing.

Despite having loads of cameras that shot raw, I never did much with raw until I bought the Sigma DP1 in 2008, and the wonders of raw in post were revealed to me. I used to labour with low ISO's in all lighting conditions until I bought the Fuji F30 in 2006. The M9 in 2010 gave me full use of my M-mount lenses and lead me to take some of the best photos of my life.

I've slowed down of late, but on average, I buy 1.5 cameras a year. I've amassed enough gear to suit almost every conceivable situation, and there are times that if I find myself wanting a new camera, I just dig out an older one and I'm satisfied for a while.

GAS can be a burden, but it can bring a lot of benefits, too. Perhaps the trick is knowing whether something is just a 'desire to buy something new' or if such a purchase would really help your photography.
 
How to avoid GAS?

Visit a dentist, get a quote and look at your bank account.

I was thinking of upgrading my 1dsII to a 1dsIII and Fuji x100 to an X-Pro this year as a 40th birthday present, but does not seem likely anymore ;)
 
I got into photography when I was around 11. As a young man I hardly had any money for anything after tuition and room/board. Now in this digital age when I am a dedicated film shooter I see cameras that were out of my price range years ago now goes for peanuts. Last month I bought a 3 lens Pentax 645n kit. I don't need it but still want the experience of shooting with it. I see nothing wrong with that.
 
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