At the time of writing this, we’ve all seen how the price of gas has been going up, sometimes down, but the trend is mostly upwards. However, I’m not taking about the fuel we put into our vehicles, but rather the amount of money we spend on camera gear – GAS – Gear Acquisition Syndrome.
I’m as guilty as the next person, I suffer from GAS, though through my own circumstances notwithstanding I may suffer from GAS, but, I’m not in a position, nor have I ever have been, to have fallen prey to it.
Today, I think I’d like to explore a little on what is really required, what we think we need and the reality of what it takes to get a job done – we’re not talking professionally here. Just shooting casually as keen amateurs. In the professional game, you will need to invest in your gear – and your clients, as you are delivering a service, for which you are being paid, and then there’s your reputation too.
Not for one minute am I suggesting that you pay the slightest attention to what I’m writing about here, as advice, these are my own thoughts and feelings. Spend as much or as little money as you like, at the end of the day, it’s all up to you. Rather, here I’m relating events that I have reflected on in my journey so far in photography, which I’m now sharing with you…
Remember the days of film? For me it was a time when I usually walked around with a single camera body and one or two lenses. Or if I was travelling abroad, two camera bodies and 4 lenses – it was all I owned and I never gave it a whole lot of thought. The only other stuff I carried with me, was of course film and spare batteries for my cameras – which lasted a long time and were tiny. At home, I was able to develop and print my own black and white film, which was hugely enjoyable and gratifying. With that I had a stock of papers and chemicals along with the hardware required to develop and print.
Being fortunate enough to be able to buy and own pretty good camera bodies and lenses, not flagship, but note far off, and I used them for years without issue (I still have them and still use the lenses). I’ve enjoyed pretty good mileage with them and vintage though they are now, they are still in great shape and part of my kit even now.
Times, of course, change and like so many people now, my cameras are digital and there is a whole area of difference that goes along with it. There are pros and cons. For instance, buying film, when it’s a good price and different types of film stock and iso…no more paper and chemicals (that required thoughtful storing) which need to be replenished, make a mistake and it’s over. Start again. Boxes and boxes of negatives, prints and transparencies – a projector and screen – the space required for all of this gear. Enlarger, lens, timer, easel, all the other bits…
On the other hand…these days the best I can go for is entry to mid-level camera bodies, higher end bodies are totally out-of-the-question, flagship…well – someone pick me up off the floor! No film, chemicals or paper, but you do need a decent computer or laptop, and I feel that I should pause a moment here to expand slightly on hardware.
I don’t know what most people are using – computer, laptop, Windows or OSX, Linux anyone? Myself I use a Windows PC at home and a Windows laptop when travelling. The laptop is basic and I can do very modest edits on it and it’s used primarily for downloading my cards and looking at my images and backing-up my images, but I want more – a lot more from my desktop PC. We don’t need to go into details here and in time anyone reading this post will wonder what I’m talking about. But let’s say I need a fast multi-threaded processor, lots of RAM, a decent graphics card and a goodly amount of hard disk space and back-up space too. I do need a good deal of RAM, I’ve found when I’m compositing or working with large files and multiple layers, you need a good amount (I use 64GB and my motherboard is able to support up to 512GB). Let’s not forget a good monitor, maybe two and the larger screen with good resolution and colour are not cheap. We haven’t even talked about software yet! You see where this is all going don’t you!?
You want a newer higher resolution camera, with the glass to match, you also need the hardware required to get the most from your huge files without sacrificing performance and the space to store them too. It all adds up.
I’m sure I’m not alone in thinking that in years gone by equipment, gear, supplies were more affordable and more attainable. I realize that in our current climate with shortages of certain commodities, prices have been steadily rising. But I do feel that the trend was going up anyway. Granted, an entry level camera I may own is technically more able than one of my older ones, but the feel and handling are perhaps not the same.
I don’t feel that I need to buy the latest or greatest, and I’m content to buy second hand gear, there is a risk, for sure…and even buying second hand these days in not as “cheap” as I remember. I’m also very happy to buy second hand computer gear, if you know where to look and what to buy, providing you don’t want to play the latest and greatest, system crunching games, there’s some very capable gear to be had for a lot less money than new systems. If you have some knowledge in this area and can perform your own upgrades, or even complete builds, then you have an advantage.
Photography (digital) and technology go hand-in-hand these days, there’s no getting away from it, and this is not a complaint! I enjoy it. My dark room days are over, there are no regrets, I had fun. However, I’m very content editing images on my computer and in certain ways, it has made me more creative. Once again, it’s you and not the gear, love it as I do, the creativity comes from within you, not your gear!
There’s much more I could write, but I’ve said enough and you totally get it – there’s not point into going into detail here, this is not what this post or my blog is about. I am glad I’ve written this though as it needed to be said, as I believe too many people are spending a great deal on gear, and the only one’s benefitting from all this GAS are the manufacturers, we’re feeding them. And no, I’m all for progress and new technology and it’s certainly steaming ahead, but stop – take a moment, have a careful think about what you really need and what you already have. I for one, am completely happy buying second hand gear – be careful of course, but it is a great way to save money and be able to buy equipment you may not normally consider or be able to buy.
When you are thinking or lusting after some wonderful piece of gear, there’s more to keep in mind than you might initially think. The price of GAS is going up!...where’s my wallet?