How to Finally Beat Camera Gear Acquisition Syndrome (3 steps)

[@StoriesAroundUs]

I used to work in music and it was the same there - tons of people spending countless hours discussing microphones, preamps, compressors, etc, instead of just doing the actual work. Take it from me, it’s a waste of time. No piece of gear is a replacement for experience.

[@Left_Hand_Path]

As someone who enjoys photography, guitar, pc gaming, and motorcycles, GAS is the bane of my existence 😂

[@MrYoohootuber]

Best thing I find is to watch reviews and people using the gear you already have! People are usually looking to buy inspiration not the gear.

[@JezdziecBezNicka]

5:25 - spot on. I own more than 10 lenses, but use just two primes for my commercial work. One for headshots, the other for everything else. I treat photography as a hobby, but have a specific recurring commercial assignment. And it quickly became apparent, that the only lenses I need is the 20mm f/1.4 for social media and marketing materials, and 45/1.2 for headshots. Also, me being a m43 shooter was never an issue - the customer doesn't care about the system or sensor size, just the end result.

[@Sven-R]

This video made me sell a cheap macro lens I haven’t used for 2 years. I bought another macro lens which I use all the time. When it comes to buying new gear I usually wait 1 or 2 moths and then think back: This lens I am interested in, when in the last month or 2 did I need it and couldn’t make the photos I wanted because I didn’t have it. That decides quite quickly, if a new lens is a "need" or a "want".

[@toorandomenvi]

Partly no because for example my om1 is a bit limiting with the 1/1000 speed being max. Good ND filter is the solution to this

[@RWAquariumPages]

such a great video! i'm going to have to book mark this to watch it every time I want to buy new gear

[@shaunmaddox]

Enjoyed your video! I’ve been downsizing to have a mobile and efficient kit. I must say, step one is a bit tricky. Tech companies purposely include new features that will increase chances of sales. So they’ll get you eventually. Then the cycle starts all over again lol.

[@henrygarcia3578]

Dude honestly I suffer from this and I believe you just cured me really opened my eyes!

[@richardwalker4518]

Great little chat, enjoyed it! I work on the principle that if it can't fit in my storage case, something else has to go before something new comes in. More often the 'something new' is something old that is rising in value;-) This is of course a function of inflation in our currencies, which is a deterrent to leaving money lying around in banks. So yea, half my stuff is the core kit I use frequently and the other half 'collectables' that get occasional fair weather use, but hold their value in real terms. The control mechanism is the finite capacity of the storage box;-)

[@waynethorn7218]

Very true indeed. Focus on composition regardless of lens

[@tomfenn7149]

Great video! I never thought I'd succumb to GAS but now I have I'm really broke and I have a tonne of 'junk' that I almost never use. I could sell the lot and buy a Leica M. Or alternatively just carry on with what I consider the finest pocket camera ever made, a camera that comes with me everywhere, my Ricoh GRD IV. The money raised use for a trip abroad instead.

[@herbertmasing]

what other cameras do you own?

[@Jparkss]

Yeah I felt this. This actually happened to me when I got my ZFC after I got the x100s. I loved the x100s during the time I got it but definitely fell into the hype, I spent countless hours trying to figure out the right film simulation and would always go back and change the colors every minute while shooting. It took away the joy of just going out and taking pictures without worrying so much of how the jpegs would come out. With the ZFC it brought me back to just taking pictures like I did before with my d200 and Pentax MX-1. The thing I love with the ZFC is how everyday shooting it is and the interchangeable lenses I use. I’ll definitely be selling my x100s and just sticking with my ZFC and d200 for awhile

[@bigbarkingdog2010]

Well reasoned and pertinent to many of us. Thank you.

[@dolanfragrance2274]

GAS literally robbed the fun out of film photography for me. I did less shooting and more spending. I decided to just stop spening film cameras on "good deals" and simply just start taking photos .

[@JoeLopez]

Solid advice!

[@inSurfersParadise]

Also be aware of the bias that exists in many camera reviews. Many reviewers are big fanboys of the camera they are recording themselves with. It is like being very pleased with a mirror they are looking at. There is an inherent flaw in these reviews as the camera is massaging the ego of the person reviewing it. A symbiotic relationship. These reviews are often the most commonly recommended. So features like a flip out screen is seen as a must have and often rated ahead of what you can do with the camera when behind it. If you want to vlog, sure, get the flippy, but beware of folk raving about features that are about them being in front of the camera if taking photos and making art is your thing.

