CALM - Cameras and Lenses Matter

[Sirius Glass]

Coincidentally, I’m thinking of selling one of my two Leica lenses because I find it unworkable with spectacles. That will leave me with one format, one camera, one lens. I welcome the constraints. The alternative seems to be always wishing you owned/had brought something other than what you have.

Get soft contact lenses and the problem will go away and you will ask yourself why you did not do it sooner.

 

[abruzzi]

CALF — Cameras and Lenses are Fun

As a complete amateur, with no specific photographic aspirations, I have no guilt buying a camera or lens just because. I need to sell off less used items and system, but that more of a space concern.

 

[xkaes]

While walking through the forest and in ‘serious photo taking mode’ my mirrorless digital camera photographs look very much like my 4x5 images.

I get your point, but if you are only going to make 3x5" prints a 110 camera can produce great results.

 

[MurrayMinchin]

I get your point, but if you are only going to make 3x5" prints a 110 camera can produce great results.

I never made a print larger than 11x14 in over 40 years with the 4x5, so think I'll be okay. Thank you for your concern

 

[Steven Lee]

The effect Paul describes is real, but I stopped attributing it solely to cameras and lenses, at least in my case. Self-reflecting, I am noticing that the introduction of change makes me feel more inspired and creative. There are many ways to inject change into your life. The most effective ones for me are:

1. New gear or medium. Not going to lie, even re-taking some of my favorite MF images with my new 4x5 camera makes me super excited every weekend.
2. Travel. New locations are exciting.
3. Weather and timing. You can photograph the same thing under different conditions with dramatic differences in results.
4. Technique. Experimenting with long exposures, soft focus, filters, multi-exposures, and numerous other tricks to inject new life into previously explored subjects.
5. Genre. I almost forced myself into landscape photography during the pandemic. Always found landscape photographs soul crushingly boring and treated cameras as useless weight and distraction when visiting national parks. Covid changed everything and now I am weirdly enjoying the process of lugging around the tripod + 20lb of gear, waiting for a good light, watching weather forecasts daily, etc. Still can't really enjoy the results though, having a landscape print on a wall is tough to imagine... those are reserved for dental office waiting rooms in my mind. :-(

Also, I never found the aspect ratio to matter. I see everything in an imaginary rectangle which is different for every photo, frame with a bit of excess, and crop liberally. It helps that my standards are low.

Now back to cameras: I have about a dozen and I use a fairly sophisticated analytics for all my images. For most cameras and lenses I see a usage curve showing a classic head/tail distribution: lots of use right after purchase and eventual decline to a very modest level. I have cameras that I only made 30 images with! Meanwhile, the Hasselblad, the Leica and the Nikon consistently produce over a hundred keepers per year. Year after year. So it's quite clear to me that I can be perfectly happy with just one camera per format.

 

[ic-racer]

I’ve learned that I see the world completely differently depending on what camera I’m using -

I agree.

Seems if on is a talented musician, being an equipment hound is ok. I think the same holds true for photographers. Sure there are a lot of great 'one-camera-one-lens' photographers, but I think there are a lot of photographers that collect equipment. For example Ansel Adams:

Item; one 8x10 view camera, 20 holders, four lenses, one Cook converter, one ten-inch wide-field Ektar, one nine-inch Dagor, one six and 3/4 “ Wollensak Wide Angle
Item; one seven by seventeen special panorama camera, with a Protar 13 1/2 inch lens and five holders
Item; one four-by-five view camera, six lenses, … .Beaumont Newhall describing Ansel Adams' equipment.

 

[Cholentpot]

I agree.

Seems if on is a talented musician, being an equipment hound is ok. I think the same holds true for photographers. Sure there are a lot of great 'one-camera-one-lens' photographers, but I think there are a lot of photographers that collect equipment. For example Ansel Adams:

Yes! This I agree with.

Do you know a guitarist aside from Willy Nelson or Brian May that only have one guitar? I can barely play and I have 3 electric, 3 bass (one I lent out and it has a new home) an acoustic a half size that doesn't work and a uke. Each one has a different use. One guitar was my first. Hangs on wall, kind of garbage it's a Samick from the 80's and only sometimes shocks me. The other is some off brand guitar I got because I liked the way it looks, Tele thin line knockoff form Xavier guitars. And my last one is a LTD 'relic'd' tele, excellent guitar, way heavy but I can bash out chords. I have a Samash black friday special Takamine acoustic, a Squire P bass that I ripped the frets out of 15 years and tried to epoxy the fretboard (fail) and an Ibanez Ergodyne bass, I didn't chose it. It chose me.

