Guilty as charged, I currently own a dozen lenses and five camera bodies. I have never been published or paid for any photography that I do. I'm currently undergoing a psychotic episode, which revolves bigger brighter portrait lights. I'm broke from buying camera gear.
Yep, got 5d classic with sigma 50ex for only 250usd. I dont need it, this camera is pretty old (i'm using 5d3), but for that price i just couldn't stop myself.
Nikon D800e, 2 Nikon D7100s, Nikon D5200, Olympus OM-D E-M1X and OM Systems OM-5. Different tools, different jobs. Got them all low usage used. So I'm guilty; but, happy! Beats doing drugs and other forms of human dissipation - lol. I'm 75 and have been keeping shutters very warm since I was 7. Long live G.A.S.!
Very true! Forget about the technical specs, as Ansel Adams remarked: nothing is worse than a technically perfect, but uninspired picture. So go for the camera that get you into that mood: taking meaningful fotos. When using film I had the same experience : the fully mechanical F2A was more an extension of my body than an autonomous camera. All subsequent models with auto exposure, auto focus and other fancy stuff was not really an improvement with respect to creativity. For me, in the digital era, I re-found this feeling shooting with the D800 - for whatever reason. I don't care why. And your mileage may vary and a completely different camera might be the best option for you.
Good photos. Rules to resist GAS. 1) Stick with one system and sensor: All your lenses will work on all the cameras. 2) Only have two cameras at a time. If one comes in, one goes out. I tried that and failed. 3) Stick to very old cameras. They’re cheap and good ones probably won’t depreciate in price. 4) Set a megapixel limit. I don’t buy anything much over 12mp. 5) Avoid anything by Leica or Fuji. Beautiful but overpriced. 6) Spend your saved money on sustainable travel to nice places for photography.
I only seem to have gas when I’m unhappy with the photos I’m taking. Or bored with them. Buying new gear sometimes sparks a new drive to take photos, or try new techniques. It isn’t all bad, but I agree it needs to be controlled.
This is why I choose Canon. I knew their lenses were expensive and they do not allow third party lenses, and their software isn’t Sony level. But their ergonomics feel good to me and they look nice. I feel good when I hold it. I mean just look how awesome the R3 looks and feels in the hands!
I find that TH-cam is the cause for my GAS, I am constantly researching anything and everything, which is what makes me think I need the new gear. Its difficult to just say "well okay im not going to watch youtube then" because there are creators who I watch for their personality. But I have tried before, only watching documentaries for a day or two. No youtube. Just documentary films, like national geographic ones especially the "Photographer" series, there is never any mention of gear. Its just a story, it follows the life of the photographer while taking you on their next journey. I just watched episode 2 about Anand Varma. Really a great documentary.
My modern camera is Sony a7iii. I used to have D700, always dreamt about D3 so I bought both of them for a very good price. Than I bought D300 because all those cameras have specific image character and doesn't cost a lot. I don't have to treasure them when I go out in dust and sand. The problem with GAS is only when you start over paying for the newest and greatest gear thinking it will improve your skill.
Exactly. I gotta say though, I have a little bit of an addiction to old cameras now, the older they are and herder to shoot with they get, the happier I get 😅
@@brunodrakenas9575 The D300 is very similar to the D700, winth increased noise and reduced dynamic range. But colors and resolution are the same, in good light I cannot distinguish which is which. D3 and D700 have the same exact sensor, and very subtle color differences, might as well be the same camera.
@@uncertainrelease the d700 is full frame though. I’m in the “I only want full frame bubble” but if comparing images I’ve heard you can’t really tell the difference.
@@brunodrakenas9575 Yeah you really don't. I've been using the D300 and D700 side by side for some sports events etc, and when editing later I generally can't tell which picture is from teh D300 and which picture is from the D700. The differences are much more visible in lower light, where the D700 will be much cleaner, and with wide primes, where the D700 will genrally havve shallower depthc of field (because it's using longer lenses for the same framing)
I'm basically in the same boat. I have a great but unglamorous 8 year old that poops out high quality files. And a smooth and fast 5year old that make files that need a lot of work in post to come close to what the 8 year old does. Both are bulky enough that they are not pocket carriable. So I bought a 12 year old really small 12 mp job and a pancake lens. Very cheap setup. Concealable portable easy. Have to fight in post. But when I do use the 8 year old, I understand exactly what you are saying!
I was aware of the dangers - being reasonably experienced in taking deep dives into obsessions - but also aware that i had the capacity to exercise some choice in determining what i would be obsessive about. I don't fight GAS, but i make sure that 1. it serves a purpose in my selected realms of photography (and part of the reason for the selected realms is that they that don't add to much fuel to the GAS burner) and 2. it can't break the bank or undermine other things i have in my life. So my chosen photographic interests do not include fast-action sports, wildlife on the African savannah, deep-space astro-photography and videography. Straight away i've eliminated some of photography's most expensive genres. I also decided that the purpose of my photography would be to document the local - to celebrate the environment in which i live: so no expensive travel. I chose an aesthetic of atmosphere and mood over the clinical sharpness that is meaningless in terms of how our eyes actually perceive the world. I decided to allow myself to be a control-freak - which means shooting mainly manual in RAW (plus film) and to minimise the role of the camera in any aspect of image production other than light hitting the medium. I decided on the brands that i'd be a fan-boy of - Olympus (but only the obsolete 4/3 format - no new gear), and Pentax - FF and film. So i shoot an E5, a K1 and a Spotmatic. I use my GAS driven and growing collection of Takumars on all of them, and i have native pro-glass for the E5 which i use in the rain. I spend a lot of time thinking about certain shots - months, in some cases - and how best to get them, including what Takumar or 4/3rd lens will give me the result i want. If i need a new lens for the shot 1. it's generally going to be affordable, and 2. i won't be needing it until the conditions are right to take the photo - by which time i may have changed my plans. One last thing that also helps is that i always, always carry a camera - my EDC: an Olympus E-620 with the 18-180 zoom on it. This is my photographic notebook. I can shoot anything with it at any time and pore over the images thinking about what might have some real potential... from there i can start thinking about some specific image and about how to make the most of it. What this helps with is 1. it allows me to shoot 'bad' photos, but with a purpose, and 2. it ensures that for most of the time i'm thinking about my process of taking a good photo, not about the gear i'm packing. Long post - sorry - it's an interesting and relevant topic. Lkd&Subd. Have a great day!
