I was content ... until ...

[dee]

At near 70, Post retirement , with restricted funds, the new £320 Fuji X-pro 1 + 27mm bought in August 2016 was to be my final outlay.
It was just too cheap to miss !
The uncertainty of the EVF being somewhat relieved by the possibility of a clear finder and styling/handling , which I love .

It has filled a gap between my M8 , CV 35 f2.5 / J3 , my preferred DSLRS - older CCD Sony A290/A390 , 35 f1.8 and an unsure relationship with a Sony SLT A35 with EVF ... providing higher ISO possibilities at the expense of an EVF , but it seems odd to put in a mirror box when a mirrorless is more efficient .
There was continuity with my Minolta heritage and a few lenses .

UNTIL I chanced upon a Pentax k-!S @ £220 with kit zoom and 35mm f2.4 .
I was shocked by the clarity of the pentaprism finder , the live view screen and the immediacy of the images on screen wide open , plus it is compact for a DSLR. i also have some old lenses from my Pentax K10D , largely retired .

OK , both cameras were affordable and are acceptable enough to last me for years as I won't abandon my older cameras .

The point is that I was reasonably content , only the gap for a reasonably compact quality camera with higher ISO covered by the Fuji X-Pro 1 led to some dee'squiet .

Then the Pentax messed up that status quo .

The concern is - if this can happen now ... what will it be like in 5/10 years time ?
Can GAS ever be considered overcome ?

dee'spair

 

[benlees]

GAS ("desire") can never be overcome. It is not the object, or end result, that we desire, it is desire itself. Can't get away from it. Sounds cheesy. Just part of being human. Marketing latches onto this like a pitbull! The latest and greatest will do nothing to curb it.

Oh well!😀

 

[unixrevolution]

We all have an ideal setup in our heads, but really, we will never get there.

Once you are content, you'll find a way to improve it.

It can ALWAYS be improved.

I am in the midst of distilling my gear, but I know I will constantly have something else on the horizon as a "someday" purchase.

 

[dee]

The new , warranted ,Fuji X-Pro 1 with 27mm pancake [ 41mm nom ] has become my carry all camera .
It's sufficiently compact - and i have the new £220 Pentax K-1s 35mm and zoom if required ...

Except , I have chanced upon a NEW very ex-dem Fuji X-M1 with 16-50 zoom[ usually selling at clearance £350 for a complete camera ] lacking all ancillaries without even a charger or battery , @ £180.
I can't resist as I have straps and the charger is the same as the X-PRO 1 , just a lens cap and battery around £20 or so and almost a free body with the useful 16-50.
Even the manual is online , what's not to like ?

Honestly , I should not be snooping around during John Lewis [ department store ] clearance which contributed the Pentax and now the Fuji ! [ The X-pro1 was courtesy of Currys ]

However is has led to a pair of excellent quality , NEW , warranted , compatible reasonably compact cameras probably for colour and mono with 27mm and 16-50 for an outlay of around £500 ... add the Ks1 and I have three cameras for less than £750 .

it's not just about the money - the KS-1 has a brilliantly clear finder and is compatible with my Pentax lenses , and the newish experience of the X-Pro 1 has been fantastic . The X-M1 shares this sensor , so I am aware of the potential .

I would NOT buy a camera at any price from any other system , having been caught by Sony abandoning the DSLR range , and the earlier demise of 4/3rds , despite having gifted me with the unique Leica [ Panasonic ] Digilux 3 which is my all time 'vintage' comfort camera !!

Collecting Dee,scarded Digitals is a comfort to the dee'sruption of the dee'sorientation , but it has to have some logic!!

dee

 

[Godfrey]

We all have an ideal setup in our heads, but really, we will never get there.

Once you are content, you'll find a way to improve it.

It can ALWAYS be improved.

I am in the midst of distilling my gear, but I know I will constantly have something else on the horizon as a "someday" purchase.

I disagree.

Regards digital cameras, since I acquired the Leica SL and the Leica M-D, I have realized that I am done: I don't need any further 'improvements', I need to make photographs. Any further improvements are beyond my ability to take advantage of and are not worth wasting my energy thinking about. 🙂

Every time since that I see something that tickles my fancy, I get the rush of anticipation that the thought of owning it brings. And then I pick up the SL or the M-D, and realize that I'm just being stupid: I can take the photo just as nicely right now with what's in my hands.

Film cameras: Well, I haven't needed anything else since I re-acquired my Hasselblad V system setup. Done, nothing else necessary. Although I continue to play with my dedicated pinhole camera and my polaroid cameras, it's for the joy of their inconsistency and defects.

G

 

[Pioneer]

I had a very recent, very short, affair with that Pentax camera while roaming the store. But I came home and pulled my beloved little Pentax ist D out of the drawer. Beautifully clear viewfinder complete with all that 6 megapickel CCD goodness. Astonishingly light and very easy to handle. Still good for some marvelous 8x10 prints, and now with improved processing software, amazingly detailed 13x19 prints. And the really great part, that 6mp file takes up a whole lot less room on my hard drives, is easier to work with in processing, and backs up far quicker then those big 20mp files do.

So, my GAS has subsided...for now. The object of my desire is at hand and I do not have to wait for the brown box truck to arrive to use it.

But those new Epson printers...I am pretty certain my prints would look much better if I had one of those. Or maybe Freestyle has some new inkjet paper...?

 

[ptpdprinter]

It sounds like you have more cameras than you know what to do with. One way to battle to GAS is to whittle your camera gear down to the essentials (one camera and perhaps a backup body for each format, and a selection of lenses), and make a pact with yourself not to buy something else without selling something you have. It needn't be dollar for dollar as long as you are not accumulating more stuff. You need to battle the "too cheap to pass up" approach to acquisition, which is your stated reason for purchasing the Fuji and Pentax.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

I have Canon 500D and Leica M-E. One is for AF and high ISO, another is for very sharp images under good light.

The only digital camera I'm missing is little 8MP Panasonic with fast Leica zoom in it. It was superior to 8MP iPhone due to the lens. Tiny camera which was taking 400 shots on same battery. Face recognition in 2008. It was one of the last they made with f1.8 on wide end and with tiny body. They don't make this small size with this fast lens anymore.

 

[jsrockit]

I disagree.

Regards digital cameras, since I acquired the Leica SL and the Leica M-D, I have realized that I am done: I don't need any further 'improvements', I need to make photographs. Any further improvements are beyond my ability to take advantage of and are not worth wasting my energy thinking about. 🙂

I really want to believe you, but I don't. 😀🙂😀 I'm pulling for you though!

 

[Ronald M]

GAS is fatal. All you can do is keep it under control. Thinking about an M10 at 74.

 

[JeffS7444]

No matter what you own now, temptations will arise sooner or later, and some of them won't seem like temptations at all, but rather, solid and sensible moves. For instance, a Mk II version of your camera is announced, and it occurs to you that after selling off your old one, the net cost of the new one isn't too bad, you've got renewed warranty coverage and extended the support period for your product hence will get ongoing firmware updates. And just like that, you've convinced yourself that it'd be foolish not to make the switch!

Particularly when dealing with tech toys, it's pretty iffy trying to plan for 5-10 years hence. Paradigms get shifted all the time!

 

[jsrockit]

Just be happy your GAS seem limited to a particular budget... 🙂 I think you are doing ok.

 

[Godfrey]

I really want to believe you, but I don't. 😀🙂😀 I'm pulling for you though!

Just watch, it's for real. I have other things I want to do with my money, and photos I want to make.

G

 

[jsrockit]

Good for you. I'm content too and into photography more than gear too.

 

[Spanik]

The problem is that the ideal camera hasn't been made yet. Traveling with 5 cameras isn't really fun (ok, 2 are spares for if my neck gives me troubles).

 

[dee]

Honestly ?
It's nothing to do with what I 'need ' - My Leica Digilux 3 , 7mp , or even a cheap and cheerful Sony A290 [ CCD sensor ] fulfil most of my modest requirements .
Cameras create familiarity and a new enthusiasm , and if I can pick up a new [old] model for less than £250 , I am content - more toys to play with .
At least , they have more purpose than my Dinky Toy collection !!
dee

 

[KM-25]

After doing three big jobs with my M240 in the past two weeks, I finally canceled my M10 order that I put in on February 8th. I'll replace my D810 and D750 with the same cameras with low shutter counts or just have Nikon overhaul them to keep them going.

All my equipment is exactly how I want it, works great and the photographs I make with it are spot on.

I now have zero interest in what gear comes out next....because my photographs are what comes out next.

 

[ptpdprinter]

...more toys to play with.

This seems to be the crux of it.

 

[dee]

This must be a concern for camera manufacturers that existing models are capable of so much .

 

[Richard G]

GAS ("desire") can never be overcome. It is not the object, or end result, that we desire, it is desire itself. Can't get away from it. Sounds cheesy. Just part of being human. Marketing latches onto this like a pitbull! The latest and greatest will do nothing to curb it.

Oh well!😀

One of our members has this wonderful piece of philosophy in his signature:

“After a time, you may find that having is not so pleasing a thing after all as wanting. It is not logical, but is often true.” Dr Spock.