This blog post is more or less talking about gear acquisition syndrome, cross out if you don’t want to read about it.
Not too long ago, I chanced upon a book ‘Goodbye, things, on minimalist living’ by Fumio Sasaki.
‘Minimalism’ is not an unfamiliar term to me. I have friend who really live the minimalist lifestyle where he removes his TV set and only own a few essential items. He’s happy and satisfied.
Anyway, this book talks about why more people are adopting the minimalist lifestyle and the obvious benefits after living it.
One of the points mentioned that reflects how I feel about my photography hobby is ‘Chain Reaction‘.
In another words, when we buy an item, we might acquire not one, but maybe 5 more items.
Kodak Tri-X 400, Sungei Road Thieves Market (9 July 2017)
To illustrate, let’s say you buy a Leica camera body. Then, you will buy a lens. Then, filter. You might buy several filters like CPL, yellow, red, UV or whatever. You might want to protect your camera so you buy a camera case. Then, a strap. Then, you also might buy cleaning kit.
Next, your dry box ran out of space, but all cameras are precious and you don’t want to sacrifice any of them out of dry box. You end up buying another one. Lastly, you also need to buy silica gels for all your dry boxes.
I was told it’s a man thing to like to add accessory to their stuff, so you might buy a shutter pin to decorate your camera.
So, maybe one lens doesn’t satisfy you, so you end up buying lens of another focal length. Let’s say that lens require different diameter for filter. There you go, you end up buying another set of filter.
So you see, one thing leads to another.
Chinatown, Kodak Tri X 400 (2017)
In my case, it fucks my mind up. I was never satisfied.
When I got hold of a Nikon, I wanted small Rollei. Then I wanted point & shoot.
Then I wanted medium format. After twin lens reflex, I pursued Hasselblad.
I bought protective filters for each lens, respective accessory for each camera body.
Kodak Gold 200, Bicycle Parking (2017)
Every time when I need to choose a camera to bring out, it’s a headache because I have too many choices. Furthermore, when you have more cameras, the chances of spending money to maintain them is also higher.
Now, I have stopped because I know no matter how many cameras I have, I was never satisfied.
I would dream about the Makina 67 or a Contax T2 another guy has.
Then, I would compare myself with the person: How on earth can he/she always buy camera? Then, it would lead me to dissatisfaction, thinking my income is too low.
Or that my biomedical field just suck where I won’t get rich unless I am a Professor with lots of research grants. Then, I would see myself as failure if I didn’t managed to be one.
It’s a vicious cycle.
Kodak Tri-X 400 on Hasselblad 500C/M (2017)
That’s why many people are unhappy even though they are high-flyer in many people’s eye. Because they constantly compare themselves to others. Just like you might think your boss is successful, but your boss might be stressed up comparing his achievement with the CEO of another Multi-National Corporation (MNC). This CEO might also be depressed by constantly comparing himself with Jack Ma?
From my point of view, even this small thing like camera can make me feel inadequate and compare myself with others… then what about everything else?
Recently I know of a friend’s friend getting into depression. I was shocked.
That person is smart, and seems to have a super bright future climbing the career ladder. However, he ended up having depression because he is constantly comparing his achievement with others to prove himself. He thinks too much and over analyse many minor things.
I don’t want to end up like that.
So, one small step is to stop pursuing camera. As I clearly know that if you don’t know how to frame your shot, no matter how good or expensive your camera is, your shot is still rubbish compared to a pro who uses a cheap plastic camera.
The next is to sell off all the rarely-used cameras, which I sold the Olympus XA and Contax TVS.
Next is to really stop being a hoarder, which is a job in progress. I have donated clothes, selling films and clearing out junk. Ideally, I hope I have the courage to finally only own one camera, one lens. And have the max 5 rolls of film in my cupboard.
It’ll be really impressive if I can lead that kind of minimalist lifestyle. Not sure if I can do it.
Now I really wonder: are people really happy owning so many cameras? Or are they as dissatisfied as I am? Or are they constantly worry about losing their precious cameras?
Or worst still, do they recognised this phenomenon?
Other articles on G.A.S:
How to win Gear Acquisition Syndrome
Make your camera your slave, not the other way
I am going through the same phase, Nicole. Started out with the Voigtlander Bessa R with three lenses.
Dived into the world of medium format with the Mamiya C33 three months later. 2 months into the Mamiya and I ended with a Bronica S2 two months ago.
Now, I am contemplating a Hassie 500 C/M or 503 CX.
Must… stop… reading… comparison… reviews.
haha!! Well, as long as you are happy with the new gears then it’s fine 🙂 Anyway, I think Pentax 67 system might be better than Hassie 500CM
I really like the photograph of your friend taken through a bicycle rack(?). I used to have severe G.A.S. and I think it was mostly because I was unhappy with my photographs. “I’d be a GREAT photographer if I had a bigger and better camera,” I convinced myself. Well, that didn’t happen. And, looking back, some of my favourite photographs were done on an iPhone 4 and a film rangefinder with a 50mm lens. It makes me a little sad and ashamed to think of all the money I’ve wasted on equipment that didn’t help me.
Thank you, yes, it’s a rack to lock bicycles. Yeah, I had the same thought that more expensive camera will make my photos better. But I realised that most of my favourite photos come from my most basic Nikon film SLR
I have quite a few cameras as well, but each one costs less than a few hundreds. I’ve never owned a hassy or a rollei even though I would love to try them some time. I think having different cameras make the shooting process more interesting. When you’re bored of one format, you can switch to the other. It helps to get cheaper cameras if all you want is the novelty though. I do have one go-to camera that I bring to all my trips, maybe if you find one camera that suits all your needs, you will have lesser tendency to get new cameras?