And these are just the instruments. I have a bunch of amps and mics and pedals and everything else. And I can barely bash out a note. People have rooms and rooms of equipment.

My camera collection is a joke compared.

 

[juan]

I have only five trombones and one tuba. I’m afraid to count my cameras.

 

[4season]

For most cameras and lenses I see a usage curve showing a classic head/tail distribution: lots of use right after purchase and eventual decline to a very modest level. I have cameras that I only made 30 images with!

This would explain the Flickr Phenomenon in which many a newly created group has a brief explosion of energy, then falls silent save for spam posts.

 

[Cholentpot]

I have only five trombones and one tuba. I’m afraid to count my cameras.

I have a sax in the garage. Used to have a bugle. It walked off or something.

 

[reddesert]

Hangs on wall, kind of garbage it's a Samick from the 80's and only sometimes shocks me.

Just a remark. (Sorry, a lengthy safety digression.) The strings on an electric guitar are intentionally connected to the signal ground which is (should be) connected to the amplifier ground. If you are getting a tingle or a shock, it's not the guitar's fault, it's that the amplifier is improperly grounded or plugged into bad wiring.

Older amplifiers that used two prong plugs sometimes had a capacitor wired across the power lines to dump hum. Under certain circumstances you can get shocked/tingled through this capacitor. It won't pass enough current to injure you if the capacitor is in good condition. In principle, if the cap fails as a short rather than failing open, you could get a very bad shock. It is not clear that this capacitor has ever killed/injured anyone, but the amplifier should be maintained and/or properly grounded, and a few guitar players have been killed by bad stage wiring. See https://robrobinette.com/Death_Cap_and_Ground_Switch.htm for more information.

In the Bad Old Days, like the 1980s, we would sometimes get shocked/tingled by guitars/mics when playing in places (like our ancient college dorms) with questionable wiring, but did not really understand it. I now understand that it was most likely from the guitar and mic being plugged into devices (like an amp and mixer) that either did not have 3-prong plugs, or extension cords/outlets that were not properly grounded, so that the amp and mixer had different hot/neutral connections.

 

[Cholentpot]

Just a remark. (Sorry, a lengthy safety digression.) The strings on an electric guitar are intentionally connected to the signal ground which is (should be) connected to the amplifier ground. If you are getting a tingle or a shock, it's not the guitar's fault, it's that the amplifier is improperly grounded or plugged into bad wiring.

Older amplifiers that used two prong plugs sometimes had a capacitor wired across the power lines to dump hum. Under certain circumstances you can get shocked/tingled through this capacitor. It won't pass enough current to injure you if the capacitor is in good condition. In principle, if the cap fails as a short rather than failing open, you could get a very bad shock. It is not clear that this capacitor has ever killed/injured anyone, but the amplifier should be maintained and/or properly grounded, and a few guitar players have been killed by bad stage wiring. See https://robrobinette.com/Death_Cap_and_Ground_Switch.htm for more information.

In the Bad Old Days, like the 1980s, we would sometimes get shocked/tingled by guitars/mics when playing in places (like our ancient college dorms) with questionable wiring, but did not really understand it. I now understand that it was most likely from the guitar and mic being plugged into devices (like an amp and mixer) that either did not have 3-prong plugs, or extension cords/outlets that were not properly grounded, so that the amp and mixer had different hot/neutral connections.

Now that you mention it, I used to get shocked from this guitar in a venue overseas. It was a flyby night dive so that would make sense. My current amp, a Hartke bass amp, has proper grounding. My Vox sadly died, I think a cap went. I should get it repaired.

 

[4season]

I had serious hifi-, camera- and computer GAS for years, starting in my 20s: Ah, to be young and fiscally reckless again. I don't know that a person is ever totally GAS-free, but now that I'm older, much now falls into the category of been-there-done-that, and like Dexys Midnight Runners, they've had their moment in the sun.

Half-frame 35 mm aka "subminiature photography for lazy people", has been one of the more noteworthy things to come out of my Film 2.0 adventure to date. And I probably ought to hang onto my Lomo LC-A.

 

[Patrick Robert James]

The only thing shocking about my guitars is how woefully I play them...

I only have two guitars these days. A Seagull acoustic Mohagany/Cedar that sounds like it should be played by someone with talent, and a Reverend Rocco dual humbucker with coil taps that makes a lot of sweet noise, which hides the aforementioned woefulness. I had a wonderful Gretch jumbo acoustic years ago and I could never get a good sound out of it. One day a friend with talent picked it up and after about ten seconds of hearing that guitar played by him I just shook my head. He still has it...

