why do i do this?

[back alley]

do what?

why do i think so much about gear and less much about photography. why do i think so much about any of this stuff?

a big part recently is that i have a lot of time available for thinking. so even if i were to quit the photo thinking there would still be lots of time for thinking about other things.
also, i recently tore a calf muscle and walking is very painful...actually i pulled it 3 times over 3 weeks...damn it hurts. it also makes me favour my other side which is already painful from an arthritic hip. nothing but losing...

anyway...today i was thinking about all the gear i have owned and if i were to redo the adventure what might i wind up with?

for film...a canon f1 plus a t90 body...and a few lenses.
also for film...2 mamiya 6 bodies and all 3 lenses from their kit.
for digital...i do like the fuji gear so i think that would remain the same...i would have kept 2 rd1 bodies and every damn lens i ever bought for them!!

 

[emraphoto]

do what?

why do i think so much about gear and less much about photography. why do i think so much about any of this stuff?

a big part recently is that i have a lot of time available for thinking. so even if i were to quit the photo thinking there would still be lots of time for thinking about other things.
also, i recently tore a calf muscle and walking is very painful...actually i pulled it 3 times over 3 weeks...damn it hurts. it also makes me favour my other side which is already painful from an arthritic hip. nothing but losing...

anyway...today i was thinking about all the gear i have owned and if i were to redo the adventure what might i wind up with?

for film...a canon f1 plus a t90 body...and a few lenses.
also for film...2 mamiya 6 bodies and all 3 lenses from their kit.
for digital...i do like the fuji gear so i think that would remain the same...i would have kept 2 rd1 bodies and every damn lens i ever bought for them!!

you can never go wrong with a mamiya 6

 

[kshapero]

well Joe you are not alone. I have developed arthritic wrists, so I have to keep it light. Small Fuji's, Old Leica's. The old Nikons sit in their bags for now. Taking turmeric seems to help. About all that old gear I have loved but don't own anymore.....well what's gone is gone, I guess.

 

[Merkin]

You let the perfect be the enemy of the good. This entire section of the forum is a monument to the perfect being the enemy of the good, in fact.

I'm sure you've been told this before (hell, I'm pretty sure I told you this before nearly a decade ago)- just pick one camera that is capable of producing a good image and operates intuitively for you, one lens that is capable of producing a good image, one tripod and cable release, a set of filters, one type of slow film (if applicable) and one type of fast film (if applicable). Get rid of everything else. Even bags. Just buy a Billingham and be done with it. Put everything else in terms of gear out of your mind. If you find yourself with some money burning a hole in your wallet, buy books with it instead of gear, or spend it on workshops/classes. If you find yourself navel gazing about gear, pick up one of those books and study some great images, or work on darkroom techniques if you are working with film, or work on being better at post processing if you are working digitally. I remember going through every image in your flickr gallery back years ago, and while I haven't looked to see whether or not you have improved since the second GW Bush administration, I could definitely tell that your work was better before you started obsessing overmuch about what camera and what lens you used for any given shot.

And I'm serious about just one camera and just one lens. Will you miss a shot here and there? Sure. You won't care, though, because you'll grow to be much happier with your results overall. Whatever you pick, the key is to stick with it. I'm talking two or three years with just the same one camera and just the same one lens, at least. Hell, it could even be a zoom lens, since it's hard to be quite as mobile with an injured leg. Sorry to hear about that, by the way, torn muscles suck unbelievably. The point is to break the addiction, to quit chasing the dragon that is the idea that the next camera might make your images better than the one you are using. That kind of thinking is a huge trap. These days, pretty much any camera you pick up is capable of making a great image, but it can't do it for you. It's also a trap because once you start thinking that you need this camera or that camera, or this lens AND this lens AND this lens AND this lens just in case you see x, y, or z, you get to the point where you need to find a way to schlep all of that stuff around with you, and once you find something that is decent at carrying the first five things, you get rid of those things and get different things, just to find that your carrying solution doesnt work as well for the new five things as it did for the old five things. At that point, everything collapses. You started off thinking 'I need to be prepared for any eventuality,' but by the end you aren't really ready at any given moment for anything, because you're tired from carrying a camera store on your shoulder, and you start second guessing yourself as to which lens you should have on the camera at any given time, and you miss way more opportunities than you would ever miss because you only had a 50mm lens. The out of focus rendition doesn't matter. The flattened or widened perspective doesn't matter. The size of the film or sensor doesn't matter. All that matters is that the machine is physically capable of producing a quality image, and you are capable of operating that machine well.

