Saw my first Sony RX1 Yesterday - A little rant

[mgermana]

I'm reminded of one of my favorite bits from the late, great George Carlin: "Anyone who drives slower than you is an idiot; anyone who drives faster than you is a maniac." I guess the same applies to gear: the only person who has the proper amount of gear given his or her income is you. 😉

I'll admit I'm envious of just about anyone with an M Monochrom and/or a Noctilux regardless of age or ability. But whenever I see young people engaging in creative endeavors, no matter how cheap or expensive their tools, my faith in society's future is affirmed.

 

[Rodchenko]

I'm not envious of someone with an RX-1. It's a lovely camera, and I'm sure they will have fun taking photographs with it, but I don't want one myself.

Sure, I'd envy someone with a Monochrom, but good luck to those who have them.

 

[msbarnes]

haha since we are on the topics of envy.

I am envious of people who have their own darkroom.

 

[benlees]

Envy is pretty natural. My dogs will ignore a bone for weeks; as soon as one of 'em chews on it the other one wants it. C'est la vie. Correlating success with money; and in part, expensive gear with being serious is a more interesting topic. Wish we had one of those popcorn emoticons...

 

[bwcolor]

I'm envious of the photographer who makes images that are light years better than mine - and with a simple, inexpensive camera.

So, what makes this 'envy' vs. 'admire', or 'appreciate'? Is it just the wishing for the same skill/talent? If so, I envy most people for one reason or another and long ago accepted that there were those that better me. I've now learned to appreciate, or admire many of these same people. The latter approach sits better with me and keeps the blues away.

The other side of things are people that I resent. These tend to be people that I perceive as taking advantage by exploiting others. I've yet to find a positive turn to this one. I think that my best inoculation for this one are a couple of biblical parables regarding finding fault in others. I don't consider myself a Christian, but there sure are some good lessons to be had from that and many other traditions.

 

[SteveM(PA)]

i think if I were 18 and unaccountable to anyone, with a couple empty credit cards, I just might have myself one of those 🙂

 

[Rayt]

When I was 18 years old I owned a les Paul deluxe.
If ya would've tried to take it from me I would've slit your throat.
An 18 year old girl with an rx1? I'd give her wide berth. (lol)

When I was 17 I bought a brand new Les Paul Custom. While still in high school I worked 20 hours a week and then full time during the Summer. It took me 4 months to save up enough. I came from poor immigrant parents but today my kids have it better and if they show talent in photography or any discipline then I would support financially to a certain degree.

 

[apostasiometritis]

Oddly enough, I remember having quite a bit more cash around when I was 18.

Family life is difficult and hard at times, I would never spend that much money on kit again.

Different priorities, I just cannot see why I should be spending that much, better go on holidays etc.

I started with a Leica M4-P that still have and funny enough I now shoot Zorkis and an X-10 most of the time.

 

[lcpr]

So THAT explains all the people staring daggers at me on the Tube recently! 😛

It's not hard for the average young person with a job to accumulate enough cash to buy an expensive camera, especially if they sacrifice other things such as eating out or clubbing. If I saw that girl I'd would've asked her how she likes the camera - then you could've found out if she's serious about photography or had particularly well off parents!

 

[Godfrey]

Not sure I know what the issue is, Keith.

• At age 9, I bought my first adjustable camera: a Minolta 16Ps.
• At age 12, my grandfather loaned me his Rolleiflex TLR and my mother loaned me her Argus C3. They were what I used for the next year.
• At age 13, I bought a Nikon F. My grandfather loaned me his Linhof 23 Teknica. Half a year later, I bought my first two Leica RFs.

This was all with my own money, either saved allowance ($5 a week from age 9 until I had my own income) or from the profits I made on my newspaper delivery route and other odd jobs. Photography was already my passion, so I spent my money on photography.

And on lunch, and on school commute transportation. Life was cheaper then.

G

 

[Turtle]

I'm very happy to see anyone using expensive/pro equipment, because they are a large part of the market. We all benefit through a larger economy of scale and reduced prices etc. Everyone a winner!

 

[konicaman]

When I hear middle-aged guys (like myself) bragging about how they got rich by hard work, I always ask them: Whose work?

