Less gear choice = Better results

bmattock said:
A semi-truck has dozens of gears. How on earth does a trucker choose which one to use? .....Please.
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Depends upon if he is loaded or not. The heavier they are loaded the more time it takes them to get up to speed. Skipping gears is not an option. You can in a car go from 1st to 3rd as long as you don't want to accelerate quickly.

Roger Hicks said:
My Land Rover has 16 forward and 4 reverse gears -- ...
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The is a real SUV made to pull itself or another vehicle out of the muck. You need a combination of talent and a well designed vehicle to do this. Sadly my wife had banned all manual transmissions so my sons will not start out learning to drive, just point and push.

35mmdelux said:
I dont know about your truck but many vehicles including the highest end autos have only one gear - its called automatic.
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Trust me you have more than one gear (unless it was listed above like the MiniCooper from BMW, at least her in the states), you just do not see it. Many cars have 1, 2 and D, mine has D1, D2, D3 and D, she's an automatic 5 speed.

Interesting side note, BMW had to change the computer in the Mini so it made slight bumps in what should be a smooth acceleration to make customers feel happy.

Not a good analogy to one lens or a bag full.

B2 (;->
 
You know, if you stare into the depths of your camera bag and are overcome with indecision and anxiety about the choices you face, then, perhaps, you ought to travel with less hardware.

On the other hand, if you get your jollies by riffing through two cameras and half a dozen lenses for each shot, go for it.

However, if you do lug about a lot of hardware and don't use it all, then it isn't helping you take better pictures. A lens that stays in the bag might as well stay at home.

Not being a professional, and given my walkabout style, I figure the chances that I'll stumble upon great shots with Camera A and Lens B are just as good as with Camera B and Lens A.
 
i like to carry 2 bodies with lenses attached.
i like not changing lenses on the go.
i like to grab the one with the wide when i want wide and to grab the one with the longer lens when i want long.

and sometimes i like to carry it all...

damn!
 
Bill,

OK - for the sake of argument, I actually politely disagree with your assessment of your chances of getting a good image is equal using camera A with lens B vs. your camera B with lens A.

I am convinced, that you right now, have a lens that every time you nail a shot with it, you are thinking.. wow, ya know I really like what this piece of glass do for my images... I like my results with this lens.

It is my conviction that if I were to chase you out on Hollywood blvd with one camera and one lens, a lens you tend to like, you are more likely to be productive, and respond much better to the constantly changing waves and moments of the blvd. Compared to standing in a constant wave of tourists rifling through your lenses wondering if you should try the 28 summarit v.2 next.

Removing the choices of lenses and focusing on a piece of glass which you already like... is likely to help you work the subject much better.

Im not knocking the bag of lenses, I have one, and I have paid my rent with a camera for over 20 years, so I know as well as any one that there is no substitute for the right choice when doing a job, paid or not, sometimes one gotta have the options to solve a assignment. Im just saying you are more likely to be productive in one environment with one lens (most of the time).:)

Bo

www.bophoto.typepad.com
 
Some people like to ride fixed gear bikes. That's one gear, with no free-wheeling. They may believe it makes them a better cyclist. Everyone is different, and that's okay.
 
bo_lorentzen said:
Bill,

It is my conviction that if I were to chase you out on Hollywood blvd with one camera and one lens, a lens you tend to like, you are more likely to be productive, and respond much better to the constantly changing waves and moments of the blvd.
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I don't think we've much of a disagreement, especially if "liking a lens more" translates to "more experience with that lens."

But, in my random way of blundering around without a plan or even a destination, I really don't know what I'm going to see next.
 
back alley said:
i'm writing a symphony...i'm only using one note.
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Yeah, but I'm just a guy walking around with a camera and a lens, mostly because I'm too lazy to carry more stuff. If I was working on a photographic symphony, I'd probably know what kind of images I needed, and, hence, what kind of camera and lens combination I needed for each sortie. And I certainly would work to a plan, rather than go on random walks (as obnoxious as I'd find that).

I'm just saying that, for me, usually I have no idea when I start out if I'm going to see things that merit a wide angle or a telephoto, or fast or slow lenses, or whatever. So, one camera and one lens is as likely to pay off as any other combination. Carrying more bodies and more lenses is a hassle that detracts from the fun. Whether or not that makes me take better pictures is, I think, something of a non sequitur.
 
why even use a camera? Ultimately, you should learn to be able to visualize the scene, and relate that to someone else or go back home and draw what you saw.

When even further enlightened, maybe even telepathically form the image to some medium or other being's memory ;)
 
:bang:

I can't believe that I just sat here and read through 7 pages of posts on less is more. I'm reminded of a tombstone I saw years ago that read:

Here lies Lester Moore
He died from four shots from a .44
No Les, No More.

Perhaps this thread will go the same route.

If less is better then I have been great for the past year, because I have carried no camera body and no lens. My world has not significantly changed, I still sell the same number of fine art photos as before (zero).

I have been wondering about my gear collection lately. I have thoughts questioning why on earth I need 3 8x10 cameras when 2 would be one more than I can shoot at a time.

But now that I have grandchildren I have unboxed the Minolta Autocord, the Nikon F3, the Leica IIIC, and a 5x7 Korona. All of these are specific tools for situations that I can either control to a degree or that I anticipate will occur. Do I have more than one lens for these cameras? Well, not the Autocord, but for all of the others YES!

Less is not more. More Is More. I am sure that my photos will continue to be at the same level of quality (Good, Bad, and Ugly) regardless of the quantity of equipment I carry.

Should everyone use one camera and one lens or carry a boatload with them? I don't know and more importantly I don't care.

Wayne
 
wgerrard said:
Yeah, but I'm just a guy walking around with a camera and a lens, mostly because I'm too lazy to carry more stuff. If I was working on a photographic symphony, I'd probably know what kind of images I needed, and, hence, what kind of camera and lens combination I needed for each sortie. And I certainly would work to a plan, rather than go on random walks (as obnoxious as I'd find that).

I'm just saying that, for me, usually I have no idea when I start out if I'm going to see things that merit a wide angle or a telephoto, or fast or slow lenses, or whatever. So, one camera and one lens is as likely to pay off as any other combination. Carrying more bodies and more lenses is a hassle that detracts from the fun. Whether or not that makes me take better pictures is, I think, something of a non sequitur.
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sorry bill, my comment wasn't directed at you (i would have quoted you). it was a general comment about setting limits.
 
back alley said:
sorry bill, my comment wasn't directed at you (i would have quoted you). it was a general comment about setting limits.
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No problem.

I agree that setting artificial limits, by itself, isn't going to make anyone a better photographer. It can, however, compel someone to gain more time with whatever hardware they decide to carry. Whether or not that makes for better pictures depends on many other variables, as well.

I'm not sure that owning multiple cameras and lenses, but choosing to carry only one of each on a typical outing, is much of a limitation. If I'm going to be spending the day in an old European city with narrow, shadowed streets, I'll use a lens that I'd be unlikely to choose for a day in the mountains. Sure, I'm limited because I can't reach into my bag and choose from several other lenses, but neither am I burdened by that bag. For me, it's a fair trade off.

Besides, if I'm a bad photographer with one camera and one lens, I'm still a bad photographer with two cameras and six lenses.
 
back alley said:
i'm writing a symphony...i'm only using one note.
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In the spirit of this analogy, I'm a composer who writes a symphony. I'm also a mediocre musician. What will make my piece better?

[ ] A. More notes
[ ] B. More instruments
[ ] C. Learning to be a better musician

Pick 1.
And "D. All of the above" is a delusion, not an option.
 
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