I would also extend this advice to many professionals. Reviewers seem keen to employ all kinds of sophisticated tests to reveal the barely perceptible superiority of high-end Brand A over run-of-the-mill Brand B when what matters is "can the customer tell the difference?" How many newlyweds or their friends and families are able to appreciate that their videographer used $1500 German shotgun mics and not my $150 jobs from Taiwan? Which corporate training video was ever rejected because of traces of purple fringeing in the corners of the screen? Most of the equipment that end users view stuff on introduces extra aberrations anyway. I'm not a pro and yet I've spent thousands in the past 12 months on cameras and ancillaries, so I by no means possess GAS immunity. Everything I've bought has been denounced or unfavourably compared somewhere online by so-called expert professionals, some of whom have so much equipment thrown at them that they struggle to find the time to open the boxes. I could easily fold but I rely on the ignorance of my "customers" (basically family and neighbours) who by and large wouldn't know a raw image from raw tuna fish and think a noise floor means creaky joists. And if by chance I'm hired to shoot a wedding video, before I say yes I'll make sure the happy couple aren't sound engineers.
I decided to only buy one brand, in my case Nikon, otherwise there would be soooo many interesting cameras nice video by the way I alsooen a D700 and a D2H, both excellent cameras
i got d3 .sounds like it would be perfect for you. great colours and can use all the coverage from your lenses you get on your film cameras. i prefer this over my 20 megapixel lumix
I have a D700, so I see very little point for a D3 at the moment. BEsides, I just started using a D2X ! I'll make a review about it of course, but when the D2H was a nice camera with image quality too poor for me to really use in anything else than snapshots and some instagram post, the D2X is really a camera I could use day to day without limitations (or at least not obvious ones). I'd love to have a D3, but it makes less and less sense for me as the D2X and D700 are really filling that niche !
I think the best thing to deal with GAS its just stop watching videos about gears and lenses. Unfortunately these kind of videos pop up everywhere, but it’s a good thing stop watching and searching for information about new gear release. That helps a lot.
Unfortunately, I can't really do that. As mentionned in the video, I'm on a few discord servers dedicated to photography where I help beginners (or not-so-beginners) choosing their cameras and lenses based on their needs. I really like doing that and I could not continue if I wasn't informed on what's out there. So in a way, I'm a willing participant of the GAS loop that youtube pull on us, and I need the kind of things I explained in this video to get out of it (kinda). But yeah I agree, not even watching what's out there is the most effective method.
@@uncertainrelease I understand, for sure. But man, for me it’s like a trigger, the moment I watch a video about a lens or camera (new or old), the first thing I do is looking for a good deal on eBay, BH , etc. It’s not easy to get out of this.
I started with a Ricoh KR5 at age 17 after matric. It lead me to work for Agfa film processing labs in South Africa, that's when QSS daylight film processing machines in shopping malls where launched. I was operating the Noritsu 45min film printing
Photography is a passion, a lifelong journey of self discovery and with limited resources to finally be recognised by society to be really devoted to your craft by the photographs that you manage to produce with whatever.
I'm more than guilty of GAS over the last 10 or so years. I've owned more cameras than I care to admit (it's almost embarassing). I've had my Nikon Z7 for over a year and recently picked up a D700 because I wanted to be less digital while not having the cost of film. And I look at screens too much as it is and wanted the OVF. Long story short, I love that camera because of many of the things you mentioned plus I got a slammin deal on it. The plethora of buttons and simplicity of it, it's just so appealing. But GAS has taken ahold of me still and I am getting a D810 because I enjoy the DSLR experience so much. In the end, I don't know if I like photography or like photography gear.
Yeah I definitely feel the same sometimes, I feel like I own way too much camera gear for the use I put on them 😅 That being said, I also own a few cameras for the "collection" more than I own them to actually use them, typically my D1X is probably never going to see a lot of use, but I like to make a few snaps with it from time to time
I am a collector - digital and film - I "justify" a purchase by relating it to a specific significance of the model (first of kind to shoot video/CCD sensor/last of the four thirds Olympus etc etc, part of a series that is in my collection e.g. Canon 5D series (still incomplete and becomes a collection within a collection), previously owned and wished to re-acquire, and the reasons/excuses go on...In reality GAS has got me and this year I am focusing on using rather than adding (except for a few accessories/lenses) 🙂🙏
Maybe I am strange, but I get MORE excited shooting with old gear rather than new.... my daily drivers are still 5Dii and 7Di with good glass, and they can produce wonders if you know how to work with them.
What is curing gas for me is the latest processing software like DXO Pro Raw 3. When we talk the latest and greatest cameras and image quality how much of that improvement is sensor based and how much is the latest in camera, software improvement? For fun I purchased beautiful looking Nikon D200 for not a lot of money. I really do think there is something to those old CCD sensor colors. And to this day it is hard to find a camera built any better. Sure the 10mp output is far behind the times but let’s look at that. When processing the D200 NEF file in Pro Raw something amazing happens. All the softness goes away leaving an amazingly detailed photo with no noise. Even @ ISO 1600 the image is clean. What this improvement in detail and clarity does is allow one to enlarge that file easily up to 16mp size. That gives one a beautiful 11x17 print or an online presentation that can rival anything anyone else can put out. New life for a great old camera.
Spend that money on experiences, traveling, events, etc... and take whatever camera with you; you'll see how your photos improve over time. Don't forget to have fun; that's the best recipe ;D
For me its not really about being dissatisfied or disappointed with my gear ,its more like I want to try different "paintbrushes". I have a painting background and different tools get you different results. Same applies to cameras for me, I get different results with different cameras. I started with Nikon 12 years ago and still use it primarily. But when I want a different feel I have an assortment of bridge cameras that I use and some Canon DSLRs. I particularly like this old Kodak bridge camera that has a very unique bokeh to it, its a very unique texture but there is no manual focus and it focus hunts all the time lol. So I would never take it when I want to shoot fast. I always wanted to try a D2x but I feel the size would bother me at the end of a long walking and shooting day. I usually carry at least two cameras so my bag already feels heavy, I imagine a D2X wouldn't help with fatigue. What do you think about the weight of the D2H? Say with two heavy lenses, the camera and two extra batteries, how long would you be able to walk around with that before it started to bother you?