In comparison I couldn't even tell you the cameras I have. I keep buying them. I do use them though. I started shooting a few years ago with a Minox I was given back in the 90s. It was one of those "one of these days" cameras that sat around for more than two decades. I now have 6 of them. Don't even get me started on enlarging lenses. They are like rabbits. Put a couple in a drawer and before you know it you have a dozen, so you give some away, then before you know it you have another dozen. Makes no sense.

A few years back I realized that any film cameras I buy I will have the rest of my life, so I might as well get them while I can. I figure I have another 30 years if I'm lucky and film sticks around, although at the rate we are going film will cost more than eggs pretty soon....

 

[etn]

Yes! This I agree with.

Do you know a guitarist aside from Willy Nelson or Brian May that only have one guitar? I can barely play and I have 3 electric, 3 bass (one I lent out and it has a new home) an acoustic a half size that doesn't work and a uke. Each one has a different use.

My camera collection is a joke compared.

I hear you man... same here... one cello (which I learned as a kid), 2 upright basses (more fun in orchestras than the cello), 2 electric basses, 2 amps, 3 saxophones... now I would like to buy a piano but I am running out of space in my apartment!

My camera collection is more extensive in numbers but fits nicely in 1 drawer

Enjoy all your toys. YOLO. There's no point in life if it's not fun. Making it fun is our own responsibility.

(PS. I wish we could have as many partners as music instruments or cameras )

 

[Cholentpot]

I had serious hifi-, camera- and computer GAS for years, starting in my 20s: Ah, to be young and fiscally reckless again. I don't know that a person is ever totally GAS-free, but now that I'm older, much now falls into the category of been-there-done-that, and like Dexys Midnight Runners, they've had their moment in the sun.

Half-frame 35 mm aka "subminiature photography for lazy people", has been one of the more noteworthy things to come out of my Film 2.0 adventure to date. And I probably ought to hang onto my Lomo LC-A.

I made a half-frame TLR. It's wild and fun. I have a small Hi-Fi collection, I needed to keep it small, these things get out of hand.

I hear you man... same here... one cello (which I learned as a kid), 2 upright basses (more fun in orchestras than the cello), 2 electric basses, 2 amps, 3 saxophones... now I would like to buy a piano but I am running out of space in my apartment!

My camera collection is more extensive in numbers but fits nicely in 1 drawer

Enjoy all your toys. YOLO. There's no point in life if it's not fun. Making it fun is our own responsibility.

(PS. I wish we could have as many partners as music instruments or cameras )

I'd love an upright. I have no clue where I'd put it but it would be a discussion piece no doubt.

The only thing shocking about my guitars is how woefully I play them...

I only have two guitars these days. A Seagull acoustic Mohagany/Cedar that sounds like it should be played by someone with talent, and a Reverend Rocco dual humbucker with coil taps that makes a lot of sweet noise, which hides the aforementioned woefulness. I had a wonderful Gretch jumbo acoustic years ago and I could never get a good sound out of it. One day a friend with talent picked it up and after about ten seconds of hearing that guitar played by him I just shook my head. He still has it...

In comparison I couldn't even tell you the cameras I have. I keep buying them. I do use them though. I started shooting a few years ago with a Minox I was given back in the 90s. It was one of those "one of these days" cameras that sat around for more than two decades. I now have 6 of them. Don't even get me started on enlarging lenses. They are like rabbits. Put a couple in a drawer and before you know it you have a dozen, so you give some away, then before you know it you have another dozen. Makes no sense.

A few years back I realized that any film cameras I buy I will have the rest of my life, so I might as well get them while I can. I figure I have another 30 years if I'm lucky and film sticks around, although at the rate we are going film will cost more than eggs pretty soon....

I'll get into Minox...someday...

 

[Paul Ozzello]

Paul, I found my Nikonos IVa 35mm underwater camera shot on land with it's 35mm lens extremely sharp. Go figure? The camera weighs a ton, but it just takes nice sharp pictures.

I have access to one but still haven't tried it. Maybe this year

I read in a recent post that one Photrio member sits on the sofa "exercising" all his cameras while watching TV

I'm guilty of that too. I focus on the TV, exercise the shutter, measure differences in exposure, adjust settings by feel without looking at the camera... I find it keeps me on my toes when I'm actually out shooting - there's nothing more annoying than having to remember how to adjust a specific setting and missing out on a shot. I do the same with a welding rod to improve my muscle memory.

