Less gear choice = Better results

bmattock said:
I could not possibly carry everything I own, even in a small rented lorry. Not that my gear is top shelf, it's just the opposite, but there is a lot of it.

I do not disagree with you with regard to carrying superfluous kit.

I only disagree with the philosophical statement that less is more with regard to one's photographic output. Less is less. Being incapable of choosing an appropriate lens for a given situation because one has too many from which to choose reflects a personal problem. They gear did not conspire to make one a better or worse photographer or to confound and cloud the judgment of the photographer involved.

A semi-truck has dozens of gears. How on earth does a trucker choose which one to use? Thank goodness I have only five. Now, if I had only ONE gear in my vehicle, wouldn't that be dandy? Well, no, it would not.

Choice is good. If one does not have choices, one makes do with what one has. However, rejecting choices on the basis that it clouds the mind and renders one unable to select the appropriate choice? Please.
Click to expand...

Dear Bill,

It's a question of WHEN you choose.

As you say, if you can't choose, it's your problem. But equally, it makes sense to choose a reasonable outfit for what you want to photograph.

My Land Rover has 16 forward and 4 reverse gears -- but I HAVE to carry all of them (assuming the overdrive is fittted). I don'thave to carry all three of my Leica-fit 90mm lenses, and indeed I'd be a bloody fool to do so.

Cheers,

R.
 
bmattock said:
...

My argument is only with the occasional post RFF seems to attract by someone who has 'discovered' that they shoot better when they 'force themselves' to only use a given lens or film or camera body or whatever; the implication is that they've stumbled over some rare universal truth - that less is more.
Click to expand...

I agree. As I said earlier, I don't think you can find a cause-and-effect link, one way or the other, between photographic skill and the amount of hardware the photographer owns.

Perhaps what sometimes happens when someone uses a minimal kit for a lengthy period of time is that they spend enough time with, say, one camera and one lens to gain some legitimate expertise in manipulating them. It's probably human nature to attribute the results to "less is more" rather than acknowledging that it's the photographer that changed.

Similar things happen in other endeavors. Wannabe cooks, for example, can stock up on too many pots, pans and knives, and dabble with too many techniques. They'd be better advised to use the same knife and the same pan, etc., until they acquire some basic skills.
 
Years ago I used to target shoot rifles competitively. We had a saying "Always beware of the guy who only owns one rifle!" Inevitably this guy knew how to shoot well. All the rest of us would show up with a different piece of gear each week and never shoot worth a damn.

So same principle. Learn your gear and use it. But most of all learn photography. It is one feature I notice in many of these forums (and which used to be just like me) so many people are gear heads and not that into photography.

I especially notice it on another site dedicated to manual focus lenses were it seems to be de riguer for people to buy a lens then test it out by taking really crappy photos of wonderful things like the garbage cans in the back alley behind an apartment to show how sharp it is / how little chromatic aberration it produces / how little vignetting there si wide open or whatever technical aspect thing the proud new owner wants to rave about. . This typifies for me the kind of guy who is more into gear than into photography and whose photos are just like my old target shooting scores.
 
35mmdelux said:
I dont know about your truck but many vehicles including the highest end autos have only one gear - its called automatic.
Click to expand...


That's called 'ZOOOOOOM' baby!

Actually ... realisically an SLR/DSLR and good quality zoom will get the shot if you're not a purist.

But like Roland's suggestion of cropping that's probably also heresy and may be a hanging offence around here! 😀
 
I generally carry two bodies with two lenses, sometimes three bodies with three lenses. That said I do most of my shooting with a 28mm or a 50mm lens on an M. I walk out the door almost always heading somewhere specific with something in mind, and pick the lenses and bodies with the place in mind.

Having more equipment with me is a bother in weight, but when I am going somewhere where I know I'm going to want the 16mm for one particular spot, I bring it. I also bring it if I think it may work for something. Not owning the 16 would have eliminated many images from my work.

I advise students to own whatever they use, even if they only use things occasionally. Not being able to make the image you see in your head because you don't own a 90 or a 16 or a 28 is a drag. So is owning that 500mm that you used once twenty years ago, and haven't used since. Learning to use each focal length and knowing when to choose each focal length is something that takes time. Making excuses because you can't afford a certain focal length is a cop out. I'd rather hear a student say "I don't have a 24 but this needed a 24" than hear one say "I don't need a 24, this 35 close enough". Those are the people that get it. That understand how the lenses impact the images.

Many do make wonderful images with limited equipment- and as I say I make most of my images with two focal lengths- but knowing when another lens is right is as a big part of shooting in my mind as knowing when to use a particular film developer combination.

We're all different, and all need different kits- but honing that kit is something that one best learns from the experience of seeing how each lens works within their style or subject. I currently own many lenses, and have spent the better part of my shooting and printing time over the last twenty years thinking about focal length, lens signature, film/developer combinations, paper/developer combinations and how they effect the way images look. As one of the main means I have of influencing the way my photographs look lens choice is very important to me.
 
Last edited:
Mcary said:
Strange I've never heard of any cars with single/one gear transmission. Maybe you could list some models of cars that only have a "D" gear rather then a "R" "D" "2nd" and "1st" gear. Fact most high end cars have a 5 or 6 gear/speed automatic transmission.

Ohhh and next time you're driving down the side of a mountain with a big truck behind you be very glad that they have a transmission with a lot of gears in it 🙂
Click to expand...



The only vehicles that do in reality only have one gear that I can think of are some of the current motor scooters. That gear is infinitely variable due to a centrifugally expanding pully system from memory.

Exactly like an 'evil' ZOOM lens ... which is also infinitely variable!
 
