it's like an addiction...

back alley

back alley

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i've never really been addicted to anything but it's how i think an addiction might feel.
i'm talking about gear and that feeling of needing/wanting/having to aquire/trade for/get new stuff!

i have had the dubious pleasure of actually enjoying my gear and being too broke to buy any more.
i love the fuji xe1 and doubt that trading for/buying an xe-2 or even the xt1 would bring me increased pleasure. i love the lenses i have but do admit that when the new 16 prime arrives (?) i will be chomping at the bit to get one.

anyway, back to the addiction…despite liking what i have and not being able to get anything new…i often feel this great tug to 'do something'…trade for another piece of gear, trade a bag for another bag…even sell a bag!
anything to bring a change to my kit.

now, before you flood me with trite banter like 'go out and shoot'…take a look, i shoot quite a bit and post much of it on my flickr account or my blog…take a look!

what amazes me is this strong pull to have something new/different to play with. even while contemplating a new job with a real paycheck i mostly think of a reward of a new bag or something…

i wonder if i am alone in this 'addiction' or if anyone else out there can relate??
 
I know how you feel Joe. I now have my dream kit Monochrom, 903SWC and Sony RX-1 and the other day I decided that now I had the kit I wanted, I needed a better bag to house it in. So I bought an Ona Brixton dark truffle. My excuse was I can use it as a briefcase and when I walk to meetings I can take my MacBook Air and 2 cameras. Pretty flimsy excuse but I wanted something new. Think I have around 10 bags already🙂
Don't see there is anything wrong in in it, life is to short to worry about why you shouldn't do something in my view. Do what keeps you above ground and smiling.

PS my wife and I actually talked about the fact we both have bag fetishes. On the same day she bought a new handbag so we were both happy.
 
It's obvious - there is pleasure in the novelty and in the process of discovery - you are not the first or last to be drawn in.
However, if you think this is becoming compulsive, there might be value in forcing yourself to simplify. For example, now there are several fixed lens cameras that people seem to enjoy - I believe a Sigma something, a Sony something with a good Zeiss lens, and also the original Fuji 100 something. From what I have seen, they all take excellent photos. Why not limit yourself to a different game: get one of these, and don't change it as long as you think you have explored it's possibilities completely, or as long as it works. I bet the second case will be more likely.
 
Not to mention that it makes the trips to the mailbox a lot more enjoyable. There is a feeling of anticipation when you pick up that box and carry it home.

Of course you may want to leave the bank statement and credit card bills in the mailbox but...

EDIT - and what is this trading and selling stuff you're referring to???
 
Hehe... a little fuel for the fire !

Hehe... a little fuel for the fire !

Joe
Have you tried the Ricoh GR yet?
I never thought I could get on with a fixed 28mm equivalent.
This baby is so compact and has such great RAW files in Color. It never gets left behind.
Looking for a 28mm VF at the moment. Setting snap focus and framing through a tiny optical shoe mount finder will bring me back to the days of the 25mm color skopar on a Bessa L (why did I let that go? 😱 ).

It's futile to resist and there is no need to. As long as you keep using it all who cares if you want to try new things.
It's later than we think 🙂
 
I've definitely been through this, as well.

To me there's two elements to it, the first is the GAS,

I've broken that down into two sections, the "I need this for work" side and the more touchy feely "I want to try x or y piece of gear"

Sure there's equipment I'd like to try, but I've got my hands on much of the stuff that I'd like to try, and I like what I have. If I come across the remainder I'd love to try them, but what I already have is very good, so I can't feel too dissatisfied.

I've worked out a vaguely future proof/sustainable path for work equipment for the future. (Of course that's always subject to the whims of the industry) but it stops me lusting after too much stuff when it comes to "obsolete" systems etc...That's the theory.

The second element is habit, it becomes a habit to check places for gear, whether in person or online, and once you've built that habit in, it takes quite a bit to break it, I haven't broken it, but my areas of interest have narrowed, so I'm happy to leave plenty of things that I would once have considered buying
 
I have two DSLR and some high-quality lenses for them. No interest to switch or upgrade.
It does the job well.
Film is my playground.
Tried many RFs, before I knew why I need film M.
Still looking for something I like in MF. Tried RF folders, TLRs, none of them are Hassy 🙂
Playing with OM SLR now, but at some point going to try Nikon.
I do sell, give away gear I don't use anymore.
 