Jokes aside - I like it when young people are enthusiastic about what they do and the tools they use, be it a tennis racket, a computer or a camera - no matter who paid for it, and as long as they didn't steal it 😉

 

[mugent]

It's a bit cynical to assume that a young person with an expensive camera got it from his/her parents. More likely that person worked hard to be able to afford it.

Agreed. I bought my first apartment when I was 19 (mortaged of course), no help from parents, I just started work early and saved my money.
I'm a saver by nature, I don't smoke, drive one of the cheapest used cars I could find, maybe this girl did the same?
Maybe this young lady worked hard for her camera, maybe she had generous parents, there isn't anything wrong with either, in fact, in these economically troubled times, we should encourage the wealthy to spend, not just hoard cash.

 

[tarullifoto]

... Lucky girl to have wealthy parents I thought.

When I was 18, I received my first "real" camera as a combined holiday, birthday present. A Minolta SRT101. Even in today's money, the price of that camera would nowhere approach the price of the RX1.

Reading this, I have to confess that my initial reaction was the same. Thinking about it further, though, I realized that I wasn't being fair.

Back in 1990, I was 19. About that time, I spent $700 on a Meucci pool cue. Today, that works out to about $1200. Over the next couple of years, I probably blew over $2000 in savings playing and practicing straight pool, 8-ball, and 9-ball.

I paid for it by working hard, but living at home sure made it easier.

Back then, I had a Pentax K1000 with the excellent 50mm kit lens, but unfortunately, that was at a time when my interest in photography had waned.

Had I been wiser in my 20s, I would have invested in an M6 (or, knowing what I know now, a mint M2-R) and a 35mm Summicron. Twenty-three years on, I have a mortgage, a wife and a young daughter, numerous other commitments, and I can't afford an RX1, much less the M240 I'd so love to have.

That girl, and the teens and 20-somethings who posted here in response, should be congratulated. You guys have made a great move, even if it brooks some sideways glances from the older set.

You've got yourselves some great gear that will bring you years of satisfaction. Go out, and make good use of it. Well done!

 

[kbg32]

Interesting to read the comments, some nasty, that this post elicited. I was not making any comment on young people with expensive equipment.

The issue? She saw I was looking at the camera and she unfolded her arms to give me a better view, with a look on her face that said, " Ha ha. Look what I've got." I tried talking to her, extremely politely I might add, one photographer to another, but she ignored me. I never had a reaction by a "photographer" like that before.

Big deal right?

BTW - I have worked steadily since I was 12 years old. Back then, one so young needed a permit to work. First in a bakery, then a warehouse packing spices and unloading trucks, and finally, as house painter. This was all after school and on weekends. I supported myself through college and grad school. My parents were of extreme modest means and "bought" me the camera, because I was saving for school. I was interested in photography, and since I was working so much, they wanted to give me something special, to somehow be part of my chosen career path.

Since then, I have bought and paid for every piece of equipment I've ever owned.

The day I saw that girl in the subway, It was pouring rain, she was dripping wet, and her camera was unprotected. This lead me to believe, she didn't buy it herself. Especially for one so young, acting the way she did.

I bought my first Leica back in 1977. A real beater of a M3 with an equally used Canon 50/1.8 Serenar. I treated it well. I paid for it. I was in college and if something should happen, I would not be able to afford another for quite some time.

Big deal, right?

 

[Paddy C]

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

 

[Keith]

If I see an eighteen year old driving a compact hatch or similar in effect I'm probably looking at somethng that is worth several times the cost of an RX1 and I would never assume it was something that was 'bought' for them ... and if it was good luck to them!

Maybe this girl's parents bought her this camera ... maybe they didn't. Maybe the earth really is flat?

 

[shadowfox]

haha since we are on the topics of envy.

I am envious of people who have their own darkroom.

That's a good envy.
Because you can't buy a darkroom, the only way to cure that is to build your own 🙂

 

[shadowfox]

"Comparison is the thief of joy"

President Theodore Roosevelt.

 

[nanthor]

I don't envy anyone their gear, whether they bought it or it was a present. What I do envy is the photographer's "eye" that some have, the ability to take a great photo, make a great composition, etc. All the nice gear in the world can't buy that for me. Drat.