I do a lot of hiking, and I usually carry around heavy gear in hikes, so I am quite trained for that. I honestly don't know. I've carries my D700 + 100-400 + 12-24 + 80-200 f/2.8 pretty much everywhere, and this camera is easily 1kg body only, each lens coming around another kilogram. I've carried those on top of mountains at the end of 5/6 hours ascents, and had no problem with it but I can totally see how someone wouldn't want to lug around several kilograms of gear around all the time. About the D2X/H though, I quite like using those cameras for regular walks, generally with a relatively small lens on it (either of my DX lenses really, 18-55, 55-200 or 35mm DX). They're quite good for that, but they're annoying to pack for sure.
Yes, to me the camera that doesn't require much work is the D700. X-T2 always required some work working with RAWs, but not as much as other cameras in my experience. ANd JPEG colors are generally good from the get to to me
And actually… It’s okay to admit that you like or prefer bigger cameras or squarer cameras or whatever feels comfortable in your hands. The photo isn’t the only result. There’s also the joy of composing in the view finder, changing camera settings, etc on a camera you enjoy using. All bicycles have two wheels but some are more enjoyable to ride than others, even though ultimately, they’re all just methods of transport. It’s okay to choose a camera for how it feels and not just the photo. If you accept that and have a camera you enjoy, the gas reduces.
thanks ! The D2H has crappy image quality if you look at the spec sheets, but it also has incredible colors and 4MP is more than enough for online posting anyways
The GAS is strong in this one... It can be frustrating when with the cameras you have, you are often not able to take the images you want. Either because the camera's autofocus just doesn't focus where you want it to focus 9 times out of 10. Or because there is too much contrast between light and dark parts of the scenes. Etc. That drives the desire for a "better" camera for some value of "better".
Yeah, one thing I didn't talk about (and that I should have, now that I look at it) is the fact that you shouldn't understate your needs either. Like if you want to achieve something but can't because your camera does not have the ability to capture it, then it's not a "want" problem, it becomes a need. And then it's not GAS anymore. The thing is to know how to stop from convincing yourself you actually need cameras that goes well beyond solving the problems you had
Gear Acquisition Syndrome is uncurable. You will only buy more and more until you have no money left, at least that what happen to me with 30+ cameras from 8 brands and every generation of high end PC motherboard from the past 20 years at least one for each, and still keep adding more into it when I have a chance.
I rekon my G.A.S. works in reverse as I can't stop buying old film and digital cameras and figure out how to use them ... DOH! My newest camera is 4 years old. Cheers!
Camera gear does not make you a Photographer, this is an art a deep drive from within that's so overwhelming it's like you're possessed. Gear will come as a reward, minimalistic approach, go mingle and see places be you!!!
Aren’t you satisfied with the d700? I’ve heard that the d700 might be the best camera Nikon ever made. I’ve got a Canon 5d mark II and I’m looking at the d700 for my possibly next buy. The D700 and the d4 is high up on my list.
Yes, I'm very satisfied with my D700. I don't know about the "best camera Nikon ever made", this is highly subjective ! For color reproduction maybe, everything else was bested by more modern releases.
@@uncertainrelease i get you! I tend to listen to the “back to basics” guys and the end results doesn’t get better with the progress in technology, the way to the finish results is easier but the end results some claims was better on those older cameras because of their way to process colors. The 5d classic, 5d mark II, d6, d700 are some of those oldies that performs just as good as the top end mirrorless and even better according to some “pro/full time” photographers I watch. Im a happy amateur struggle with GAS but and I would love this to be true because there’s so much gold for us to pick for a cheap price 😁👍🏻
@@brunodrakenas9575 The D6 ain't that old, it was released in 2020 haha But yeah, I do agree that those older cameras have something "special". Some people have already theorized on why that is, and my understanding is that in the mid/late 2000s, camera companies were really trying to push digital as a replacement to film, and so the colors of digital cameras like the 5D classic, the D700 ect had to match those of film when it comes to tones ect. The following generation of cameras (5Dmk III, D800,...) really didn't have much competition from film anymore, so brands could do pretty much what they wanted, going towards flatter images that allowed more adjustments in post, but at the cost of character of the imnages themselves. TO me the last "great" senson when it comes to colors was the one that was put in the D4/Df. It's really wonderful, I hope to be able to pick one up someday, but both camera models are still pretty expensive even today. I have en XQD card laying around that I don't use anymore (since I've swsitched to CFXB cards on my Z6), so maybe I'll grab a D4 in a couple of years just to test things out with that sensor ;)
I considered it actually (the D7000 and D600 as well), but switvching to Nikon at that time would have meant changing all of my lenses, which I didn't want to do, and would have been expensive. Getting an X-T2 was not only allowing me to keep my lenses and have the X-T1 as a backup, but it also allowed me to keep going in a system I knew well. Not mentionning the fact that getting that X-T2 was cheaper than getting a D750, even without counting the lenses.
I am going to have to disagree with your statement about the D2h yielding trash images (aside form color). I have a D2hs and several years ago just for fun I put my 70-200 f2.8 VR II lens on it and captured a head shot of our dog, Bo. It was at ISO 800 and I bounced flash off the ceiling. I was capturing files in TIFF format. I did not need to crop that image and I printed it out to 13"X19" and I would challenge anyone to look at it and decide that was captured with a 4 MP sensor. No pixelation and every hair on his head and in his face clearly defined. My image is clearly reflected in his eyeball. Every time I look at it I have a hard time believing it came from a 4 MP sensor, but it did. I am sure if you pixel-peep at high magnification it will fall apart. It does not do high ISO well at all, but within its range of useable ISO's, it does very well. If you rely on cropping in post, you are right, this is not a good choice. This does not mean it is not capable of capturing quality images if you can adapt to its limitations. Compared to the challenge of film cameras and their very limited ISO's available, this is still a viable image capture tool. Just my thoughts...