I think I have that addiction too... But at the end of the day I go back to selling what I don't use as much. So far I have to say that the FujiGX680 system has been with me the longest. It never disappoints me when I see those negatives. It's so rewarding, I don't care about the weight of the camera! 😉

The only itch I have is 8x10. Probably one of my reasons why I'm getting rid of the Makina. I love RF cameras and I feel like the M4/35cron combo is a nice small travel camera.
 
That's a common feeling among many here, I'm sure. However, you need to realize that in many cases, the "wanting" of something is more pleasurable/exciting than actually "having" that something.

Just remember that if you get too deep into it, you'll go broke buying/trading/etc because there's always going to be that next "thing". If you don't go broke, it'll just end up sucking a lot of your time. To me, that's a worth a lot more than money. Sound similar to other addictions, doesn't it?

In the end, I always get back asking myself "what's the point?". That, and a nice walk around with my camera, usually kicks me out of gear lust.

PS: I love gear. I just try to keep a balanced perspective on everything.
 
I feel the same, and I guess it happens to us all when we consider a body, a lens, or a bag, are going to offer us more than other ones as tools...
Imagination is a pleasure, and novelty is another one, and both are healthy to any photographer... Finally, we're kids with toys, that old conception of the human being as Homo Ludens mainly...
Cheers,
Juan
 
back alley said:
...

anyway, back to the addiction…despite liking what i have and not being able to get anything new…i often feel this great tug to 'do something'…trade for another piece of gear, trade a bag for another bag …even sell a bag!
anything to bring a change to my kit.

...

i wonder if i am alone in this 'addiction' or if anyone else out there can relate??
Click to expand...

Joe, are you alright ??? Selling a bag, ... heresy! 😉.

But yes, I can relate to it. I have an amp on order which (small batch manufacturing) takes 6-12 month to be completed- if the stars align that is.
The waiting period is killin' me 🙁 and I am on a compulsive CD buying spree 😀.
 
icebear said:
Joe, are you alright ??? Selling a bag, ... heresy! 😉.

But yes, I can relate to it. I have an amp on order which (small batch manufacturing) takes 6-12 month to be completed- if the stars align that is.
The waiting period is killin' me 🙁 and I am on a compulsive CD buying spree 😀.
Click to expand...

i have sold so much gear of late…everything i own fits into a domke f6!
 
[mortal kombat voiceover guy]
Marketing Department Wins................


...Flawless Victory
[mortal kombat voiceover guy]



flawless_victory-65136.gif
 
back alley said:
i've never really been addicted to anything but it's how i think an addiction might feel.
i'm talking about gear and that feeling of needing/wanting/having to aquire/trade for/get new stuff!

i have had the dubious pleasure of actually enjoying my gear and being too broke to buy any more.
i love the fuji xe1 and doubt that trading for/buying an xe-2 or even the xt1 would bring me increased pleasure. i love the lenses i have but do admit that when the new 16 prime arrives (?) i will be chomping at the bit to get one.

anyway, back to the addiction…despite liking what i have and not being able to get anything new…i often feel this great tug to 'do something'…trade for another piece of gear, trade a bag for another bag…even sell a bag!
anything to bring a change to my kit.

now, before you flood me with trite banter like 'go out and shoot'…take a look, i shoot quite a bit and post much of it on my flickr account or my blog…take a look!

what amazes me is this strong pull to have something new/different to play with. even while contemplating a new job with a real paycheck i mostly think of a reward of a new bag or something…

i wonder if i am alone in this 'addiction' or if anyone else out there can relate??
Click to expand...

Sounds like you have too much time on your hands. I can relate. I search for things to buy when I'm bored at work (I get my work done too). I don't NEED anything...

However, when I'm busy in life, I'm not worried about buying stuff.
 
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