JeffS7444
Well-known
I don't know of any real "cure" for GAS, but I've gotten better at recognizing when I'm in it's grasp: Awareness that I've been through this many times before is often enough to weaken GAS's hold on me, at least enough to allow me to "sleep on it", because the passage of time can be another powerful GAS-reliever.
In general if you take care to balance things so that there's more stuff leaving your life (except money!) than coming in, I figure you'll get to where you need to be. Yes it's much easier and more fun to buy than it is to sell, but that's just how it goes. In 2020, I sold around 10K USD worth of stuff that I had cluttering my life. Which was a real surprise to me because I wouldn't have guessed that I had so much money tied up in dust-catchers.
In general if you take care to balance things so that there's more stuff leaving your life (except money!) than coming in, I figure you'll get to where you need to be. Yes it's much easier and more fun to buy than it is to sell, but that's just how it goes. In 2020, I sold around 10K USD worth of stuff that I had cluttering my life. Which was a real surprise to me because I wouldn't have guessed that I had so much money tied up in dust-catchers.
agentlossing
Well-known
Plenty of people will say there's no harm in collecting, as long as you can pay the bills, etc. I'd say, there can be some harm, but it depends on what you're looking to get out of your cameras. For instance, my gear theory is that certain cameras have personalities of their own, either for optics, or sensor processing, or the way they work or fit in pockets or feel or whatever. If there's enough of that special something that the camera inspires me to produce results that would be different with another camera, and it's a result that I like, then I can justify keeping and using it.
HOWEVER, if I acquire too many of those kinds, of either cameras or lenses or whatever, then I will bounce around from one to another and never really learn the ins and outs of that piece of gear, learn to make it really sing. That's when I'm hurting myself by hanging onto so much stuff, and I need to either learn the gear really well, or pass it along.
So if you collect cameras because they're a cool thing to collect, that's fine. If you delude yourself in to thinking that you need them or get any real use out of owning dozens of the things, then that's another story. If you want to get the gear to sing in your hands, then you probably need to be pretty ruthless about what you keep.
HOWEVER, if I acquire too many of those kinds, of either cameras or lenses or whatever, then I will bounce around from one to another and never really learn the ins and outs of that piece of gear, learn to make it really sing. That's when I'm hurting myself by hanging onto so much stuff, and I need to either learn the gear really well, or pass it along.
So if you collect cameras because they're a cool thing to collect, that's fine. If you delude yourself in to thinking that you need them or get any real use out of owning dozens of the things, then that's another story. If you want to get the gear to sing in your hands, then you probably need to be pretty ruthless about what you keep.
agentlossing
Well-known
retinax
Well-known
Yup. I've observed I'm myself that GAS is often way to channel other desires when resignation kicks in. In many ways it's the result of a loss of perspective, purpose, and hope; then we resort to the fall back option, the default way to get what we want in this society: buying. Not saying that desiring gear is pathological per se, but if you feel it's excessive, it probably is.
Out to Lunch
Ventor
Agreed, GAS is a poor substitute for fulfillment. It affected me the most when I was working around the clock and had no time to take pictures. Cheers, OtL
Freakscene
Obscure member
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
The following is a general comment, not aimed at anyone specifically. Just quoting the above as a starting point.
It just isn’t that hard to get the most out of a camera or lens, nor does it take an inordinate amount of time to get there for any specific camera. People sell themselves short by being overly willing to believe they “can’t”. It’s literally not rocket science.
As much as we like to say that “a better camera won’t make you a better photographer(true), it’s odd to hear people saying, in effect, that a camera, simply by virtue of being a different one, can hold you back, somehow.
It’s photography itself that takes time, years, but once that’s been done, adapting completely from one body or lens to another, and getting everything out of them that they have to give isn’t difficult. They’re different, and have different things to offer, but it doesn’t take that long to learn what those different things are, and how to best exploit them.
Cameras are mechanical objects with limits, lenses are physical/optical objects with properties. They’re eminently learnable and it hardly takes a lifetime. Filmstocks and their interactions with developers that takes a while. Sensors and learning their capabilities, that takes a while.
But, cameras and lenses are pretty easy to pick up and master. People should not be discouraged from trying by being told that they are unlikely to ever be as good of a photographer as they can be if they have too many tools in their arsenal. It’s hard to see that this makes sense even on the level of simple logic. A legitimate analogy is competitive driving. A formula One car is very different from an Indy car is different from a Nascar stock car, but a good driver, one who has long ago learned the encompassing skill of driving (photography) can get up to speed in a completely different type of car in fairly short order. If he was better in an F1 car, he’ll probably be better in an Indycar as well. And those differences are several orders of magnitude more profound than differences between cameras.
They’re just tools, though most offer something different, they’re not that difficult to completely master. If someone isn’t producing great photography it isn’t because he has too many tools, it’s because he’s just not a great photographer. A carpenter who owns both a claw hammer and a ball peen hammer won’t mysteriously open up avenues to making better cabinets by selling off one of the hammers. Neither will a photographer. That’s some sort of magical thinking. Cameras and lenses are not that much more difficult to get a handle on than hammers or screwdrivers, for most people of average intelligence.
