Photography - yes minimisation?

[rayonline_nz]

Just a thought. This is something I have thought about myself, not to have too much stuff - photography and other aspects. Have any of you thought about this in the past?

Some of us have stuff that we don't use that awfully often and some stuff might not even be functional. Yes some film equipment are surprisingly cheap and some of it is so expensive. Just the other day we had someone from our camera club with the Christmas function who carted a load of stuff with his 2 wheel trolley - family life was taking more of a priority for him. Flatbed film scanner, darkroom equipment - reels and chemistry, his TLR camra, a 35mm AF film SLR and 2x older dSLR and the 11 rolls of expired BW film which I bought off him. He also had with him a flash meter and some reflectors. As expected most of the stuff was unsold. Plus there were a few others who were trying to sell stuff also.

I recently picked at 35mm F2.0 manual focus lens for my Nikon FM2, over time my photography meets more realism, not all that often I am in a photogenic place so often as a walk around camera I only need 1 or 2 lens and the 35/2 is like the analogue version to the Fuji X100. I have 1 or 2 reflector as well and a slide projection screen which I double as a passport background, I don't think I have used that in the past 12 months.


Cheers.

Edit - just fortunately with analog equipment Much of the stuff do not depreciate much given I bought them used.

 

[Philippe-Georges]

Me to ( pun intended) I have a lot of analogue camera stuff around in my studio. But I have an excuse, I think I have at least...
The equipement has served me for more than 35 years earning a living as I am an independent freelancing at rest now.
That’s why I can’t depart from it, I must be an old sentimental fool now...

 

[Ray Morgenweck]

I’ve realized........I’m a collector. Photography is secondary.

 

[guangong]

Not a collector, but an accumulator. I spend to much time at computers to spend even more doing digital (although I do have a little Olympus digital),;to spend even more doing pictures. I enjoy the whole film process from snap to final pic. And just as one brush can’t do everything, each camera has its uses. And holding each feels different. This is me. Others can do wonders with just one camera and one lens.

 

[mshchem]

I find use for things. May be a long time. I'm a darkroom nut, people give me stuff just to save it from the scrap yard

 

[AgX]

Not a collector, but an accumulator.

I call it hoarder. Yes, I am.

I find use for things. May be a long time.

A typical statement of us males: "Someday I shall need it."

 

[Kino]

I’ve realized........I’m a collector. Photography is secondary.

Alas, that's a good description of my status as well...

I call it hoarder. Yes, I am.
A typical statement of us males: "Someday I shall need it."

Too painfully true.

Estate sales are good gauges of ambition unfulfilled...

 

[Sirius Glass]

I have become both.

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Only wasted my time with some local events. Once I accommodate some unused gear, I sell it on APUG, RFF and ebay. But Kijiji works as well, sometimes. I have sold absolutely everything this way.

 

[jimgalli]

My brother-in-law, long time auto-shop teacher has the biggest snap-on tool box I've ever seen and only about a twentieth of the tools fit in the drawers. I'm kind of the same way with camera stuff. Some of us just love the tools for the tools.

 

[Luckless]

I set myself a rule that I only ever own camera equipment that is to be used.

I may stretch that rule with a handful of pieces now which are only being 'used' for tinkering and display, but will tell myself that still totally counts... If it isn't on a shelf because it looks interesting, or doesn't make it into a camera bag every now and then, then it eventually gets re-homed.

However I've now gotten to an interesting point in life where friends and family are now 'super supportive' of my love of photography, and more and more 'stuff' is starting to slowly come my way, but feels like it is gaining speed... Should be interesting to see how the collection looks in another five years. [Sadly no one has yet to dig a Hasselblad out of a father-in-law's closet to send my way as 'old camera junk no one really wants'... But I've gotten a few nice box and folder cameras to add to the display collection.]

 

[macfred]

I'm an ascetic, you know ...
Actually I have six medium format cameras; six 35mm (four SLRs; two rangefinder cameras) and some glass.
Recently I gifted two Polaroid Land cameras (Automatic 250 and 450) and and a Leica mini zoom to my daughter.
But I will reduce more because I didn't use 35mm for a long time (my Konica III is an exception).
I have three F2 and I will keep only one with the plain prism and my four favorite lenses.

 

[4season]

My approach is "Not too much, but not too little either".

It's taken lots of trial-and-error figure out which bits of analog photography I enjoy, and which ones bore me, but I've gotten pretty good at sticking to the former and ignoring the latter even if it seems like a smokin' deal, and I do not underestimate the fuss and bother required to dispose of unwanted items.

Money-wise, this was never a major chunk of my disposable income, and selling off all the gear wouldn't make much difference one way or another. Not that I have an unusual amount of it! But every time I find myself contemplating a purchase, I'm asking myself "What else could I be doing with this money?". I'm also well aware that these things need a certain amount of upkeep lest they become completely useless to anyone.

All of which is a long-winded way of saying that the KonMari "spark joy" idea works pretty good for photo equipment too.

 

[BSP]

I always seem to have more equipment than time to use it.

For example, now I am very much enjoying my M2+50mm Voigtlander combo.
So much that a Mamiya C220 with 65/180mm and a M6+35mm Zeiss Biogon are idling until I "maybe" snap out of this HCB-phase.
Even though I don't need the money that selling it off would generate, I do feel drawn to a certain minimalistic approach.
But then again, I would not have a backup camera.

 

[abruzzi]

Not a collector, but an accumulator.

This sums it up for me. In fairness, its been ~2 years since I got back into film (and 4 years since I got back into photography in general). The accumulation was partly finding out what suited me best. I HATE selling things online, but I'd sell about 2/3rds of my stuff now because after trying it out I found its not for me. I've found that for 35mm, I'd keep my pre-AI Nikon gear. For medium format, my Bronica ETRSi gear. I have other stuff that I like, but don't shoot (Nikon FA, FM2n, F4, N90s, bunch of Pentax gear, including a 67 setup). the only things in that bunch that I'd miss are the Pentax MX and its lenses, and a Kodak Retina. But the process of selling online, and the lack of a local film shooter community conspire to keep me in too many cameras.