What I mean is that compared to other cameras i own (even very cheap ones) it's comparatively bad. ISO range is limited (realistically you can only use 200-800, 1600 starts being too noisy), you don't have a lot of dynamic range to play with (highlights clip easily, shadows can't really be pulled. At maxiumum you have two stops of adjustment possible, when I could get 5 with a camera that is just a couple of years younger than this) Looking at other cameras in the used market, there is no reason to buy a D2H specifically when cameras like the D300 exists. But as I said in the video, that didn't stop the D2H to deliver images I'm very happy with, that I printed and hanged on my wall. That and the ergonomics, autofocus, build quality, shooting speed are awesome. I go more in length about that in the D2H review video I made.
i have 2 z50's, z6, z6ii and z8 --- D7500 d700 d500 d5100 d3500 d3300 d70 and dozens of film cameras --- i have collected dozens of tripods, filters, and lenses. i am so caught up in G.A.S that I may be a camera equipment hoarder -- I tell myself I can't pass up such a great deal and I can always sell the other gear which I never do. And no my pictures haven't improved much. GOD Bless
Hah, that's a lot of Nikon cameras ! I have currently 10 cameras and I do say myself the same thing (although I mostly get cameras because they have something special or quirky, say like the D2H which has the only existing JFET sensor in a production camera, the D1X with rectangular pixels or the SDQH with a Foveon sensor) Sometimes I feel more camera collector than photographer, but then again I put thousands of clicks on my main cameras (currently Z6, X-T2 and D700) each year so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle? 😅
At least it's way cheaper ! :D For real though, that video was for the people that always look at the new shiny thing and think they really need it. Using old cameras is allowing to put things back in their context and realize how spoiled we are with pretty much any camera that has been released since 2015
yeah to be honest I haven't bothered with JPEG at all with the D2H. Dynamic range on that camera is so bad that loosing some though the JPEG compression wasn't something I wanted haha
We all act a bit differently, BUT, most people tend to like to acquire Things... I do acquire Things and not let them go or I have a bad reaction ( I got a X100 and tried to like it but got rid of it and never felt bad And I made $ on the sale(more than original price)).... I have been buying cameras for about 59 years.... Cameras not only have Form n Function, I luv both!!! NEVER USE CREDIT FOR CAMERA PURCHASES (unless you are a pro for a while) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hah, I also had an X100, and I also sold it with profit (bought it 250€, sold it for 500 a year later). I definitely do regret selling it though. Camera was kinda hard to use (especially the interface which wasn't super friendly, the fiddly buttons and the unreliable AF), but it was definitely a camera that I regretted I didn't have around me anymore when I needed a smaller camera to carry every day to work. I ended up buying a Lumix LX5, and so far I'm really happy with it ! Smaller size really makes the difference
I'd rather not haha. Some people could recognize themselves 😅 Considering the fact that I'm still there trying to help people out for gear I'd prefer to avoid any potential drama lol (there have been some already)
1) Stop watching photo youtube 2) Buy old photo magazines (yes, paper) from classifieds. 3) Get excited about all the fancy new stuff coming out this year, in 2004. You'll be running out of living space just the same, but at least you won't go broke.
cheap camera that is challenging to use when it comes to nailing the shot, prefereably. The D2H I took as an example is pretty good for that, as it is very hard to expose correctly and get great results out of it, but it's also super enjoyable to use.
What you descibed what happen in your case is normal. If you were to shoot again in an important capacity having a camera with two card slots is logical. I don't think you understand G.A.S. or you are unqulified to give advise. There are people out there that have 12 camera bodies and 20+ lenses and all kinds of lighting and other camera related gear. When you get there and have a solution, i will listen.
Generally when watching a video, listenning to what the people in it are saying is a useful tip to understand the point of the video. Watching the video in its entirety is also useful. Maybe try that next time, because the need of 2 card slots is NOT the only reason for "GAS" at all. Maybe you missed the part where I talk about resolution, video specs, obsessing over specs and how my mind shifted in a couple of weeks to convince myself that I needed a new camera. The SD card failure was the trigger, the whole thought process where I convinced myself to get a new camera was G.A.S. Little hint : it's between 2:40 and 3:38. Or the part where I convinced myself that I needed a full frame camera? (that I ended up buying) Your comment tells me that you didn't watch the video through, or didn't listen. So, please : next time, watch it through before typing something stupid. PS : I currently have 21 lenses and 13 cameras :)) And the solution I explained in this video didn't change for me, I'm still applying it otherwise I would have 30+ bodies.
I failed the "buy no camera in 2023" challenge about 2 weeks in... But I still apply what I've said in this video and only buy what I "need". The problem then lies on deciding what do I "need" and what do I "want" 🥲
I don't GAS on purpose, but when I see a used gear online that is too hard to pass, I GAS hard
It was fun eating breakfast listening to your answer. Logical, practical. Good advice.
Guilty as charged, I currently own a dozen lenses and five camera bodies. I have never been published or paid for any photography that I do. I'm currently undergoing a psychotic episode, which revolves bigger brighter portrait lights. I'm broke from buying camera gear.
The coming of mirrorless has made it so much easier for people with GAS syndrome that prefer DSLR's and DSLR lenses. Prices dropped a lot.
Yep, got 5d classic with sigma 50ex for only 250usd. I dont need it, this camera is pretty old (i'm using 5d3), but for that price i just couldn't stop myself.
Excellent confessional. Astute observations on how we obsess on the cameras we don't have instead of the fine cameras we own.
Nikon D800e, 2 Nikon D7100s, Nikon D5200, Olympus OM-D E-M1X and OM Systems OM-5. Different tools, different jobs. Got them all low usage used. So I'm guilty; but, happy! Beats doing drugs and other forms of human dissipation - lol. I'm 75 and have been keeping shutters very warm since I was 7.
Long live G.A.S.!
Photographers? You should check out the guitar community! We're really bad when it comes to G.A.S.
Very true! Forget about the technical specs, as Ansel Adams remarked: nothing is worse than a technically perfect, but uninspired picture.
So go for the camera that get you into that mood: taking meaningful fotos. When using film I had the same experience : the fully mechanical F2A was more an extension of my body than an autonomous camera. All subsequent models with auto exposure, auto focus and other fancy stuff was not really an improvement with respect to creativity.
For me, in the digital era, I re-found this feeling shooting with the D800 - for whatever reason. I don't care why. And your mileage may vary and a completely different camera might be the best option for you.
