why is it so important to us?

The gear's not that important to me, which is a big part of why I don't frequent most photo forums, which tend to be more about gear than anything else.

I can see myself keeping my X100s for the next decade, and look forward to using it (it's my only camera) to capture the next decade of my family (my favorite and only subject).
 
Gear is the most common denominator. Looking back ten years ago before all that digital stuff we were still talking about gear. There is nothing wrong with that. When I used the ride one of the greatest joy was to talk to all these people with nice bikes at Alice's restaurant.
 
It's a passion. And as most passion costs money and time. And...no rational explanation.
I need that!
robert
PS: where is the border between passion and addiction?
 
In my case, its the fact that I'm an average photographer, which means that every now and then I produce an average image that pleases me.
 
I don't. I've been using the same body, two lenses, and film stock for a long time. I get better photographs than I ever did when changing gear regularly.
 
Henry David Thoreau said: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Perhaps photography is a chance to get the song out. To let oneself sing!

I suspect there is also the joy of seeing something one has made and maybe - on another day - making it even better. And of course it also provides a chance to escape from the more mundane and less pleasant aspects of all our lives.

Long live photography. Long live photographers.
 
Something new from me to add to this thread.

I made my film cameras list today. Twenty two or so.
Half of them are broken and not in use or not in use.
This half is for to go.

I'll try to keep it under ten, with three old digital cameras I have as well.

It was no plans to add something very new or significantly different before today, but I just realized what while I'm trying to fix or trying to use unreliable cameras it is wasted time on photography.

Printing instead of repairs!

UPD: I made Minox PL working again today as well :), but once it is not working again it will go directly to garbage bin and I'll replace it with Smena-8M I have as well.
 
I am not so interested in new gear anymore but, I still like to go out and shoot photos like I have over the past 65 years. I have had a few years where I got away form photography for other interests but I still come back to it over and over again. I like looking at photographs and I like handling cameras shooting and printing my images. I get a lot of joy from seeing my best work framed and hanging on the walls. If I don't photograph I get down with a little depression and the only cure is taking my camera out and look for something to photograph. It keeps me going from day to day. - jim
 
Shirley Creazzo said:
Henry David Thoreau said: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Perhaps photography is a chance to get the song out. To let oneself sing!

I suspect there is also the joy of seeing something one has made and maybe - on another day - making it even better. And of course it also provides a chance to escape from the more mundane and less pleasant aspects of all our lives.

Long live photography. Long live photographers.
Click to expand...
Yes yes yes (now my post is long enough to satisfy the software). :)
 
Shirley Creazzo said:
Henry David Thoreau said: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Perhaps photography is a chance to get the song out. To let oneself sing!

I suspect there is also the joy of seeing something one has made and maybe - on another day - making it even better. And of course it also provides a chance to escape from the more mundane and less pleasant aspects of all our lives.

Long live photography. Long live photographers.
Click to expand...

love this, thanks. I agree.

robert
 
Shirley Creazzo said:
Henry David Thoreau said: “Most men lead lives of quiet desperation and go to the grave with the song still in them.”

Perhaps photography is a chance to get the song out. To let oneself sing!

I suspect there is also the joy of seeing something one has made and maybe - on another day - making it even better. And of course it also provides a chance to escape from the more mundane and less pleasant aspects of all our lives.

Long live photography. Long live photographers.
Click to expand...

Third person who love this!
Thanks, Shirley!
 
Me? I have real affection for the photos that come out and for the gear that does it.

Short story: A year ago, I asked on another forum why were people using medium format film gear. Got a lot of answers, but the gist was this: "Because I love my camera."

Even got a touching photo of a guy hugging his 'blad.
 
Ko.Fe. said:
UPD: I made Minox PL working again today as well :), but once it is not working again it will go directly to garbage bin and I'll replace it with Smena-8M I have as well.
Click to expand...

Kostya, please not the garbage bin. We lose enough cameras to the garbage bin as it is. That non-working camera can be a great source of parts! Its amazing how many cameras I have resurrected using parts from gear that would have otherwise went to the bin. Often it leads to a Franken-camera. Leica with FSU knobs, Nikon with Pentax springs, and so on. In any case, I've given away quite a few parts cameras over the years. Probably a few of them right here on RFF.

I also understand your desire to pare down the gear collection. I'm working on that myself. I'm putting all my unused gear into a kind of long-term storage. Hard to let them go, so I'll put them "away" where they can be safe and I can check on them if I ever feel the need. In the end, I'll have a few hundred cameras organized and packed into boxes, and about 7 cameras in the drawer that will be my core group of users. I'm aiming for one or two bodies from each of my favorite film formats, and a few digital, and a comprehensive (but not overly redundant) set of lenses for them.
 
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