On the other hand, there are people who think loading a Barnack is difficult, and I can’t understand that either. People quit too soon.
Bottom line, anyone here can get everything out of any camera or lens it is capable of producing if they take a small amount of time to get to know it’s foibles. But if you think, in advance, that you can’t then you probably won’t.
Just not that hard.
Own what you want, don’t let someone convince you it’s a moral issue. But the flipside of that is that Marie Kondo is probably right. If something doesn’t “give you joy”, it’s out of here. Don’t hang onto stuff just to hang onto it. IMO.
My problem is that I have too many cameras from a practical standpoint, yet they all “give me Joy.”
Stuck between Scylla and Charybdis.
Having a lot of equipment that you keep and use for photography is not GAS though. When your focus is the accumulation of cameras and photography is a distant second, that’s GAS. The only thing that satisfies that is more gear.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
Well, yeah. I guess those people might be out there, I just don’t know any. That sounds like a caricature. Though my not knowing any doesn’t prove anything.
Most people I know just buy something in the honest, if vain, hope it will help them produce better photos. It doesn’t work so they buy something else. They are not mentally ill, which is kind of how “focused on accumulation” sounds. I think, for most people, their motivations are probably purer than that even if they do buy more than they need.
But, again, maybe there are more hobbyists out there with unapproved motivations than I am aware of.
JeffS7444
Well-known
I figure it's natural to sometimes feel bored, restless, and feel that there's a certain Something lacking in your life. But rather than overflow one's closets, enclosed garages and self-storage units with attempts to fill this void, maybe it's better just to let yourself be bored and restless.
Andrea Taurisano
il cimento
Many good points you make above, Larry. Not sure if others can relate to this modest contribution, but my GAS has actually been driven by something else than the assumption (or delusion) that new gear = better photos. Not directly at least.
I have always believed - and still believe - that the "sensorial pleasure" afforded me by a specific camera or lens in fact makes me more likely to have it close by, bringing it along when out on a walk etc. And THAT, through more regular shooting and more photos overall, may indeed give a few better photos, not because the piece of gear itself does.
Another point is that different cameras and lenses, with their qualities and quirks, lend themselves better or worse to different tasks or approaches in photography. In that sense, trying different types of cameras or lenses does broaden a photographer's horizons and experiences. For some - but not necessarily all or most photographers - this "trying out stuff" may be a distraction, and for them sticking to the one combo that best fits their need is perhaps a smarter idea.
agentlossing
Well-known
Maybe true that film cameras often aren't complex enough to be a barrier to mastery unless you put a lot of time and effort into learning them - I'll give you that. But film cameras use a "generic" "processor" and that's the film stock. I think you should learn a film stock well in order to really exploit its unique traits.
With a digital camera, they ARE complex and sometimes, if you try to force a certain performance, look and feel, whatever you're used to out of a completely different digital camera, you'll stunt yourself with that camera. I think digital cameras often have a steep learning curve to getting them to perform at their best. Mind you, if the camera is an iteration in a line you're familiar with, such as going from a Panasonic M4/3 model to another, that's a very minor change and odds are the menus, design, output etc are basically the same. But go from a Fuji to a Leica or a Panasonic to a Pentax (as I did) and it takes a while.
So, all collectors are mentally ill? I have to state that I have no problem with someone else’s GAS, so it’s not a caricature at all. I know some people like this and this site has some too. However, the question was still asked and we are answering...
Franko
Established
There's something about spring that brings mine on. Regular as March or April, Ebay has my attention. I've looked at everything from half-frame to TLRs this time but have fought it off once more. A session of print spotting cures the half-frame wants fairly fast and I'd have to buy a 6x6 capable scanner to get back into 120, so there you go. The only suggestion I can offer is to ditch all your gadget bags. If it can't go in a pocket or small belt bag it ain't going with me at all.
Godfrey
somewhat colored
I'm not a collector, I'm an accreter. I have a lot of gear, usually the result of trying things out for a while and then moving on to other ideas.
I've given up worrying about it, or putting any pressure on the notion of having to reduce the gear I have. I sell some things, occasionally. I have more than i need so I don't tend to buy much at this point. I don't know how many cameras and lenses I have, all I know is that the closet is mostly full. It doesn't matter.
I'm happy to give a camera, occasionally, to someone who shows an interest and wants to use it, and particularly if I am not using it. That happens once in a while. I also handle selling and giving away equipment that friends have when they don't want it any more. E.G.: One of my dear older friends is at the point where he just would like that all the camera stuff he accreted over the years would be enjoyed by someone else rather than go into the trash, and I am helping him distribute it to people who'd care for it and use it. It's rewarding.
In my own photography, I'm more concerned now with making a couple of photos every so often that I like.