Good photos. Rules to resist GAS. 1) Stick with one system and sensor: All your lenses will work on all the cameras. 2) Only have two cameras at a time. If one comes in, one goes out. I tried that and failed. 3) Stick to very old cameras. They’re cheap and good ones probably won’t depreciate in price. 4) Set a megapixel limit. I don’t buy anything much over 12mp. 5) Avoid anything by Leica or Fuji. Beautiful but overpriced. 6) Spend your saved money on sustainable travel to nice places for photography.
I only seem to have gas when I’m unhappy with the photos I’m taking. Or bored with them. Buying new gear sometimes sparks a new drive to take photos, or try new techniques. It isn’t all bad, but I agree it needs to be controlled.
This is why I choose Canon. I knew their lenses were expensive and they do not allow third party lenses, and their software isn’t Sony level. But their ergonomics feel good to me and they look nice. I feel good when I hold it. I mean just look how awesome the R3 looks and feels in the hands!
yes it's a very nice 6000€ camera :D
There is R1 already 😂😂😂
I find that TH-cam is the cause for my GAS, I am constantly researching anything and everything, which is what makes me think I need the new gear. Its difficult to just say "well okay im not going to watch youtube then" because there are creators who I watch for their personality. But I have tried before, only watching documentaries for a day or two. No youtube. Just documentary films, like national geographic ones especially the "Photographer" series, there is never any mention of gear. Its just a story, it follows the life of the photographer while taking you on their next journey. I just watched episode 2 about Anand Varma. Really a great documentary.
The CCD sensors of the past have great appeal to me too. Always tough to resist temptation of GAS
My modern camera is Sony a7iii. I used to have D700, always dreamt about D3 so I bought both of them for a very good price. Than I bought D300 because all those cameras have specific image character and doesn't cost a lot. I don't have to treasure them when I go out in dust and sand. The problem with GAS is only when you start over paying for the newest and greatest gear thinking it will improve your skill.
Exactly.
I gotta say though, I have a little bit of an addiction to old cameras now, the older they are and herder to shoot with they get, the happier I get 😅
You think the d300 is pretty similar in image quality as the d3 and d700?
Which one of those would you recommend?
Cheers!
@@brunodrakenas9575 The D300 is very similar to the D700, winth increased noise and reduced dynamic range. But colors and resolution are the same, in good light I cannot distinguish which is which.
D3 and D700 have the same exact sensor, and very subtle color differences, might as well be the same camera.
@@uncertainrelease the d700 is full frame though. I’m in the “I only want full frame bubble” but if comparing images I’ve heard you can’t really tell the difference.
@@brunodrakenas9575 Yeah you really don't. I've been using the D300 and D700 side by side for some sports events etc, and when editing later I generally can't tell which picture is from teh D300 and which picture is from the D700. The differences are much more visible in lower light, where the D700 will be much cleaner, and with wide primes, where the D700 will genrally havve shallower depthc of field (because it's using longer lenses for the same framing)
I'm basically in the same boat. I have a great but unglamorous 8 year old that poops out high quality files. And a smooth and fast 5year old that make files that need a lot of work in post to come close to what the 8 year old does. Both are bulky enough that they are not pocket carriable. So I bought a 12 year old really small 12 mp job and a pancake lens. Very cheap setup. Concealable portable easy. Have to fight in post. But when I do use the 8 year old, I understand exactly what you are saying!
I was aware of the dangers - being reasonably experienced in taking deep dives into obsessions - but also aware that i had the capacity to exercise some choice in determining what i would be obsessive about. I don't fight GAS, but i make sure that 1. it serves a purpose in my selected realms of photography (and part of the reason for the selected realms is that they that don't add to much fuel to the GAS burner) and 2. it can't break the bank or undermine other things i have in my life. So my chosen photographic interests do not include fast-action sports, wildlife on the African savannah, deep-space astro-photography and videography. Straight away i've eliminated some of photography's most expensive genres. I also decided that the purpose of my photography would be to document the local - to celebrate the environment in which i live: so no expensive travel. I chose an aesthetic of atmosphere and mood over the clinical sharpness that is meaningless in terms of how our eyes actually perceive the world. I decided to allow myself to be a control-freak - which means shooting mainly manual in RAW (plus film) and to minimise the role of the camera in any aspect of image production other than light hitting the medium. I decided on the brands that i'd be a fan-boy of - Olympus (but only the obsolete 4/3 format - no new gear), and Pentax - FF and film. So i shoot an E5, a K1 and a Spotmatic. I use my GAS driven and growing collection of Takumars on all of them, and i have native pro-glass for the E5 which i use in the rain. I spend a lot of time thinking about certain shots - months, in some cases - and how best to get them, including what Takumar or 4/3rd lens will give me the result i want. If i need a new lens for the shot 1. it's generally going to be affordable, and 2. i won't be needing it until the conditions are right to take the photo - by which time i may have changed my plans. One last thing that also helps is that i always, always carry a camera - my EDC: an Olympus E-620 with the 18-180 zoom on it. This is my photographic notebook. I can shoot anything with it at any time and pore over the images thinking about what might have some real potential... from there i can start thinking about some specific image and about how to make the most of it. What this helps with is 1. it allows me to shoot 'bad' photos, but with a purpose, and 2. it ensures that for most of the time i'm thinking about my process of taking a good photo, not about the gear i'm packing. Long post - sorry - it's an interesting and relevant topic. Lkd&Subd. Have a great day!
I would also extend this advice to many professionals. Reviewers seem keen to employ all kinds of sophisticated tests to reveal the barely perceptible superiority of high-end Brand A over run-of-the-mill Brand B when what matters is "can the customer tell the difference?" How many newlyweds or their friends and families are able to appreciate that their videographer used $1500 German shotgun mics and not my $150 jobs from Taiwan? Which corporate training video was ever rejected because of traces of purple fringeing in the corners of the screen? Most of the equipment that end users view stuff on introduces extra aberrations anyway.
I'm not a pro and yet I've spent thousands in the past 12 months on cameras and ancillaries, so I by no means possess GAS immunity. Everything I've bought has been denounced or unfavourably compared somewhere online by so-called expert professionals, some of whom have so much equipment thrown at them that they struggle to find the time to open the boxes. I could easily fold but I rely on the ignorance of my "customers" (basically family and neighbours) who by and large wouldn't know a raw image from raw tuna fish and think a noise floor means creaky joists. And if by chance I'm hired to shoot a wedding video, before I say yes I'll make sure the happy couple aren't sound engineers.
