The Journey - to a place where "gear doesn't matter"

This is about the journey most of us togs make. From hopeless beginner to competent photographer. From gear collector to minimalist who knows what they need and how to use it.

[@black-and-light]

Important Video!

[@nathanryan7018]

This was a really great video! Minimalism is best!

[@lensvana]

Nice video! Funny enough the entire digital camera market experienced the same thing - massive expansion, peaking around 2012 or so with compacts and DSLRs galore, then contraction due to smartphones and finally an implosion courtesy of covid. Now there's no more room for mediocre cameras or lenses - which is great for the rest of us still shooting with ILCs whether personal or professional! :)

[@glennkphotog]

Wonderful message. It's peaceful to experience the "equilibrium" once the expansion/contraction process has stopped. When you can confidently take one camera and two lenses to a job, you can be a photographer. Well said. 👍

[@marcp.1752]

I must admit, since the 80's, i've collected enough 35mm SLRs, and i do also have some DSLRs, with 3 35mm bodies. That gear that i do use most, is usually my (smallest) gear, since i don't want to lug around some kg when being onto a photowalk.

[@LillaTwiggy]

Hi Allen, I also glean so much from your thought processes in your work. I am very much looking forward to your lightoom vid, and more about your journey as a wedding photographer.

[@josephpeppard561]

Interesting and thought provoking video Allen. I couldn't agree more with your analysis and sound advice.

[@JKuijvenhoven]

I totally agree on your view on this

[@warlordpriest1]

Thanks for posting this. I got into photography during the pandemic and I have accumulated three cameras (Z50,Z6 D700)and nine lenses. I’m only an amateur so it really feels ridiculous! Definitely into the contraction phase now, wanting to eliminate most of this and simplify my set up so I can enjoy the experience more. You brought it all home for me even more with this video.

[@sneye1]

Hi Allen, you made some good points here. What really matters for an emotion provoking image is the photographer's unique eye. Of course, the gear must not stand in the way, but that is all there is to it. One glaring exception to this is optics. As you pointed out many times, certain lenses have specific "looks". I find that the rendition of texture and depth has an impact on the viewer's experience. Just a few days ago I shot some live music with a Sigma 28mm Art lens using the horrible available light at the club. The images, while as technically "correct" as possible under the circumstances, lack a sense of soul. They all look flat and uninspired. Had I used a different lens, I'm sure the results would have conveyed more of the energy. Choosing the right optics is a difficult task because different lenses fit different genres, styles and personalities. I have narrowed down the focal lengths most useful to my photography a long time ago, but still in search of glass which would draw nicely and be seamless in operation.

[@marcp.1752]

I say this since at least 3 decades, gear doesn't matter. I am not shooting sports, nothing, which requires fast AF. One can make nice compositions (read: not from image quality - but *composition* wise) with a 35mm disposable Film camera. I do prefer (still) 35mm Film, for my own joy and amusement, but into digital, i use only 6 to 12, 16 MP gear. My only 24 MP DSLM sees almost no use, since 2013.

[@philipfoster7269]

Interestingly on Sunday I took a D3S with an old 70 to 200 f2.8 and a Fuji XT1 with a 27mm f2.8 to a rugby match not expecting it to do the job but it worked beautifully. Sombody there said it all must have been worth thousands and I said maybe. 12 years ago.

[@assists7]

Yes! I grew to 3 cameras, 7 lenses, and 5 lights… all the latest greatest. But now I u-turned to just 2x D800, 28mm 1.4D, 85mm 1.4D, for the size and character, plus 2 small 250w strobes. Everything fits in my Pelican 1510 case. Less is more!

[@josephpeppard561]

Gear doesn't matter when the photographer has sufficient knowledge of light, composition and exposure. Ralph Gibson was right; it's not about the camera it's about the moment.

[@bri_v]

I recently went through this as well, and am trying to minimalize how much I carry. Down to carrying 3 lenses now (Canon 100mm Macro, Sigma 100-400mm, and Sigma 18-35).I do mostly macro and abstract photography in nature. I'd love to eventually bring it down to two lenses, but its too difficult when choosing which Sigma to leave at home 😆

[@CP23798]

Fear of a better option (FOBO) afflicts photographers big time. Gets in the way of taking pictures.