I don't say all of this to be a jerk. I didn't pull any punches though, either. It seems like it needed to be said. I really do wish you the best of luck, and I really do hope your leg gets better soon.

 

[randolph45]

been there got that

been there got that

do what?

why do i think so much about gear and less much about photography. why do i think so much about any of this stuff?

a big part recently is that i have a lot of time available for thinking. so even if i were to quit the photo thinking there would still be lots of time for thinking about other things.
also, i recently tore a calf muscle and walking is very painful...actually i pulled it 3 times over 3 weeks...damn it hurts. it also makes me favour my other side which is already painful from an arthritic hip. nothing but losing...

anyway...today i was thinking about all the gear i have owned and if i were to redo the adventure what might i wind up with?

for film...a canon f1 plus a t90 body...and a few lenses.
also for film...2 mamiya 6 bodies and all 3 lenses from their kit.
for digital...i do like the fuji gear so i think that would remain the same...i would have kept 2 rd1 bodies and every damn lens i ever bought for them!!

Watch the leg Joe.
I pulled a calf muscle playing Tennis and two weeks of rest wasn't
enough .I jumped off the diving board and got the muscle hot-flash. which sent me to bed right from the pool for three days and a scolding from the Doc about possible phlebitis?(Blood Clot)and a Hospital stay.

I have a nice T90 Kit,and your old Rd1,Which you are not getting back 😱

 

[ornate_wrasse]

you can never go wrong with a mamiya 6

I totally agree with you!

 

[Godfrey]

I don't know about others, but ...

I generally obsess on equipment when I'm in the midst of getting settled into a new paradigm. Once I know where I'm going and what works, I acquire it and my equipment obsession tends to disappear. Same thing for cars, motorcycles, cameras, paint brushes, computers, and so on. It's a life-long pattern.

I'm outfitting a new car right now and find myself entranced with the details of its engine, transmission, stereo system, brakes, wheels and tires, etc etc — ad nauseam. But I'm almost done setting it up, after which I'll forget all these research pursuits and spend most of my time just driving it and enjoying it.

Such it is.

G

​

 

[telenous]

It's partly displacement activity (speaking from personal experience -- don't know if this addresses your case). When you have a mountain to climb it's easier to think obsessively about the gear needed for the climb. And thinking/tweaking your gear is actually quite pleasant. One can dream a bit about all the wonderful stuff one will do with this or that piece of gear, then chat a bit about all that with friends in the forum. Going out and doing genuinely interesting stuff with the new gear is more challenging. It requires effort, physical and emotional. After a while it all feels like...work. To compound matters, it seems males are hardwired to tweak and tinker. It's an evolutionary trait from a time when choosing/refining the right sling and stone meant kill or die. Since then our clothes got better but a lot of other stuff lingers.😀

.

 

[Charlie Lemay]

We are in the material world to have a physical experience. Everything is as it should be. Worrying about it is where we should look for a problem. I too have a Mamiya 6, a Rollei 2.8c, a Fuji G 690, a Hasselblad 201f, a Fuji g645, and that's just medium format. I just bought a SWC/M for a great price. I love making images with all of them. I can't afford any of this, but I also can't afford to miss any of it, so I find a way to sustain an obcession with gear that sustains my obcession with making images. It's not an either/or thing for me and I feel guilt free about it.

 

[Mute-on]

why do i do this?

Normal desire for challenge and the acquisition of knowledge, and a degree of certainty. Very often culminates in a major purchase ($ or change in direction), or a prolonged interest.
Some call these interests hobbies. They keep us sane 🙂


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[froyd]

e...i would have kept 2 rd1 bodies and every damn lens i ever bought for them!!

That camera suited you well. Some of your pictures that are more memorable to me are from that time.