I decided to only buy one brand, in my case Nikon, otherwise there would be soooo many interesting cameras
nice video
by the way I alsooen a D700 and a D2H, both excellent cameras
i got d3 .sounds like it would be perfect for you. great colours and can use all the coverage from your lenses you get on your film cameras. i prefer this over my 20 megapixel lumix
I have a D700, so I see very little point for a D3 at the moment.
BEsides, I just started using a D2X ! I'll make a review about it of course, but when the D2H was a nice camera with image quality too poor for me to really use in anything else than snapshots and some instagram post, the D2X is really a camera I could use day to day without limitations (or at least not obvious ones).
I'd love to have a D3, but it makes less and less sense for me as the D2X and D700 are really filling that niche !
I think the best thing to deal with GAS its just stop watching videos about gears and lenses. Unfortunately these kind of videos pop up everywhere, but it’s a good thing stop watching and searching for information about new gear release. That helps a lot.
Unfortunately, I can't really do that. As mentionned in the video, I'm on a few discord servers dedicated to photography where I help beginners (or not-so-beginners) choosing their cameras and lenses based on their needs.
I really like doing that and I could not continue if I wasn't informed on what's out there. So in a way, I'm a willing participant of the GAS loop that youtube pull on us, and I need the kind of things I explained in this video to get out of it (kinda).
But yeah I agree, not even watching what's out there is the most effective method.
@@uncertainrelease I understand, for sure. But man, for me it’s like a trigger, the moment I watch a video about a lens or camera (new or old), the first thing I do is looking for a good deal on eBay, BH , etc. It’s not easy to get out of this.
I started with a Ricoh KR5 at age 17 after matric. It lead me to work for Agfa film processing labs in South Africa, that's when QSS daylight film processing machines in shopping malls where launched.
I was operating the Noritsu 45min film printing
Photography is a passion, a lifelong journey of self discovery and with limited resources to finally be recognised by society to be really devoted to your craft by the photographs that you manage to produce with whatever.
Old Nikon are super cool
I'm more than guilty of GAS over the last 10 or so years. I've owned more cameras than I care to admit (it's almost embarassing). I've had my Nikon Z7 for over a year and recently picked up a D700 because I wanted to be less digital while not having the cost of film. And I look at screens too much as it is and wanted the OVF. Long story short, I love that camera because of many of the things you mentioned plus I got a slammin deal on it. The plethora of buttons and simplicity of it, it's just so appealing. But GAS has taken ahold of me still and I am getting a D810 because I enjoy the DSLR experience so much. In the end, I don't know if I like photography or like photography gear.
Yeah I definitely feel the same sometimes, I feel like I own way too much camera gear for the use I put on them 😅
That being said, I also own a few cameras for the "collection" more than I own them to actually use them, typically my D1X is probably never going to see a lot of use, but I like to make a few snaps with it from time to time
Great video. Thanks for all the advice and wise words! Cheers!
I am a collector - digital and film - I "justify" a purchase by relating it to a specific significance of the model (first of kind to shoot video/CCD sensor/last of the four thirds Olympus etc etc, part of a series that is in my collection e.g. Canon 5D series (still incomplete and becomes a collection within a collection), previously owned and wished to re-acquire, and the reasons/excuses go on...In reality GAS has got me and this year I am focusing on using rather than adding (except for a few accessories/lenses) 🙂🙏
Maybe I am strange, but I get MORE excited shooting with old gear rather than new.... my daily drivers are still 5Dii and 7Di with good glass, and they can produce wonders if you know how to work with them.
cutting down on soda has helped my gas a lot
that's weird, generally it's cutting down on beans that do that
What is curing gas for me is the latest processing software like DXO Pro Raw 3. When we talk the latest and greatest cameras and image quality how much of that improvement is sensor based and how much is the latest in camera, software improvement? For fun I purchased beautiful looking Nikon D200 for not a lot of money. I really do think there is something to those old CCD sensor colors. And to this day it is hard to find a camera built any better. Sure the 10mp output is far behind the times but let’s look at that. When processing the D200 NEF file in Pro Raw something amazing happens. All the softness goes away leaving an amazingly detailed photo with no noise. Even @ ISO 1600 the image is clean. What this improvement in detail and clarity does is allow one to enlarge that file easily up to 16mp size. That gives one a beautiful 11x17 print or an online presentation that can rival anything anyone else can put out. New life for a great old camera.
Spend that money on experiences, traveling, events, etc... and take whatever camera with you; you'll see how your photos improve over time. Don't forget to have fun; that's the best recipe ;D
For me its not really about being dissatisfied or disappointed with my gear ,its more like I want to try different "paintbrushes". I have a painting background and different tools get you different results. Same applies to cameras for me, I get different results with different cameras. I started with Nikon 12 years ago and still use it primarily. But when I want a different feel I have an assortment of bridge cameras that I use and some Canon DSLRs.
I particularly like this old Kodak bridge camera that has a very unique bokeh to it, its a very unique texture but there is no manual focus and it focus hunts all the time lol. So I would never take it when I want to shoot fast.
I always wanted to try a D2x but I feel the size would bother me at the end of a long walking and shooting day. I usually carry at least two cameras so my bag already feels heavy, I imagine a D2X wouldn't help with fatigue. What do you think about the weight of the D2H? Say with two heavy lenses, the camera and two extra batteries, how long would you be able to walk around with that before it started to bother you?
I do a lot of hiking, and I usually carry around heavy gear in hikes, so I am quite trained for that. I honestly don't know.
I've carries my D700 + 100-400 + 12-24 + 80-200 f/2.8 pretty much everywhere, and this camera is easily 1kg body only, each lens coming around another kilogram.
I've carried those on top of mountains at the end of 5/6 hours ascents, and had no problem with it but I can totally see how someone wouldn't want to lug around several kilograms of gear around all the time.
About the D2X/H though, I quite like using those cameras for regular walks, generally with a relatively small lens on it (either of my DX lenses really, 18-55, 55-200 or 35mm DX). They're quite good for that, but they're annoying to pack for sure.
I have the X-T2 and a lot of Nikon D cameras. I find the D4, D4S have gorgeous images while the X-T2 takes a lot of adjustments to zero it in.