[@rileyjones650]

Excellent work! Thank you!

[@mortenthorpe]

Buying the Zeiss Touit 32 1.8 lens for Fuji X-Mount is a cure for wanting more 30-35 mm lenses… what a lens, and so small and light

[@JohnPatrickWeiss]

X-Pro3 owner with Fuji 35 f2. Used this kit all over U.K. A minimalist at heart, I considered the Leica q2 monochrome, but couldn’t justify the price. Less definitely is more.

[@desoriordan9515]

I'm selling my XT3, a camera i loved to use, but also found myself not using it that much due to buying the XT5. I will feel a tinge of sadness handing it over though. I am also considering selling my X100V and array of accessories for it. But it's a very handy camera to take anywhere. I don't have too many lenses but would consider selling some for the Viltrox 27mm f1.2. Decluttering, whether in the house or with camera gear is a good thing to do.

[@castironspudger]

I had acquired a lot of cameras when people were dumping their film cameras to go digital and they were practically giving them away. I was crippled by choice. Having to run a test roll of film for each camera was taking me away from my enjoyment of photography. I gave more than half to 2 high school programs sold the Canon FD system to replace a failed DSLR. Now I am down to 3 film systems, 2 DSLR systems and 1 mirrorless system. And several points & shoots. Still too many and am considering what else to let go of. My Pentax SLR & DSLR both use the same lenses and should be the obvious choice. But the Olympus SLR and Sony mirrorless still calls to me. I don't have a Nikon system and they look so sparkly and want I some!

[@timrpbrown]

Gas isn't always about thinking it'll make me a better photographer, I get it. Gas can just be about enjoying cameras. The variety is fun. I agree you should off load the ones you don't use though when they are expensive. It broke my heart selling my Zeiss Contact IIa but I just didn't use it enough. The money I got from its sale mostly paid for a Leica T. Happy days.

[@ChrisBrogan]

I'm settling into what I *hope* will be my very-long-time camera. Sold my x100vi to get an X-T5 (needed the lens changes), and I *think* I can't see a use case that'd ever require anything else. (I use Insta360 go 3s for video.) So... I HOPE I'm done with the madness.

[@HoLeeChit11]

But, but, but, I really NEED all that gear I never use, cos I’m planning to start using it very soon.

[@JKH-f8d]

Honestly, if you never used it before, why only use it now? Most people fall into the trap that they will use that gear ONE DAY but it just sits there collect dust. Kinda seems like an excuse/reason to justify the purchase in the first place

[@P51DFreak25]

I have this with lenses. Then I buy a new one and just use the one I already have. Fortunately, a 16mm f/1.4 and a 35mm f/2 are different enough that it makes sense. 35mm is my daily and the 16mm is for dinners, out with friends, or lowlight stuff. I am glad I didn’t fall for my GAS with a Hasselblad 500CM cause that would’ve hurt and I wouldn’t have used.

[@JKH-f8d]

If you think this applies to only cameras and lenses, you may be surprised that this happens to accesories the most; speaking from experience . The thing is, accesories are cheap on the surface but they add up quickly. I spent $100+ on photography accessories and the only ones that are worth are SD Cards and spare batteries. GAS applies to everything in life 😦 as we are spoilt for choice nowadays

[@Slave-Of-Christ]

You showed me a sexy thumbnail and typed “How to Finally Beat Camera Gear Acquisition Syndrome.“ Bruh! You failed. I’m off to Amazon now…. lol

[@m4rcin847]

You are the one who failed here, not him.

[@Me-ld8bt]

They’re just on step one

[@yuval6354]

This is as fun as starting a diet instead of eating another chocolate bar. I hope my wife will never see this video.

[@AfifZulkifli]

My problem now is Accessory Acquisition Syndrome. Can't get enough of those camera straps and bags.

[@jamesbailey221]

In theory, I don't relate since I have two bodies and three lenses which are all used pretty heavily. But still found the sentiment very relatable. I don't pull the trigger often is probably why. But I'm guilty of being tempted by different stuff for no reason for sure.

