Photography or Cameras? What would you give up?

Photography or Cameras? What would you give up?

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    218
I'd give up my gear BUT instead of choosing a camera to keep I'd have to decide what kind of photography I want to keep doing. I do several genres of photography very seriously and each of my diverse set of cameras caters to a different aspect. But your poll made me think of the kinds of photography that are most important to me:

#1 - Landscape, abstracts etc - Mostly the kind of photography that calls for a slow and precise apporach - Almost all in BW - My Shen-Hao and three lenses would suffice.

#2 - Macro photography - I have a fetish for photographing dew covered insects at dawn - really 🙂 ! My F3 with DW-4 finder. The 100mm macro, a few tubes, reversed enlarger lenses and if you will allow me, the 180mm too. I used to do handheld stuff with SLRs too, but now use mostly RFs - so I am selling off the 24 and 50 Nikkors.

PS: for both of the above, my beloved Gitzo is essential.

#3 - Street - handheld, spur of the moment, HCB wannabe stuff 🙂 - I used to use a bunch of fixed lens RFs and FSU bodies. I am in the process of moving to a Bessa and a couple of LTM lenses. Might keep one Fed as backup. Everything else is being sold off in the classifieds.

#4 - Pinhole - my extreme wideangle modified holga that I made myself - this is perhaps my most precious camera 🙂 Please, please let me keep it.

Those are the main kinds of photography I do. All my cameras are geared towards very specific applications and I don't think I could do any other kind of photography with any of the sets.

Some passing things I do and could easily give up would include some handheld flash photography and walkaround shooting with TLRs. Nice, but by no means essential. "Simplify, simplify" as Thoureau said. Well, at least your poll made me sort it all out.

-Anupam
 
I've kind of given up "collecting" as there is nothing else I might want that I can afford. If you don't mind, I will continue to fondle thank you. I may even use some to the gear I have on occassion. Or... maybe not.

Regardless, I wouldn't want to give up any of the cameras. Actually, maybe a 4x5 I bought to get the lens with it. I sure don't need three of those cameras. But I do like to fondle and even though I don't photograph so much these days, I do like it.

Point being, how do I answer the poll which as several have pointed out, seems to give only choices that are not acceptable to me? Almost like asking a man a "yes or no" question, does he still beats his wife.

Raid, statistican you may well be, but I would submit, not a pollster? 😀 😀

Still, if nothing else, you have created an attention getting thread.
 
A collector buys rare things or things that he or she wants to preserve it's present or pristine condition. So I guess is that respect, I'm not a collector. If it's too valuable and rare to shoot it, I don't want it.

Also, I don't like the choices for this poll. One camera? Why? Plenty of photographer have more than one camera.
 
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I hope none of us ever have to make this choice. But if pushed, I'd give up the collection, and stick with my chrome MP and my pre-aspherical 35 Summicron with round vemted hood, Luigi lower case and strap, and TA softie.

And when that time does come, watch the RFF Classifieds...
 
raid said:
If you choose photography over collecting, this implies that you don't mind selling off most of you already have collected.

Raid
Click to expand...

That would be a false assumption as I use all my cameras. It also implies photographers are collectors too, which is also a false assumption. Third, it is not much of a choice for me as I don't collect.
 
Finder: Many RFF members collect cameras and also engage in photography. In fact, I would suggest that the majority of RFF members fall into such a category in way or another.

Raid
 
Well, at some point (way off, mehopes), I'll have to give up both...🙄

But I'd obviously lose all but one of the cameras before giving up the reason for having them in the first place, which, I think, is the crux of the consternation surrounding this poll: I would guess there's little of the Ferrari-in-the-living-room stuff going on here; one camera rarely, if ever, covers a a truly itinerant photographer's wants and needs. It's the reason why, even though I do a good 80% of my shooting with RFs, I still have a pair of pocket p/s cameras (one decent, one great), an old SLR, and even a pocket digicam (and, who knows, maybe even a TLR soon...anybody got a nice Autocord for not much dough?). You needn't be a "collector" to own a handful of cameras, nor have a closetfull of bodies and glass to be a collector. And, other than their propensity to drive up prices of certain brands of gear, I see no reason to diss collectors for being more into the gear than the images said gear can make (though I still say they don't know what they're missing 🙂). This "town" is, indeed, "big enough for the both of us."


- Barrett
 
This Forum has it name from a Camera Kind, so the accent is there.
Perhaps a name related to Photography itself would be a diferent thing.
Anyway you can write and talk about what you like, there is no better way!

Ernesto
 
IIRC, when someone votes in an old poll thread, the thread then cycles up to the front page.

And I second what Gabriel said. If I stop collecting with say 10 cameras, which one do I then use? Do I have to sell the rest? Inquiring minds want to know...
 
I don't collect, really. My gear flows from the hands of other users to me, and flows away again when I need the money. Most of the time the only thing lost is money for postage costs, whereas the gains in experience and enjoyment I get are tremendous.

Clarence
 
Since I could not vote for giving up photography, I had to vote for, “Give Up Collecting (stick with one camera).”

However, I am a camera user not a camera collector. There is nothing wrong with being a camera collector—I just am not one. For example, I once had to sell two cameras because the collectors had driven the price so high, that I was afraid to use them for fear of devaluing them. I sold them for a profit and bought something I could use.

If I were forced to “stick with one camera,” to prove that I was not a collector, it would not be a rangefinder. I would stick with an SLR with interchangeable lenses (medium format film SLR or digital SLR).

If I were forced to “stick with one camera,” that I already own, it stick with my battery-independent manual/mechanical film SLR.

If I were forced to get rid of all my cameras and forbidden to buy any, rather than give up photography, I would start from scratch and build two large-format pinhole cameras (one with a flat film plane and one with a curved film plane).
 
I don't collect camera gear for its intinsic value or asthetic. I buy it for its usability. At the same time, I love old and/or unique/well made equipment becaue of the pleasure I derive from using it and learing about it. Leica/other RF gear is inspiring when one reflects on the thought, precision and pride used to manufacture the items. It's not likely I will buy anymore 35mm bodies or lenses (unless its something appealing and very cheap). I have all the Leica/35mm gear I could ever really want. I know at some point I will buy an M/F or L/F camera (will also need a new enlarger, etc.) I sometimes think of selling my 75 'lux because I don't use it a lot. Does that make me a collector? I know it'll come in handy and produce wonderful results as I become more comfortable with it. My 1st Leica lens purchase was a chrome 35 lux asph. I didn't know it would rise in value. Does keeping it make a collector? I still use it often. I have a Canon 135 LTM that's been used 3 times. Does leaving it on my shelf make me a collector? My books and prints are a different story. I've paid high prices for some. Not so for others. I keep them in plastic sleeves and in frames on the wall. They inspire and teach me to continue w/ photography even I don't feel like a great photographer. The point is I have fun and the hobby adds to my life. People should be allowed to do as they please without being criticized for it, be it taking bad photos or collecting gear.
 
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I have five cameras for five different usages.

No duplication at all.

Not as pure as 'one camera' for sure, but it is one camera for each purpose I require.
 
one camera for sure why have the damn things if you don't use them? Never understood the whole collecting thing I collect alot of things but I use them as well whether its cars, video games, or cameras.
 
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