Hello, first time commenter 🙂 Yup, I agree with your view too. Come to think of it, I shoot a variety of genres, so having a few cameras might actually do more good. Just need self-control if I ever chanced upon any new cameras :p
While I understand many of your comments, I think you are conflating 3 or more separate issues.
First, I don’t consider buying accessories for a single camera ‘gear acquisition syndrome’ (what a pejorative term anyway). If you acquire every lens ever made including four fast 50mm lenses that are essentially identical, that is probably pointless. However, buying the appropriate gear to protect your investment (your M6 is not cheap, especially at today’s prices) is wise, not a syndrome.
Would you simplify your life by removing the smoke and carbon dioxide detectors from your home and office so you no longer have to worry about changing the batteries? Would you cancel your house or personal property insurance to reduce the number bills and websites with passwords you need to deal with?
Acquiring multiple cameras is a separate issue (2nd). If you use them for different things, say a medium format for portraits or landscapes, a mechanical Leica for street photography, and a modern digital or full-function film SLR for general photography and travel, each of those lends itself to different types of photography. In the end, they are tools. Maybe they are flexible enough, maybe you’ll enjoy different types of photography more by using a camera better suited to that style of shooting.
Are you going to throw out all your flat bladed screw drivers in the name of minimalism and demand everything in your life be converted to phillips head? Woe unto you when you realize you need a torx screw driver for your computer.
The third issue is envy. Craving something somebody else has is just human nature. Sometimes I wonder if more stress isn’t generated in the anxiety over ‘syndromes’ that simply explain human nature than fighting to overcome an unreasonable urge in the first place.
Some people (myself included) enjoy fine mechanical devices. Some people enjoy collections. They might not even use the items (stamp collectors, coin collectors), but they enjoy learning about them and feel a sense of accomplishment in putting together a collection based on some aspect. Or, maybe they just want a wide variety of different styles and designs.
Most firearms collectors in the US rarely have any complete line-up (e.g. all the Springfield 1903s or all the Garands) because it’s cost prohibitive. However, they might have an example of a typical rifle used in each war, or an example of different actions (bolt, pump, single-shot, breech, muzzleloader, etc.). They might only shoot some every few years, but they enjoy them for the tie to history and/or for the engineering ingenuity they represent, or their artistic beauty.
Some people like to try things. They buy a Leica M3, then decide to sell it and get something else. After buying and then selling an M4, an M6, and maybe an M2, they go back and buy another M3. Why waste all that money and effort in horse-trading? Because only after spending several months with something can one appreciate all the eccentricities and what features they value or miss.
The two cameras you sold; you don’t miss. That’s great you sold them so somebody else can use them. However, while they were in a closet, I am unclear on why that would stress an owner out.
Now, there are extremes. If somebody has 52 cats in a 60 sq meter house, that’s plain unhealthy. If a person has a massive pile of photography related gear, most of it junk, littering their house, storage unit, and crammed into desks at their office — I can see the value of them getting rid of items of questionable utility or value.
Some people do hoard. People who lived through the great depression or world wars were tremendous hoarders. They kept broken and useless stuff because, “something might happen and we might not be able to get any more.” Others perhaps were the victims of robberies. Their tools were stolen and even five years later they’re finding they have to re-buy stuff they knew they owned, but just realized that tools was in the toolbox stolen. Hoarding is probably the closest to a real syndrome as it’s based on some sort of trauma or formative experience. I doubt many people buying cameras are hoarding (unlike gold or ammunition, cameras are unlikely to be very valuable in any zombie apocalypse). They might be impulse buying, but that might reflect more a lack of planning and financial self-discipline
However, the recent craze to minimalize for the sake of minimalism, I don’t understand. If it makes somebody happy, more power to them. If they are stressing out about disorganization in their life, again, reducing and organizing the mess is likely to help. In some cases, I think they are stressed out more over not meeting some theoretical ideal of minimalism, than whatever they are trying to minamalize.
What I find especially interesting about this fad (I had several sections of the book you mention read to me against my will — FWIW) is the focus on physical items.
Unused physical items don’t stress me out unless I know they are improperly stored and rust, mold, or some other aging is damaging them through neglect. For others, this extra storage might stress them, and I understand that. What many advocates of minimalism appear to overlook sometimes are all the non-physical stressors in their life.
I’ll use myself as an example. I have probably 75-100 accounts with passwords, most of them separate passwords. Most sites, even if I only use them once, want me to create an account with password to interact with other users. All I want is a recommendation for place to service my Leica, to have a peep sight mounted on a Winchester, or to find a part for an airplane, but I have to create an account. Worse, every site seems to have their own password rules. Then, they require the password be changed at regular intervals.
Email is also bad. I have an account through my employer and two through my customer. I have two through my school (one public, one just within classes). I have my personal account and a separate one for use on a long-term business venture.
Social media is worse. Line, Skype, Google, Linked-In, Facebook, Twitter, and all the Apple flavors – FaceTime, iMessage, etc. I also have a Vimeo and YouTube account. I don’t have Flickr or Instagram. I wish I could delete Facebook.
Anyway, my point is, in trying to minimize stress in their life, people should also look beyond the physical. Email, social media, websites, credit card accounts, store accounts, bank accounts, and investment accounts all require usernames, passwords, histories, and many involve statements, notifications, and validations.
Sorry, I guess it’s a bit of a rant.
People should do what makes them happy, in the way that makes them happy. Sometimes that means stepping back to re-evaluate and consider whether our decisions are good in the short-term or long-term decisions. If that means getting rid of unnecessary stuff, great. If it means acquiring stuff you don’t have, great. If it means holding onto stuff because you might use it in the future, great. If stress is an issue, one might want to look at the electronic life in addition to the physical one.