3YR Barrel @ Vena Cava - Guadalupe Valley, Mexico 2021
Voigtländer Perkeo II
Ilford HP5
ISO 320 @ f/4 @ 1/2 sec
Onwards! G
I've given up worrying about it, or putting any pressure on the notion of having to reduce the gear I have. I sell some things, occasionally. I have more than i need so I don't tend to buy much at this point. I don't know how many cameras and lenses I have, all I know is that the closet is mostly full. It doesn't matter.
I'm happy to give a camera, occasionally, to someone who shows an interest and wants to use it, and particularly if I am not using it. That happens once in a while. I also handle selling and giving away equipment that friends have when they don't want it any more. E.G.: One of my dear older friends is at the point where he just would like that all the camera stuff he accreted over the years would be enjoyed by someone else rather than go into the trash, and I am helping him distribute it to people who'd care for it and use it. It's rewarding.
In my own photography, I'm more concerned now with making a couple of photos every so often that I like.
3YR Barrel @ Vena Cava - Guadalupe Valley, Mexico 2021
Voigtländer Perkeo II
Ilford HP5
ISO 320 @ f/4 @ 1/2 sec
Onwards! G
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
I'd agree with all of that, and yes for film stocks and digital sensor iterations it takes a while, sometimes a good while. But, after spending the time, it's done. My only reason for posting was to offer a counterpoint to the idea, and I have heard it for years, that having more than one camera, or having "too many" cameras will prevent you from becoming a good photographer, or the best you can be, somehow. In the very short term, maybe, but over the long term that's unlikely because the equipment itself is all learnable and.....not that hard. Plus, there is always a sense of accomplishment at mastering a new tool, even if it takes a while.
I just don't think people should be scared off from acquiring different tools by the idea that it will somehow limit them.
Larry Cloetta
Veteran
I so did not say that, which I am pretty sure most people understood.
But, to clarify, as was pointed out earlier by others, buying things just to buy things without a goal of use, does not seem particularly healthy. And having a "focus on the accumulation of cameras" instead of photography which is what I thought your words were, that sounded like hoarding to me, which would be a form of mental illness. I was replying to your description.
So, no, I don't think, and was not implying, that "all collectors are mentally ill". Perhaps we are just disagreeing on the definition of terms. To me a camera collector is someone who collects cameras mostly for use and/or because of their mechanical beauty. Collectors by that definition are not focussed on "accumulating", for the sake of accumulating; that sounds like hoarding. So, maybe that is not what you meant, that's just what I read.
Yokosuka Mike
Abstract Clarity
Well said.
The ability to be bored is a good thing. I think creativity is the child of boredom. When I ride the train I see so many people scrolling through their smartphones to stave off boredom. I don't do that, I just sit there and think, look out the window, look at other people; I use my mind to entertain myself. From that usually comes ideas for things to do.
I'm probably not saying any of this very well, but I think boredom is much better than buying things to entertain oneself. Good things can come from being bored, and it's a lot cheaper too!
All the best,
Mike
Pál_K
Cameras. I has it.
For me, I know I can make reasonably nice photos with nearly any camera which allows some sort of creative control. I know that buying different or more cameras doesn’t change my creativity or skill.
What I do know is that I’m fascinated with them as mechanical objects and I love seeing how different manufacturers offered different ways to essentially accomplish the same goal. For example, I like how the viewfinder displays change on a Canon F-1N depending on what mode you’re in. I like the craftsmanship and functionality of the combination self-timer, mirror-lockup, DOF-preview switch on the Canon FTb, I like the slow speeds and delay speeds on an Exakta VX, and so on and so on.
Maybe that’s why I’m an engineer - I just like how objects work and how much variety there is in the designs. That’s one of the reasons why, in addition to cameras, I have mechanical watches, guns, musical instruments, cars...
The good thing is that my cameras don’t need to justify their existence for me to keep them. I have them simply because I like them and I can use any one of them to make photos. I don’t have any bills which are unpaid because of them; there is no reason or need to sell any or need to “de-GAS” because they are a pleasure to own, not a problem.
What I do know is that I’m fascinated with them as mechanical objects and I love seeing how different manufacturers offered different ways to essentially accomplish the same goal. For example, I like how the viewfinder displays change on a Canon F-1N depending on what mode you’re in. I like the craftsmanship and functionality of the combination self-timer, mirror-lockup, DOF-preview switch on the Canon FTb, I like the slow speeds and delay speeds on an Exakta VX, and so on and so on.
Maybe that’s why I’m an engineer - I just like how objects work and how much variety there is in the designs. That’s one of the reasons why, in addition to cameras, I have mechanical watches, guns, musical instruments, cars...
The good thing is that my cameras don’t need to justify their existence for me to keep them. I have them simply because I like them and I can use any one of them to make photos. I don’t have any bills which are unpaid because of them; there is no reason or need to sell any or need to “de-GAS” because they are a pleasure to own, not a problem.
agentlossing
Well-known
I agree, like many things in life it just takes a bit of self-discipline, it can be pretty easy to get stuck in a mindset of constant "upgrading" if you listen to the camera-review online press and I've seen plenty of people who have been stuck in that mentality - but I suspect most forum users here are more mature with their craft than that.