[@abchappell01]

That was a nice video, but what you recommend is a heck of a lot easier said than done. I start having an anxiety just thinking about what piece of gear I will let go of first. I think that I have terminal GAS-itis. I think they will need to send me to a camera hospice … My family can then sell my Sh*t when I die 😊

[@garreswe]

I have "bag acquisition syndrome". I think I have 5 camera related bags, 9 backpacks, 3 sling backpacks and a few misc ones 😅

[@HouseOfHjonk]

This was a really good random find; thanks for this video! I find that GAS isn't really analyzed nearly enough, but it's something I've fought against since getting my first interchangeable lens camera three years ago. I just sold four lenses, and I kind of had to twist my own arm to let them go; but once they were gone, I realized I didn't miss them that much. What's tough, for me at least, is that I have a couple lenses perpetually on the 'to go' list that go back in my kit. Both are specialty use only (one is an ultrawide I only take out on special occasions and the other is a heavy telephoto I use for moon shots), but when I look at the photos I've taken with them I realize how much I truly like them. I just have to remind myself that I have to wait for the right opportunities to use them; they may not come out all the time but I enjoy them enough that I'm not really ready to let go of them. Figuring out those sorts of priorities can be really difficult.

[@macallanvintage]

An American phenomenon…created by Edward Bernays, nephew of Freud.

[@sherice1730]

Rent or borrow before you buy. Sometimes just trying a new system out will help you decide

[@samueleguglielmo-v3c]

All you need is the new 23mm wr 1.4 and that's it 😉

[@HN-sk2lr]

Less is more 🙌👏

[@d.k.1394]

What is funny is I know people who have this but u can't convince them otherwise!!!!!!

[@RikMaxSpeed]

Wait, you completely forgot to mention synths! There’s new synth gear all the time too!! 🙀

[@mortenthorpe]

You can do a 100 or more videos about de-investing in gear, but you’re going to have to pry my GFX 50R out of my cold dead hands :)

[@adrianledesma915]

What is the best way to sell camera lens?

[@RandumbTech]

That’s what I’m currently struggling with. I’m trying to sell my pristine gear, but no one wants to pay for it. Soooo many scams out there too. I’ve just about given up.

[@popularzero]

It depends. If you have a camera store you trust where you live sell/trade it there if they'll give you a fair price. You'll get a little less than if you sell it to someone else directly but other photographers in your area that shop there will be likely to look there first if there's a photography community there. KEH and MPB both have pretty fair prices, and would probably be your next best alternative you can get cash or trade for another used lens you're looking for. You can always try Ebay, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace. You might be able to sell your lens for slightly more money there, but there's no telling how long it will take to sell and there's certainly more risks involved. There's no one best way you have to decide based on what options are available to you where you live, and what trade offs you are willing to deal with. Selling directly to someone through Craigslist or facebook marketplace might net you a higher profit, but it could also lead to getting your gear stolen or your gear might not sell if you have it priced too high, too low, or nobody in your area is looking for what you're selling. Ebay eliminates the direct robbery or assault, but there's sellers fees, and the demand and pricing issues exist there too. You might get less for your lens on KEH or MPB or even at a local camera store, but in those cases you have a guaranteed buyer, and if you were going to buy your next lens there it might be more convenient.

[@RandumbTech]

@@popularzero Thx for the detailed response! My biggest concern with eBay is that they are now sending out 1099's to anyone who sells more than $5k worth of stuff in a calendar year. I did sell some items to MPB and had a good experience, but they pay about 20% less than market value - but it is incredibly convenient. Most of the FB/CL people are scammers in my experience - though I have had some luck. Perhaps I'm just too impatient. 🤣🤣

[@turo9992000]

I buy gear until i run out of momey.

[@MACDRONEPRODUTORA]

I can't thank you enough for this video. I'm addicted to buying drones and cameras for filming. 1 in and 1 out is brilliant! I will save your video to watch it again when the urges come. I made a video of my Gas Syndrome: kzbin.info/www/bejne/iZnIeayofL6jhbcsi=-aujl1xEmcMNQJMF

[@kuroexmachina]

you need to chill on the ashwaganda my guy

[@eos1d3]

There is a simple and single step way: Buy all.😂

[@Dicktopus]

Nooo the cheap 27mm 😢