The net result of the OP's well intentioned post is that he has given GAS-aholics yet another rationalization to press the Buy button

My intent was to dispel the myth that a "real photographer" can use any camera. For some people certain cameras just don't work. And I wonder if certain Masters like HCB would have ever become so successful if certain cameras didn't exist. Would HCB's photographs be as compelling had he used a Rolleiflex TLR, or an 8x10 ? I think camera choice is a lot more important that many want to admit.

 

[Moose22]

- there's nothing more annoying than having to remember how to adjust a specific setting and missing out on a shot. I do the same with a welding rod to improve my muscle memory.

I ran into that last week. I've been switching cameras around and did something backwards... ugh. Thankfully it was one of my simplest cameras, if I get a digital out of kilter and have to start digging in menus things get very annoying.

I've started to reload a camera a few times in a row before putting it away, just to keep muscle memory up while using it. I don't watch a ton of TV, but maybe I should be playing with a camera like that on the rare occasion I do. I used to do something similar with my digitals when I got them, just to learn them thoroughly. Though I only had one new one to learn and the old one as a backup at any given time back then. Not like the strange variety of film cameras I have now.

That said, while I don't disagree with what you say about certain cameras not working for certain people, but I wonder if we see the question of "can use any camera" differently. I think cameras that don't work for people don't mean they'll be incapable of the things that make photos great -- good composition is good composition, for instance. I think it just makes it harder to get specific things. They're more than capable as artists, but get there much more easily with the tool that fits THEM, the one they like to work with best.

In other words, the photos you know from HCB would not be the same if he'd used different formats. You are completely correct. But I bet he would have made something else compelling with a Rolleiflex.

 

[ic-racer]

 

[ic-racer]

Also, in terms of multiple cameras, last week I went out to the same place with four different types of camera. Each with its own abilities in terms of either image quality or portability. In the end the 8x10 won I think.

Ditched my N80....

...and got out my 8x10. While Huss is enjoying the beach and taking pictures of seagulls I was freezing my toes off. Eleven below zero C. I went back the next day at about 0C and most of the ice had melted. 11x14 print on Ilford MG FB. Lots of dodging and burning and a little reducer here and...

www.photrio.com

 

[Cholentpot]

View attachment 329284

Oh my.

Want to trade for some film?

 

[reddesert]

I think it's always possible to come up with some counterfactual, like what if HCB only had a Rolleiflex or a Speed Graphic, or St. Ansel only had a Nikon. Which is fun, but I don't think the "cameras matter less than vision" argument is saying that all formats are equivalent in use, at least I'm not.

What I see in photo forums and so on is often a within-category quest for magic bullets, like: "If only I had that 100/2 my portraits would have that special snap," or "Should I upgrade my Mamiya MF to a Hasselblad (or a newer Mamiya MF) because its lenses are rated sharper?"

I have GAS as much as anybody. But I don't think it makes my photography better.

 

[MTGseattle]

For me, some of the waffling lies in "which camera do I take out today?" scenarios. I thought I would do myself a favor and drop back down to a single or maybe just 2 formats. That "idea" lasted all of 6 months. As I drive around to and from work, there are "scenes" that I see and think of a very specific format for each of them. Granted, I could shoot them all with 4x5 and crop the living heck out of the negative but that always seems wrong to me. The 645 mask for the Mamiya 6 seems wrong to me as well but I still own one.

 

[Alan Edward Klein]

It's not only the camera tyoe but its position. For example, I can shoot my Mamiy RB67 with a waist-level finder, but I usually use an eye level viewfinder. A different perspective. With LF, you can add a reflex viewfinder to see the view right side up. All these things could change the perspective you shoot from with the same camera and get a totally different picture with a different feeling.

 

[eli griggs]

They are tools...they shape the way we see.

IMO, those tools carry the same importance as the printing process used, the film used, the subject, the composition, and the intent of the photographer. And a few other things I haven't thought about yet.

The thing about tools in "sets", like the Hasselblad or Canon FD is, sure, you can do a lot with the one or two 'correct' lenses, but there are always so many more opportunities, that call for a more rounded out 'tool set', that'll be missed or passed by because you have only a touch of the kit needed.

Just like some folks can get by with a 1/4" 6mm & 10mm socket and wrench, most of us mortals need relatively full set of tools to do a job, for better or worse!