obsessions

I was commenting here in another post about this NIKONOS UW camera I got on eBay (for US $123.50) and was thinking to use the opportunity to post another question.

Do you sometime get obsessed about a camera that "you have to have", and get in to that particular system like there is no tomorrow just to test it one or two times and end up leaving it in the storage?

I think that this is happening to me with this, it is true that the camera and strobe is really cheap, in further research I found out that the system has some 13 O-rings that have to be working not to flood the camera, etc etc....

Last obsession was a Baby GRAFLEX that I got with a Schneider 135mm lens (the lens I do use with my Mamiya and Digital Back, so, that part is ok)

I know that I'm probably not the worst obsessed here, what about you Will Thompson? (I think he has a ton of 8x10's)

Are we like big kids with expensive toys?

Is this a "problem" that affects us across genders or is a guy's --shoe shopping--?

Gear Collection and obsession

I definitely suffer from Gear Obsession. I have a variety of lenses. My newest obsession is the 5dMk2 but I am not giving in so easily to that just yet. That will wait until summer after all the Measurebaters have told me what is wrong with it. But I have the same obsession about kitchen utencils too. I guess that is the femaile side of me...

I suffered also...

....from the male equivalent of "shoe shopping". AND I humbly apologize to our female members, the analogy was made solely for humor!
I very happily shot my life away using a D200. Unfortunately I obsessed with having a D3. I obsessed day and night. I read reviews. I drooled over brochures. I camped out on B&H. It didn't matter I'd never use half it's features. It didn't matter that I would never subject it to the rough and tumble world of pro shooters - I HAD to have it.
So I bought one.
And it sat, little used, while I continued to happily shoot away with the D200.

Long story short - I packed it up along with the D200, a bunch of "had to have" lenses and sold it back to B&H. Pocketed the profit.
I bought a D300.
I'm in recovery now.
I think there's hope.
One day at a time...

Oh the shoes...

John! Yes!!! Shoes - that obsession is a given being female. My husband is obsessed with technology and how to books. The thing is the shoes might go out of style but are still wearable. Those books on programming in Access go out of date and he won't part with them. We have stacks of them.

leonardobarreto.com said:

Are we like big kids with expensive toys?

Is this a "problem" that affects us across genders or is a guy's --shoe shopping--?

Click to expand...

I cannot relate to this, Leonardo. I am always in complete control of G.A.S. impulses and never obsess over camera equipment.

Ahem.

From this summer, a mint-condition grey Rolleiflex T 1, circa 1958-1960 (almost as old as me, but looking much better with fewer fingerprints) found in Miami. The camera was in absolutely clean, operating condition. I replaced the focusing screen with a new Beattie version.


(continued...)

(...continued)

But look what this little old 6x6 can do with that Carl Zeiss Tessar 75mm f/3.5 (taking) lens and a roll of today's 120 film.




I always wanted a Rolleiflex TLR. Appetite sated!

I spend more money on my Mustang than I do with my Photography. But unfortunatly, the money spend on the car doesn't really hold it's value. Most of my photography purchases I can (and do) get at least 90% or more of their original purchased price when I sell them later. (not counting digital bodies, which I don't buy and sell very often)

Ken, I'm sooo upset about your post... now I,m in danger of catching your obsession for that, (mint-condition grey Rolleiflex T 1...) LOL...

Regarding shoes, I buy only Timberland and they last sooo long that I forget everything about shoe shopping, but when I do, I consider them (the shoes) to be "equipment", so they have to be able to be deployed to a wet field for walking in pursue of an image...

Buy, yes, I also apologize for making the false stereotype connection between women obsessing about shoes.... (it was made strictly for humor purposes)

Ken Tanaka said:

I cannot relate to this, Leonardo. I am always in complete control of G.A.S. impulses and never obsess over camera equipment.

Ahem.

From this summer, a mint-condition grey Rolleiflex T 1, circa 1958-1960 (almost as old as me, but looking much better with fewer fingerprints) found in Miami. The camera was in absolutely clean, operating condition. I replaced the focusing screen with a new Beattie version.

(continued...)

Click to expand...

Nah, can't be an obsession. Just humble appreciation of yesterday's technical marvels that most others have lost interest in ..

A selection of manual lenses 18 f3.5, 24 f2.8, 28 f3.5, 35 f3.5, 2x 50 f1.8, 50 f3.5 macro, 100 f2.8, 135 f2.8, 135 f3.5, 200 f4, 300 f4, 400 f4.5, 600 f6, 2x converters, extension rings, endoscopic adaptor and filters all see regular use on my E-1. From a technical point there is no need but nevertheless a 85 f2.0 is under way.

Martin

Martin:

I'm sorry to say -for being ignorant about other people's object of obsession- that I had to google "E-1" to know what your are referring to, it is the OLY E-1, no? I had the OLY E-10 a 4MP camera that cost me $2k. -- almost what you pay for a 5DMk2 now adays--, but at the time it was immediately put to work making kook books and other commercial imagery for corp. clients like Kraft and Nestle !

I most say that before getting this Oly I obsessed about it ... until it was time to obsess about the s2 Fujifilm ... and PhaseOne P25... My Nikon D300, on the other hand, I got almost with no obsession at all !

Sorry, indeed an Olympus E-1.

At the 4/3 fora there are lots of Olympus E-10 and E-20 enthusiasts who still think highly about their IQ! Probably because they ventured into digital with those cams. My first digital, a JVC DSC 1.5 mpixel camera, also cost a small fortune. back then.

Next to the Oly E-1 there is a Panasonic L1 here, another lust based purchase, so I am very slowly building up towards a Leica M8 .. lol

Martin

Other obsessions...

*Facebook. I discover that this is the best thing after the invention of email, I use it as a blog to follow the political situacion of my native Nicaragua and post links to articles that I find on Google News
*OpenPhotographyForums.
*My PowerBook G4 that keeps working surprisingly well (well, its a Mac..)
*Google Sketch. A fantastic free program that lets you design in 3D. I drew a coffe table and a dining table that a local architect build from the files for me... once you begin using it you can only stop using it to take care of another obsession...
*Political situation of Nicaragua ... you don't want to know ... (took place of the one to follow the Obama race to power)

... and now that NIKONOS ...