Keith said:
The only vehicles that do in reality only have one gear that I can think of are some of the current motor scooters. That gear is infinitely variable due to a centrifugally expanding pully system from memory.

Exactly like an 'evil' ZOOM lens ... which is also infinitely variable!
Click to expand...

Model T Ford.
 
Keith said:
The only vehicles that do in reality only have one gear that I can think of are some of the current motor scooters. That gear is infinitely variable due to a centrifugally expanding pully system from memory.

Exactly like an 'evil' ZOOM lens ... which is also infinitely variable!
Click to expand...

Keith, actually there Continuously Variable Transmissions (like a scooter) currently available in:

Mini Cooper
US Ford 500
US Ford Freestyle
Dodge Caliber
Jeep Compass & Patriot
Subaru Outback
Audi A4
Nissan (almost all the automatic transmission ones)

Now some of them are software controlled to you lock in a ratio (like a gear)

Don't know what is available over there or in Europe, but it seems the CVT transmissions are the new thing for low powered vehicles.

I agree that it is debatable if the CVT is one gear or an infinite number.

Damn, I hate it when people sidetrack threads and here I did it. At least almost everyone will ignore me.
 
Bob Michaels said:
Keith, actually there Continuously Variable Transmissions (like a scooter) currently available in:

Mini Cooper
US Ford 500
US Ford Freestyle
Dodge Caliber
Jeep Compass & Patriot
Subaru Outback
Audi A4
Nissan (almost all the automatic transmission ones)

Now some of them are software controlled to you lock in a ratio (like a gear)

Don't know what is available over there or in Europe, but it seems the CVT transmissions are the new thing for low powered vehicles.

I agree that it is debatable if the CVT is one gear or an infinite number.

Damn, I hate it when people sidetrack threads and here I did it. At least almost everyone will ignore me.
Click to expand...




To be honest Bob that was more interesting ... the subject of this thread has been re-hashed so many times that it's fast taking on the cringe factor of the digital verses film debate! 😛
 
I think the above quote was perhaps intended by Welles nas more applicable to the conceptual side rather than the 'tools of the trade'
 
fdigital said:
I find the more gear I have on me, the more lenses or cameras, the less shooting I do, the worse my pictures are.

I'm interested in other's thoughts on the topic - how does this sort of thing work for you?
Click to expand...
I have some, not too many, film cameras.
There are a few reasons why I have a variation of cameras.

1. I like how cameras look, as with anyone who likes to collect models of cars, coins, stamps whatever.

2. Each camera has a different function/purpose, eg. Polaroid, Lomo (which I use more for parties and fun), medium format, 35mm etc.

So yes, I agree that more cameras, the less shooting you do. It happened to me once when I was in France. I brought 3 different cameras i think, it was a 3 day trip and I did not even finish any of the rolls.

I was speaking to a friend the other day about how I wanted to get rid of all of my cameras and just have "the one" kinda camera but then to do this, I have to try out a few cameras of course and then see which one fits me better 🙂

So yeah really, I do wish I only had one camera 🙂
 
I might sell off a few lenses, even a couple of cameras. Thinking of it as a New Year's resolution. I will not shoot any more, or any less whether or not I sell the stuff. But it is likely that the gear I sell will get used more by a new owner. That would be the main reason for selling it.

I've given away almost ten cameras this year. Being able to buy them cheap and repair them is a lot of fun, and giving them away is a good way to start someone into film based photography. The latest is a Black Spotmatic that will replace one that a friend bought over 40 years ago that got used until it fell apart.

For today- trip to the Smithsonian. Now What Camera to Bring??? I do not think the Retina's have been to the Udvar Hazy.
 
YES, definitely agree. I have discovered that I take more and better pictures when I leave the camera bag at home... literally.

Nothing better than one camera with one lens in my hands, sticking it in the bag for a moment make me think about what lens and is it worth pulling it out.

As much as possible I grab just one camera, and stick maybe a spare lens in the pocket. For me this have brought better results.

.

Bo

www.bophoto.typepad.com
 
I think it's great to have a camera. It makes you/me more aware and adds a deeper appreciation to the world around us.
I have two minds on the subject. On one hand I totally agree that having one camera and one lens in the pinnacle of "Zen and the Art of Photography" TM. There is nothing finer when the right lens and focal length /aperture focus shutter speed perspective lighting and perspective and timing all converge to make the a perfect picture.
And than there are times when you see a perfect fisheye picture or lens that requires a super tele photo and you got a M3 with a 35 smmilux. You can't get them all.
One the other hand lately I v been carrying two D3 and a black bag of glass. Today Im going out with a Nikkor 8mm 2.8, 14-24 2.8, 28 1.4 D AF, 45 P.C 2.8 and my trusty 80-200 2.8 ED AIS . And in a small national Geographic bag I have Lecia M3 and M6. with 15 4, 21 4, 35 1.4, 50 1.0. and dozen rolls of film😀.
Im a big guy and don't mind the weight. carrying two bags(one on either side kind of balances me out🙂. For me wanting to shoot digital and film doubles my load, however when Im out in the field. I like my chances of getting the shot.
I think a lot has to do on what your subject/ location physical attributes and state of mind. And if Im shooting out of my car I often have one or more Nikkor telephoto's in the trunk or in the passenger seat ready to go. Oh, and tripod with two head( ball, wimberly) always in the trunk.

Then there are times when I just take one camera and one lens to a location and work the heck out of it with a single focal length. And yes I love those times . However truth be told, I will often go back again if I feel my gear has limited my view of the subject.
I just love photography and those I love and hang out with accept that a camera is part of who I am.

Gregory

www.rogaltacdesign@smugmug.com
 
Last edited:
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom