Frank,
Gear head ? Hmm, this euphemism was invented by some of those who are concerned I suppose !!! 😀 😀
actuallly "THE gear head " does not exist IMO, as always in real life each category contains sub-categories, some negative and annoying, some quite the opposite.
The possession of a bunch of equipment does say NOTHING about a person, excepted that he had the money to buy it.
Decisive questions however are WHY did he buy the stuff and what does he DO with that stuff ??
There are some who own a bunch different (!) cameras and use them all, each for it's purpose or for the special results it produces. As Frank or Manolo have said above. I know others who own much more stuff but use still it all, and they achiev e wonderful results which prove they are very good photogs, no matter what loads of glass and cameras they own.
All the rest was meant when I said "euphemism" !! 😀
Some are collectors only, they are harmless and mostly friendly folks who earn our
sympathy,because the suffer from an uncontrollable addiction, which will ruin them sooner or later . These folks are happy with the possesion of their gems, keep their mouth shut and don't bother anybody. Salvete Morituri ! 😀 😀
Then there are collectors who find it embarrassing to suffer from such a kind of addiction and therefore they pick a camera from the shelf sometimes , go out and burn a roll of film, but keeping both eyes closed while pressing the shutter, because they are not interested at all in the reality which is to be seen in the finder.
To some of them sometimes happen funny things, I know one who bought a CV Heliar 3.5/50 just because he meant Iit would be nice to have it, and when he went out for shooting he left the lens collapsed and complained later at the top of the voice what fuzzy pics this lens produces. 😀 True story !
And exactly there is the limit where the annoying part begins. That's when collectors and fondlers begin to state they are photogs, present their care- and thoughtlessly taken photos to the public and bother others with technical and artistical pseudo knowledge read in manuals books catalogs or funny websites put up especially for folks like them .
Worse is if they begin to take part at artistical discussions and want to critizise other (real) photogs photos, seldom funny, mostly annoying.
Worst however is when status shall play a roll too, if people buy photo stuff to replace bad or no sex with expensive gear or to support their image of a rich and well established person for their largely virtual existence on photo sites in the web.
Unfortunately the very much money one can spend on gear attracts a lot of those who mix it all up, and the most expensive makes among the expensive ones attract the very most sick people.
This kind of people are a true PIA and often enuff I was at a point where I said it's enuff now, I quit at all forums, over and out.
I did not do it because I learned in time not to take part a a certain part of the community life of several forums, taking the good stuff only.
To answer finally the question now:
Yes, most of the threads deal with gear, so what ? This is a place for technical discussions and information interchange too. Ti makes the forum beein a wothful platform, for Rf shooters almost a portal, and If the platform is not abused by some the special birds I mentioned above technics are btw a less dangerous issue than the mine fields of artistical or philosophical discussions
But no, I don't believe that the Porsche - and Rolex- Lomographists have hijacked RFF yet, not at all.
Best proof for me is the book project, a wild bunch of 105 photogs will contribute with their work , much more wanted to take part but came to late. I don' think this could happen in a "gear-head" forum ? Neither the idea nor the response to it. 🙂
Regards,
Bertram
