the joy of choice

[Red Robin]

Years ago my bag was packed with a large assortment of body's, lens, film, flashes as well as "other stuff " I might need. I only use film, so each day I try to predict my needs and if I do carry more than two focal lengths a small leather pouch carrys the extra. Here in Fla. heat is a consideration, a walk down town becomes much more pleasant with less weight. I do confess that a small OLY tough is always on the hip just in case.

 

[zsas]

Joe - I think it is great you have found a nice balance! Many folks take a while to find the optimal setup! Some can do it with one, some two and three setups, but at the end of the day, if you use charcoals, latex, oli and water paints (err Sony, Epson, Leica, etc...) and you have a body of art you are happy with; that is a outstaning accomplishment! Think we are are looking for our muse(s) to accomplish what we are looking for in this wonderful art of photography! Liked your post, though some might internalize it and consider the numbers of systems and brands you discuss, at the end of the day we are trying to figure out the balance....tis a joy! Think your post is a nice reflective one which asks us to wonder if we are there yet. As for me, I'm looking to downsize...this post is making me really wonder if I need X or Y...and for that I thank you!
Andy

 

[Tejasican]

Joe, I think I know what you mean. I'm very pro-choice.

...can I say that here?

I think here of all places it is appropriate, after all in our photography we are able to be pro-choice (digital, film, lenses, bodies) and pro-life (taking pictures that touch the soul of life one of Joe's street shots comes immediately to mind) all at the same time.

Joe, it is fantastic that you are finding your balance.

 

[back alley]

Joe - I think it is great you have found a nice balance! Many folks take a while to find the optimal setup! Some can do it with one, some two and three setups, but at the end of the day, if you use charcoals, latex, oli and water paints (err Sony, Epson, Leica, etc...) and you have a body of art you are happy with; that is a outstaning accomplishment! Think we are are looking for our muse(s) to accomplish what we are looking for in this wonderful art of photography! Liked your post, though some might internalize it and consider the numbers of systems and brands you discuss, at the end of the day we are trying to figure out the balance....tis a joy! Think your post is a nice reflective one which asks us to wonder if we are there yet. As for me, I'm looking to downsize...this post is making me really wonder if I need X or Y...and for that I thank you!
Andy

i think a very large part of this is that i am finally becoming comfortable with my images.
i can't say if they are great art or not...but i am liking my stuff more now than i have ever liked it before.

 

[gb hill]

I went out today with the Bessa R & 50/1.5. The CV35/2.5 was at close reach in the bag. As I was walking I wished I has my (new to me) Pentax SPII with a 35/3.5. I've found I'm pretty comfortable with 2 camera's. When I'm out on a walk I see some things I'd like to shoot and a rangefinder just wont do. It's nice to have a choice in my photography.

 

[Keith]

My last couple of outings have been with my OM-1 and 35mm f2 Zuiko ... with the 50mm and 85mm in a bag but mostly left in the car. Walking into a photographic situation with just that one camera and single focal length has it's advantages!

 

[denizg7]

Not sure what this thread is really about but anyway;

I feel like once you buy yourself the camera body you want , and after using it for such a long period of time , everything about it , shutter dial , rewind switch , viewfinder etc all become so naturally incorporated with you , that you may feel that you will never need another camera again.

For me that's an m6 and I currently have a 35mm lux with it. Hopefully you can feel the same about your m4.

However I do feel like i need to have a digital camera just for the sake of convenience...

I am waiting to see what fuji will have to offer soon or i will go back to the m8 and use my 35mm

 

[Richard G]

I think there are indeed advantages in having different gear. Good cabinetmakers have a variety of chisels, and will sometimes choose one particular one just because it feels right on the day. I found adding an M5 and an X100 made me appreciate both those new ones and my older Ms. Shifting between cameras makes the experience more discernible instead of completely automatic. Some clothes and shoes are like that. I also like driving different cars. One camera, one lens: I can see the sense in it, but it couldn't be as much fun.

 

[Sparrow]

Choice is just part of the tyranny of modern consumerism, one of those words it's impossible to disagree with but which inevitably leads to folk spending more and more time and on stuff and less and less actually being creative ...

 

[rxmd]

Choice is just part of the tyranny of modern consumerism, one of those words it's impossible to disagree with but which inevitably leads to folk spending more and more time and on stuff and less and less actually being creative ...

Agreed 100%.

I think choice also is something you have to learn. Ultimately you have to decide on one camera that you have in your hand when you take the shot. If you don't want to be distracted by all that choice, you have to learn to decide.

It's easy to own 30 cameras and 5 Leicas and take them out for walks and we are a large bunch of people here that fall into that pattern. It's more difficult to arrive at a clear personal idea what to use and when and why that doesn't feel like a compromise with oneself, and that actually makes it easier to be creative as opposed to wasting energy and time and money on the making of choices.

Decision-making is something people don't really like, and consequently we have a lot of threads here that are about indecision (explicitly or implicitly).