Yes, to me the camera that doesn't require much work is the D700.
X-T2 always required some work working with RAWs, but not as much as other cameras in my experience. ANd JPEG colors are generally good from the get to to me
And actually… It’s okay to admit that you like or prefer bigger cameras or squarer cameras or whatever feels comfortable in your hands. The photo isn’t the only result. There’s also the joy of composing in the view finder, changing camera settings, etc on a camera you enjoy using. All bicycles have two wheels but some are more enjoyable to ride than others, even though ultimately, they’re all just methods of transport. It’s okay to choose a camera for how it feels and not just the photo. If you accept that and have a camera you enjoy, the gas reduces.
Great Photos !!!!!!!! I was wondering what 4mp would do :) :) :)
thanks ! The D2H has crappy image quality if you look at the spec sheets, but it also has incredible colors and 4MP is more than enough for online posting anyways
The GAS is strong in this one...
It can be frustrating when with the cameras you have, you are often not able to take the images you want. Either because the camera's autofocus just doesn't focus where you want it to focus 9 times out of 10. Or because there is too much contrast between light and dark parts of the scenes.
Etc.
That drives the desire for a "better" camera for some value of "better".
Yeah, one thing I didn't talk about (and that I should have, now that I look at it) is the fact that you shouldn't understate your needs either.
Like if you want to achieve something but can't because your camera does not have the ability to capture it, then it's not a "want" problem, it becomes a need. And then it's not GAS anymore.
The thing is to know how to stop from convincing yourself you actually need cameras that goes well beyond solving the problems you had
When GAS hits hard, I break out the 35mm cameras, and it has the same effect. I like film, but it reminds me how spoiled I am with digital.
Gear Acquisition Syndrome is uncurable. You will only buy more and more until you have no money left, at least that what happen to me with 30+ cameras from 8 brands and every generation of high end PC motherboard from the past 20 years at least one for each, and still keep adding more into it when I have a chance.
well that's pretty grim 😅
If only I have had the D2H, I could have come to this realization too...
100% agree. The best remedy for G.A.S is to buy Shit Gear. It honestly works and save a tone
I rekon my G.A.S. works in reverse as I can't stop buying old film and digital cameras and figure out how to use them ... DOH! My newest camera is 4 years old. Cheers!
Camera gear does not make you a Photographer, this is an art a deep drive from within that's so overwhelming it's like you're possessed.
Gear will come as a reward, minimalistic approach, go mingle and see places be you!!!
Aren’t you satisfied with the d700? I’ve heard that the d700 might be the best camera Nikon ever made.
I’ve got a Canon 5d mark II and I’m looking at the d700 for my possibly next buy. The D700 and the d4 is high up on my list.
Yes, I'm very satisfied with my D700. I don't know about the "best camera Nikon ever made", this is highly subjective ! For color reproduction maybe, everything else was bested by more modern releases.
@@uncertainrelease i get you! I tend to listen to the “back to basics” guys and the end results doesn’t get better with the progress in technology, the way to the finish results is easier but the end results some claims was better on those older cameras because of their way to process colors.
The 5d classic, 5d mark II, d6, d700 are some of those oldies that performs just as good as the top end mirrorless and even better according to some “pro/full time” photographers I watch.
Im a happy amateur struggle with GAS but and I would love this to be true because there’s so much gold for us to pick for a cheap price 😁👍🏻
@@brunodrakenas9575 The D6 ain't that old, it was released in 2020 haha
But yeah, I do agree that those older cameras have something "special". Some people have already theorized on why that is, and my understanding is that in the mid/late 2000s, camera companies were really trying to push digital as a replacement to film, and so the colors of digital cameras like the 5D classic, the D700 ect had to match those of film when it comes to tones ect. The following generation of cameras (5Dmk III, D800,...) really didn't have much competition from film anymore, so brands could do pretty much what they wanted, going towards flatter images that allowed more adjustments in post, but at the cost of character of the imnages themselves.
TO me the last "great" senson when it comes to colors was the one that was put in the D4/Df. It's really wonderful, I hope to be able to pick one up someday, but both camera models are still pretty expensive even today. I have en XQD card laying around that I don't use anymore (since I've swsitched to CFXB cards on my Z6), so maybe I'll grab a D4 in a couple of years just to test things out with that sensor ;)
“Guilty Your Honor!” 🤷🏾♂️ That being said, once I got comfortable in my “Photography Skin”, the symptoms did go away…😊
Your GAS started with an SD card failure. The cheap answer to this problem is a used D750, the wedding photographers go to camera for many years.
I considered it actually (the D7000 and D600 as well), but switvching to Nikon at that time would have meant changing all of my lenses, which I didn't want to do, and would have been expensive.
Getting an X-T2 was not only allowing me to keep my lenses and have the X-T1 as a backup, but it also allowed me to keep going in a system I knew well.
Not mentionning the fact that getting that X-T2 was cheaper than getting a D750, even without counting the lenses.
I am going to have to disagree with your statement about the D2h yielding trash images (aside form color). I have a D2hs and several years ago just for fun I put my 70-200 f2.8 VR II lens on it and captured a head shot of our dog, Bo. It was at ISO 800 and I bounced flash off the ceiling. I was capturing files in TIFF format. I did not need to crop that image and I printed it out to 13"X19" and I would challenge anyone to look at it and decide that was captured with a 4 MP sensor. No pixelation and every hair on his head and in his face clearly defined. My image is clearly reflected in his eyeball. Every time I look at it I have a hard time believing it came from a 4 MP sensor, but it did. I am sure if you pixel-peep at high magnification it will fall apart. It does not do high ISO well at all, but within its range of useable ISO's, it does very well. If you rely on cropping in post, you are right, this is not a good choice. This does not mean it is not capable of capturing quality images if you can adapt to its limitations. Compared to the challenge of film cameras and their very limited ISO's available, this is still a viable image capture tool. Just my thoughts...
What I mean is that compared to other cameras i own (even very cheap ones) it's comparatively bad.
