I take a lot of pictures, but I love buying gear.
I'm justt interested how deep the problem runs with everyone else. Also how bad the whole too many cameras just to pick one up to use. i.e. pick up a 35mm for a specific thing hassie for a walk or a view camera for a building.
Steve
I used to feel guilty but not anymore - see, I call myself a "camera collector" and now I'm legit.
Whatever floats your boat.
If you want to benefit your fellow photographers, only buy what you will use. Otherwise you are just taking good equipment out of use. I hate collectors. Though I'll acknowledge that they are responsible for all the antiques and museum collections that exist today.
I don't collect, I'm just interested. I'd rather buy and try it for a while, although for the last few months with an excessive disposable income meant the buying was very fast. Things like buying a bronica to replace the hasselblad that was in for repair for 2 weeks. Also my large format stuff was MPP -> Sinar to lots of lenses and bellows. More to try stuff once more. Although the going out taking pictures is still an area of well what do I take?
I feel I benefit myself and others by getting something and if it works I praise it and keep it otherwise I sell it on with an honest opinion. Like musicianship there are tools which are specific to certain things, but to know that you need to try them. I have nowhere to hire stuff so I'd rather do this.
Jack of all cameras...owner of many, master of none.
Lots of exceptions, of course.
Vaughn
There are lots of 'issues' here. Cameras are tools, and should be used. I don't think I've ever bought a camera just to own it- they're always to use.
However- as we've all noticed, film camera manufacture is in decline. So, for 35mm work I use Minolta XD7's, and recently I did buy a spare body just to stash as an emergency fall back. Roll film I use C330's- they're great, but now getting old, so I'm currently planning to re-equip with something newer 'just in case'. I get scared that in a couple of years some vital piece of kit will fail and I'll have little (or no) choice in how to replace it. Likely I'll get RB67's as they're less battery dependant.
In LF I think there is less pressure to stock-pile gear as so much of it seems amenable to fixing-up, unlike the smaller formats. It's always reassuring on this forum to see great photos made with really old kit which is still going strong.
From some forums, I get the impression that there are two kinds of photographers -- those who use the gear to make pictures and those who use photography as an excuse to buy and play with its equipment. I guess computer people are also in those same broad categories and, of course, many of us are photography and computer people. Figures!
I take a lot of pictures, plus I like the tools. How many farmers do you know who don't genuinely get excited over ploughs or tractors? Having a healthy interest in finding the best tools is not a bad thing is it, I found the best shoes for walking in after buying many other pairs does that mean I am a detriment to the professional walker's integrity?two kinds of photographers -- those who use the gear to make pictures and those who use photography as an excuse to buy and play with its equipment
I bought my voigtlander bessa 3a as I went from yashica electro -> kiev -> voigtlander. Through this process I have found a camera that I raise to my eye without thought for daily use. I kept the previous cameras that I like. The kiev is a beautiful machine now I have fully repaired it, the yashica I gave to a friend who is now starting down that chain of thinking.
I think in large format there is just not a saturation of lenses bodies etc, also the modularity of the systems means that the digital aspect can be addressed. Imagine how many people would hold onto gear if they ever brought out a proper digital CCD filmplane insert for 35mm?
My question in the thread was to see if like myself people have so many tools it is hard to quantify a situation to take the best thing? Look at a picture of David Burnett on the Kerry campaign trail or a vietnam photojournalist and the picture is that of a walking camera shop. I like using all my gear but find it hard to use all of it at the same time. Anyone else find the constant waves of I'll use this then this then this... frustrating?
If you want it, and you can afford it, get it.
There's so much hysteria on RFF over "gearheads" but to be fair if you're stupid enough to spend more time buying gear than using it, that's your call.
I'm the same as a few others. The important thing is using the equipment.
At the same time, why not try everything?
It's like saying "you only need one drink, so stick to the water". Maybe I want cola, maybe I want milkshake, or fruit juice, or a frapuccino. I may as well stock up on whatever i want, just for when I fancy it.
I can't afford to keep every camera I might chance upon, so only the ones I'll use are kept. That's why it took about 5 or so 35mm cameras before I got a Leica M2. I wanted to try every different one, and then I sold the few I had left to fund a much bigger purchase. Now the money has dried out, I'm sticking to using a good camera. At least I know I'm not missing out with the other options.
Same goes for LF. I can see what a monorail is like, a press camera, a field camera. Now I wanna try a Razzle, see if that will meet my love of RF focusing and hand-holdable cameras, with the fun of LF negs.
Still, it's all down to different strokes. Some equipment is better for different things. I haven't really doubled up on gear, everything serves a different purpose.
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