 

[al1966]

I don't know about others, but ...

I generally obsess on equipment when I'm in the midst of getting settled into a new paradigm. Once I know where I'm going and what works, I acquire it and my equipment obsession tends to disappear. Same thing for cars, motorcycles, cameras, paint brushes, computers, and so on. It's a life-long pattern.

I'm outfitting a new car right now and find myself entranced with the details of its engine, transmission, stereo system, brakes, wheels and tires, etc etc — ad nauseam. But I'm almost done setting it up, after which I'll forget all these research pursuits and spend most of my time just driving it and enjoying it.

Such it is.



G

​

I have been obsessing over a new car but I went for this bonkers thing

The diesel gives millage figures up at Prius levels.

Having Fybromyalgia I have been forced to consider weight of gear and am delighted with the mirror free offerings from various makers offering me lighter weight over comparable DSLR designs. It also made me consider what I carry and really use so I carry a lot less than I used to now it tends to be an A7 with basic zoom and the 55mm or the zoom replaced with a Nex6 with 50mm OSS. It certainly weighs a lot less than a Fuji S3 with 2.8 zoom though I did love the Fuji colours and files to play with. Like most here and on other forums I spend a lot of time thinking about gear, like wise I waste time thinking about audio designs (DIY) and potential Hackintosh's etc. Thing is I get more excited discovering new music, seeing great photography and art than from looking at new gear that I seem to end up not buying anyway. Apart from batteries I have not bought a single bit of camera gear for over a year, I do need to replace my Ricoh GX100 though its sadly got some sort of fault that drains the battery 🙁

 

[Spanik]

I have been obsessing over a new car but I went for this bonkers thing

Well if you don't mind to be seen in that car as it is in that photo that you really have to ask yourself "why do I do this?". 😀

 

[ChrisPlatt]

This entire section of the forum is a monument to the perfect being the enemy of the good...

I seldom view the galleries lest I become discouraged comparing my own unsatisfactory images.
But when it comes to the forums somehow I can't help myself. I blame all of you for my GAS! 😉

Chris

 

[Canyongazer]

Why do I do This?

Why do I do This?

You are also closing in on having made 40,000 posts on RFF.

Could it be boredom?
Not trying to be snarky, Joe. A genuine guess.

CG

 

[farlymac]

I do it because it keeps me out of the bars at night.

I do it because I have a natural curiosity about the workings of camera gear.

I do it because I want to challenge myself to be able to make as good an image from camera A as I can from cameras B thru Z.

I do it because I appreciate fine camera design.

I do it because I have an inherited perfectionist streak.

I do it because I like to.

PF

 

[back alley]

You are also closing in on having made 40,000 posts on RFF.

Could it be boredom?
Not trying to be snarky, Joe. A genuine guess.

CG

i've been a member since day 1 here...and was a mod from day one also...lots of chatting over those years.
boredom is a part of it as the winters here are long cold and hard...and arthritis has not helped that at all. and any inspiration i once may have enjoyed seems long gone.

 

[ChrisPlatt]

Joe, I dropped my car off for service the other day.
I saw your answer on the dealer's showroom floor:

Brand new Mazda MX-5 Miata convertible, red.
Surprisingly affordable at 25,000 USD.

To put it in perspective, that's cheaper than some Leicas or a new girlfriend.
Pretty cheap cure for a midlife crisis, if you ask me... 😉

Chris

 

[back alley]

Joe, I dropped my car off for service the other day.
I saw your answer on the dealer's showroom floor:

Brand new Mazda MX-5 Miata convertible, red.
Surprisingly affordable at 25,000 USD.

To put it in perspective, that's cheaper than some Leicas or a new girlfriend.
Pretty cheap cure for a midlife crisis, if you ask me... 😉

Chris

i'm much too old to be having a mid-life crisis...this is more like an old life crisis...😉
i just bought a toyota rav4...looking forward to the snow again!

not the least bit interested in girlfriends...

 

[ChrisPlatt]

i just bought a toyota rav4...looking forward to the snow again!

RAV 4 for winter, Miata for summer.

not the least bit interested in girlfriends...

After 25 years of marriage I can't say that I blame you...

Chris