ISO range is limited (realistically you can only use 200-800, 1600 starts being too noisy), you don't have a lot of dynamic range to play with (highlights clip easily, shadows can't really be pulled. At maxiumum you have two stops of adjustment possible, when I could get 5 with a camera that is just a couple of years younger than this)
Looking at other cameras in the used market, there is no reason to buy a D2H specifically when cameras like the D300 exists. But as I said in the video, that didn't stop the D2H to deliver images I'm very happy with, that I printed and hanged on my wall. That and the ergonomics, autofocus, build quality, shooting speed are awesome.
I go more in length about that in the D2H review video I made.
I GAS a lot, specially when I eat a lot of hot beans with mexican sauce.
wink wink
Love the high key at 18:27 - why don't you come to Nkion Cafe and join us?
i have 2 z50's, z6, z6ii and z8 --- D7500 d700 d500 d5100 d3500 d3300 d70 and dozens of film cameras --- i have collected dozens of tripods, filters, and lenses. i am so caught up in G.A.S that I may be a camera equipment hoarder -- I tell myself I can't pass up such a great deal and I can always sell the other gear which I never do. And no my pictures haven't improved much. GOD Bless
Hah, that's a lot of Nikon cameras !
I have currently 10 cameras and I do say myself the same thing (although I mostly get cameras because they have something special or quirky, say like the D2H which has the only existing JFET sensor in a production camera, the D1X with rectangular pixels or the SDQH with a Foveon sensor)
Sometimes I feel more camera collector than photographer, but then again I put thousands of clicks on my main cameras (currently Z6, X-T2 and D700) each year so I guess I'm somewhere in the middle? 😅
You didn't cure my GAS, but made me GAS for “trash”.
At least it's way cheaper ! :D
For real though, that video was for the people that always look at the new shiny thing and think they really need it. Using old cameras is allowing to put things back in their context and realize how spoiled we are with pretty much any camera that has been released since 2015
When shooting the D2h … you’ve gotta always shoot NEF raw… else the jpg engine is really bad. The gain is a good thing - very film like.
yeah to be honest I haven't bothered with JPEG at all with the D2H. Dynamic range on that camera is so bad that loosing some though the JPEG compression wasn't something I wanted haha
Depends, people made great photos with Fuji velvia, and that had like, 6 stops of dynamic range?
We all act a bit differently, BUT, most people tend to like to acquire Things... I do acquire Things and not let them go or I have a bad reaction ( I got a X100 and tried to like it but got rid of it and never felt bad And I made $ on the sale(more than original price)).... I have been buying cameras for about 59 years.... Cameras not only have Form n Function, I luv both!!! NEVER USE CREDIT FOR CAMERA PURCHASES (unless you are a pro for a while) !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hah, I also had an X100, and I also sold it with profit (bought it 250€, sold it for 500 a year later).
I definitely do regret selling it though. Camera was kinda hard to use (especially the interface which wasn't super friendly, the fiddly buttons and the unreliable AF), but it was definitely a camera that I regretted I didn't have around me anymore when I needed a smaller camera to carry every day to work.
I ended up buying a Lumix LX5, and so far I'm really happy with it ! Smaller size really makes the difference
I just need aD850 and a D500 and a Df and my was will be gone forever!! I’m only 3K away of my camera GAS, but, don’t ask me about lenses
I’m a simple man, I see a Nikon d100 listed for sale fully working for 25 bucks, I buy it.
same :'(
Can you please share what is the discord channel? Thanks very much for another video
I'd rather not haha. Some people could recognize themselves 😅
Considering the fact that I'm still there trying to help people out for gear I'd prefer to avoid any potential drama lol (there have been some already)
1) Stop watching photo youtube
2) Buy old photo magazines (yes, paper) from classifieds.
3) Get excited about all the fancy new stuff coming out this year, in 2004.
You'll be running out of living space just the same, but at least you won't go broke.
Gear Acquisition Syndrome is like female Hypergamy. Impossible to satisfy and destructive and costly.
Gear disposal syndrome is better. Clear out the unused clutter. Less is more. Simplify.
Base the kit on a maximum weight.
I know one good method. Selling. I'm not joking. When you see that you will loose part off your money, you will be more cautious. I did this.
Why do you have three cameras?
Because he has gas obviously.
because I have different usecases? (also GAS, if that wasn't obvious by watching the video)
I usually buy a huge samsung TV so my credit card company assumes fraud and locks it down. That way can't spend money on more lenses.
Doing more photographie then watching TH-cam videos is a good remedy I think 😚😙😉
duh.
Basically buy a cheap camera.
Not a new low-end, but an old high-end.
cheap camera that is challenging to use when it comes to nailing the shot, prefereably.
The D2H I took as an example is pretty good for that, as it is very hard to expose correctly and get great results out of it, but it's also super enjoyable to use.
ah, yes the 700 pretty much the same in a lighter body
Aren't you confusing with the D3? 😅
@@uncertainrelease my favourite nikon 🙂
Just become a camera/lens collector, then it isn't GAS..
Not sure my relatives buy that :D
What you descibed what happen in your case is normal. If you were to shoot again in an important capacity having a camera with two card slots is logical. I don't think you understand G.A.S. or you are unqulified to give advise. There are people out there that have 12 camera bodies and 20+ lenses and all kinds of lighting and other camera related gear. When you get there and have a solution, i will listen.
Generally when watching a video, listenning to what the people in it are saying is a useful tip to understand the point of the video. Watching the video in its entirety is also useful.
Maybe try that next time, because the need of 2 card slots is NOT the only reason for "GAS" at all. Maybe you missed the part where I talk about resolution, video specs, obsessing over specs and how my mind shifted in a couple of weeks to convince myself that I needed a new camera. The SD card failure was the trigger, the whole thought process where I convinced myself to get a new camera was G.A.S. Little hint : it's between 2:40 and 3:38.
Or the part where I convinced myself that I needed a full frame camera? (that I ended up buying)
Your comment tells me that you didn't watch the video through, or didn't listen. So, please : next time, watch it through before typing something stupid.
PS : I currently have 21 lenses and 13 cameras :)) And the solution I explained in this video didn't change for me, I'm still applying it otherwise I would have 30+ bodies.
I bet that at this moment he has bought a new camera
I failed the "buy no camera in 2023" challenge about 2 weeks in...
But I still apply what I've said in this video and only buy what I "need". The problem then lies on deciding what do I "need" and what do I "want" 🥲
The music is awful!
not to your taste, not my problem.