 

[Pherdinand]

whenever we played some first-person-shooter game with some friends, i always - always - chose to have only one good gun- a sniper or similar - and take my time for each shot.
Now i'm not sayin that i was very good in the game, but once i eyed someone on my screen, he was for sure gone.

I guess i should apply the same in my photography. At the moment i have lots of gear from a minigun to a bazooka, from an ancient oerlikon to a railgun. All gettin' rusty.

(No, i don't like guns in real life, as a matter of fact i never touched one and hope not to do)

 

[FrankS]

My last couple of outings have been with my OM-1 and 35mm f2 Zuiko ... with the 50mm and 85mm in a bag but mostly left in the car. Walking into a photographic situation with just that one camera and single focal length has it's advantages!

Except for those times when a focal length you walk into a photo situation with turns out Not to be the best/most useful/most appropriate for the situation.

 

[dave lackey]

i probably should not even start this thread as it might end up in the digital vs film section...after a fight...but here goes and let's see if there is a hope of it staying on topic...

went out shooting this morning and just got back...long day for me and my back/hip but very satisfying...and i haven't even looked at any images yet!

i took all my gear and used the trunk of my car as a base.
first kit to hit the street was the sony rx100 along with the leica m4-p and 50/2.5 cv lens.
i love the m4-p, the feel of it in my hand and at the end of my strap. the smooth advance and the snick when i plunge the shutter release down.
i caught myself checking for an image on the non-existant lcd...had to laugh at myself...the sony is wonderful in a miniature sort of way...toylike in my hands yet i know it is a precise image maker.

later on i switched out the sony for an rd1 with a 25/4 lens on it. the lecia stayed at my side all day.
i did switch lenses though with the new to me canon 50/1.4 (so small) coming off the leica and on to the rd1 and the 25 going to the m4-p.

considering the 'fringe festival' is on in edmonton i didn't find a whole lot that interested me and i doubt that i took more than a dozen shots...

so, wherein lies the joy of choice?
i have been trying to limit myself to certain gear, trying to keep it simple in the hope of improving my image making by knowing my gear as well as possible. what i am finding out is that limiting oneself in gear can cause a limiting of the artistic spirit as well. i love the rx100 and have made some nice images with it...same with the rd1 and i hope the m4-p as well. and if i should get an xp1 or an m9 (not) i would hope that it would help stir me to create as well as the talent i have permits.

so film or digital, metal or plastic, old or new...it is not really the gear as much as the soul that matters...

Good for you, Joe... the experience of the M4-P is like that of my M3, it is the ride not the destination sometimes. :angel: The experience to me everytime I go out shooting is as much a part of the final image as anything.

For me, I have found using the M3 alongside the X1 gives me a workflow that is seamless and I don't have to think or use left/right side brain power. For color, I am using the X1 and upon shooting, I note the exposure settings and immediately set the M3 with the same settings. Quick and easy with great results. I get two different formats, two different pov (35mm and 50mm) and similar ergonomics and feel. Transparency of the gear. Don't ever let the gear get in the way of your creativity. Would a landscape painter allow the brush to be an interface with the painted image anymore than necessary?

The joy of choice these days is amazing. Picking a combo that puts a smile on your face does wonders for your creativity!🙂

Hybrid shooting has it's advantages.

 

[Keith]

Except for those times when a focal length you walk into a photo situation with turns out Not to be the best/most useful/most appropriate for the situation.

But it forces you to think outside the square, apply a focal length that you assumed was less than ideal and sometimes the result can be surprising though not necessarily what you were expecting.

 

[FrankS]

Sounds like a carpenter who needs to drive a screw and only has a hammer. There is certainly a creative solution, but it's less than optimal.

 

[astro8]

i think a very large part of this is that i am finally becoming comfortable with my images.
i can't say if they are great art or not...but i am liking my stuff more now than i have ever liked it before.

This is a good place to be. 🙂

 

[rxmd]

Sounds like a carpenter who needs to drive a screw and only has a hammer. There is certainly a creative solution, but it's less than optimal.

But is he really better off than the other carpenter who has 15 hammer drills and takes five to a job because of the joy of choice? 🙂

 

[Bob Michaels]

Quote:
Originally Posted by FrankS
Except for those times when a focal length you walk into a photo situation with turns out Not to be the best/most useful/most appropriate for the situation.

But it forces you to think outside the square, apply a focal length that you assumed was less than ideal and sometimes the result can be surprising though not necessarily what you were expecting.

Yes. And it begin to expand your own square or box to the point where it finally realize it really does not exist other than in your mind. You eventually come to the conclusion that good photos are not a function of the equipment but of the photographers vision. Once freed from that self imposed constraint you begin to see photos in a new light.

 

[paulfish4570]

yes, new light. light is everything ... 🙂

 

[burancap]

I find choice a hindrance ... Thinking about the gun, the bullet, and never the target. I am an admitted gear junkie who on occassion takes a photo. I struggle every day with it, thinking that I can get to two active cameras -one film and one digital. I may be close.