[@ansgarbook712]

Allen since gear doesnt matter, it is more a question of the fun to use a tool and thats why I ordered a D700 again (third time!). Which are the lenses you like most on the D700 ?ß regards Ansgar

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Oh my all time favourite is the 58 F1.4G - also love the 50 1.2ais but as manual focus I find that's better on a Z canera with focus peaking.

[@neoshazam]

Nikon's delays made me realize the D780 is quite good. I think the 24-120 Z F 4 would be an improvement for me and a theoretical Z6III is exciting but I might as well keep shooting with what I have.

[@Snezhana_ph]

The whole reason for buying new and new equipment by young photographers is that they were not taught to shoot on a film camera in which there were only thirty-six frames, when it was necessary to make sure that the shot was absolutely correct, that the shot contained everything that the person wanted to tell who took the camera in his hands, then there was no right to make a mistake, and now they are taught not to create a photo but to press buttons and thereby a lot of information is formed in the heads of beginners, which they do not know how to use and apply, moreover, now there is a huge variety of perfect equipment that you need to know how to use and apply correctly, without experience it is impossible to become a real photographer, and the camera is a tool that helps to do what came into the person’s head, because the shot is born first of all in the head and only then you get a video print on paper and not a file in the computer.

[@jeromebarry1739]

Well, in a way it does matter. I wouldn't want to cover a Yankees game with a Leica and 50mm lens. Different gear for different jobs.

[@CreativePixelPhotos]

Hi Jerome, Of course - but would you take the Lieca along to the game with your D5? That's what I meant by gear expansion :-)

[@romansivers]

Hi Allan, great video and cheers from Canada! To a large degree I agree with you: after some point the gear does not matter. However, there is something to be said about the former-top-of-the-line cameras, such as D3/D3s/D4/D4s. They are so responsive and quick that they empower the user and give confidence that they are capable of handling any job. I have two D700, and they are not as responsive as a D3 or D3s. And considering that I bought both D700s, a D3 and a D3s each for ~US$360, currently nearly anyone can afford these incredible cameras. All of this to say, I agree with you that gear does not matter. However, I’m compelled to add a qualifier that if one is buying equipment anyway, one ought to consider the former-top-of-the-line camera bodies.

[@ΝικοςΖωχιος-χ8π]

Let me remind you that both your D3 and D3s offer inferior colour accuracy and hue discrimination than your D700.(Assessment based on colour checker results and cameras' ability to record and reproduce hues. Not based on one's subjective criteria) In other words: 1/ You might like your D3, and D3s better but that applies only to you. 2/ Don't confuse the words "responsive" and "quick" with the word "output" and "objective results" These are different things!

[@romansivers]

@@ΝικοςΖωχιος-χ8π Nick, feel free to believe what you want to believe. If you think that a D700 is somehow special, or if some tests validated your view - go for it. I’ll be happy for you. That was not my lived experience. Is D700 a great camera? Yes. Can one make amazing photos with it? Yes. Can it be the one camera for all one’s needs in 2023? Yes. Can one make shockingly amazing photographs with it in 2023? Absolutely! Is there an image quality difference between a D700 and other cameras? Perhaps, maybe. 🤷🏻‍♂️ Is there enough difference to make a difference? Not in my experience. Is D700 as responsive and feels as solid as a D3/D3s? Absolutely not.

[@shlawchablaas]

I would say, that gear makes a difference-you could say, it matters-but it’s not what matters most in photography, especially photography as an art. So, when you’re at a point where you’re comfortable with the tool you have, you can concentrate on the image, the emotion, the subject, interacting with people, positioning, framing, anticipating. A flagship camera will tend to be more responsive, a portrait camera will tend to have higher image quality-important differences that determine who they’re appropriate for. But ultimately, they’re just different paths to the final image.

[@kennypringle4580]

I did find this video useful. I have 5 cameras, 16 lenses, 3 flashes, 5 strobes, 7 light stands, 6 umbrellas, 6 metal modifiers, and I’m not even a full time professional photographer. I’m retired from my career and do photography part time as jobs come to me. I definitely have a GAS problem. I know I need to, and I want to, downsize and really focus on what I decide to keep. I need therapy🫣🤷🏻‍♂️