Confessions of an ex gear addict

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Thank God, I am now a gear minimalist focused on photography and a big fan of Limitation creativity (you are more creative with less)….. But here’s the truth, I used to be a huge gear junkie, basically having GAS as soon as I got a new camera. I had this problem since the very beginning but now I am cured. In one sense I am trying to help those who know they have GAS (Gear Aquisition Syndrome) to stop having it and trying to prevent others from having it.

I might sound preachy and maybe harsh but please know that I am preaching and being hard on myself first because I wasted a lot of money and time because of my gear addiction. I hope this helps you in some way and I wish someone was there to tell me these things.

We lie best to ourselves, because we believe ourselves. I didn’t need all these cameras but bought them. I had reasons, I told myself, to buy them. I had GOOD reasons too, I told myself, to sell them. The line that always got me was “It’s an investment”, all my cameras were investments in my mind. But investments are worth nothing without commitment. Buying that that 4×5 was “an investment” into my landscape photography. Nevermind that I never really actually took landscape seriously. The only “landscape” I got out of that camera was a scene of an empty school yard at nautical twilight. That shot is still in the readyload sheet. So is my two rolls of 120 film, a bunch of 35mm cans and all of my 110 film canisters.

The truth is we don’t need much gear, only the minimum for what we do. Street Photographers need less than wedding photographers for example. The truth is, there is no perfect camera only compromise. What I think is the best camera might be annoying to you and vice versa. It’s all about dealing with idiosyncrasies. Every camera will have issues but it’s not the end of the world. Just deal with it. Throughout all the years of buying and selling cameras and loosing time and money, I could have been such a better photographer. I wouldn’t understate it if I said all I needed (except for maybe the paid work) for my photography was one camera. My Ricoh GRD IV would have been perfect, but seriously, any camera would have done great, even an obsolete one.

Read rest at http://www.f-stopeight.com/confessions-of-an-ex-gear-addict-how-buying-cameras--and-lenses-made-me-miserable-and-loose-thousands/

majoraxis

The link is a great read - thanks for this article!

vicharris

Agreed, I'm trying to sell off as much gear as I can that's lying around......though it's so hard!!!!!!!! :)

Vitaliy_Kiselev

@vicharris

I'm trying to sell off as much gear as I can that's lying around

Now I know why new camera market in US have so much problems lately. :-)

vicharris

@Vitaliy_Kiselev Haha, too good sir!!!

QuickHitRecord

I used to have the tendency to go over to eBay when I wasn't even looking for anything in particular, and then out of curiosity allowed myself to get stuck in the buying/testing/selling cycle (particularly vintage lenses), often at a moderate monetary loss and always at the expense of too much of my time.

After a few years of this, I realized that I had a problem when I looked around and all of my friends were buying houses -- and all I had to show after almost a decade in the workforce was a closet full of mostly under-utilized video cameras, lenses and gear!

I have since sold the bulk of it.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

After a few years of this, I realized that I had a problem when I looked around and all of my friends were buying houses -- and all I had to show after almost a decade in the workforce was a closet full of mostly under-utilized video cameras, lenses and gear!

This must go into community annals.

Do you want to write wiki page about gear addiction?

babypanda

Yeah, agree with Vitaliy. That's a great story there that might help other addicts.

stoney

FYI this is the best time to sell gears. Tax return season is back!

balazer

My solution to GAS was to buy everything. Once you have everything, there's nothing left to buy. I'm cured!

Vitaliy_Kiselev

My solution to GAS was to buy everything. Once you have everything, there's nothing left to buy

What is your definition of "everything"? Or you just mean that your home money press is working good?

theconformist

Here's a tip: RENT OUT YOUR GEAR! If you're not looking to make it your sole source of income you can indulge yourself and resell your "impulse buys" at a profit. My bread and butter comes from production work but all of my gear is available for rental. So I may buy something thinking i'll need it, it turns out I don't, but I've rented it out enough times to people who thought they needed it that I've recouped the cost.... Then I sell it (for the fair-market price based on it's condition, and I make a few bucks.... which I spend on the next thing I thing I want... Or I continue to rent it and use that money. Whatever. The point is everybody wins - if it's a lame piece of gear, and a bunch or people only had to pay a fraction of the price to find that out, and I got my money back in the process and am able to afford new, better gear or myself and my customers.

balazer

What is your definition of "everything"?

Not literally everything, of course, but everything that interested me or had potential within one specific category of lenses.

Vitaliy_Kiselev

Here's a tip: RENT OUT YOUR GEAR!

Btw, it is not good tip for average owner. As they will quickly realize that people behave differently with rented gear.

vicharris

/\ Yep!!!

v10tdi

Nothing parties like a rental!

peternap

@Vitaliy_Kiselev Great post! I'm in the process of selling a lot of gear I don't need. The steady Cam was the first thing to pull out of the "Why did I buy that " box.

apefos

The right gear for right job, buy or rent considering which is best for the project, or extract the best from low budget gear dealing with limitatons, or make money to get better gear or find sponsors, are options... Always remembering the people who uses the gear and the ideas are more important than the gear itself... well done projects opens possibilities for better projects in future...

Interesting reading in the link. This post coincided with a moment I finished all my researches about cameras and other gear to understand the relationship between gear price, gear features, gear quality and the medium intended for exhibition. Web, indie festivals, weddings, corporate, feature films for theathers, hobby, bluray, dvd, smartphones...

I have now a good sensation of a free mind to do other things in life. Also I perceived that gear addict is a matter of how much money you have. If you are rich and money is no object you can buy and enjoy everything you want or just choose and get the best gear and it will not be an addiction, it can be considered an excentricity or just pull the trigger in correct thing for your job needs... Gear addiction is for low budget people who prefer keep dreaming about gear instead of doing great things with what you have... it starts as a excitation and turns into a psychological illness.

To study hard to learn how to to great things is not wrong if you also keep time for your life, and helps with decisions about gear. And if there is no money for the ideal gear, use what you have, enjoy great achievements from your skill, make money with it and upgrade when it is possible.

MikeLinn

Vitaliy_Kiselev

MikeLinn

MikeLinn

MikeLinn

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