Photographic Gear Obsession Or As It Is Better Known—GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome)

A short break from working on a steam locomotive; East Broad Top RR, Rockhill, PA (click to enlarge)

A few days ago I wrote a blog post about how we who enjoy photography differ in our photographic focus (again, pun intended).  The spectrum runs from those who want to engage in nothing else other than making images while others become obsessed with photographic gear, reading about gear, examining everything about gear and the acquisition of new gear.  Personally, I think both ends of that spectrum are fine.  Don't let anyone tell you that it is not.  If your thing is gear, so be it.  The ones telling you that you should have a different photographic focus obviously don't have the same specific interest as you might in the general world of photographic pursuits.

I believe there is plenty of room in our photographic world and along the photographic spectrum of varied interests for someone to be gear obsessed.  It may not be the cup of tea of others, but as I said, there is room for everyone and their widely varied interests in photography.

However, that discussion got me to thinking about photographic gear (as if I don't think about it enough!).  I really can't think of a single digital camera made in the past several years, nor any lens designed for digital photography in the past several years that won't produce outstanding results.  By outstanding, I mean looking at an image at a normal viewing distance whether on a computer screen or a reasonably sized hand-holdable print.  
That being said, I'll make a blanket statement that someone will probably prove me somewhat in error, but I don't think there are not bad cameras or lenses made today.  All of them are "good," which is subjective, but I think you understand at what I'm getting.  

When I'm considering my statements here, I'm taking into consideration inexpensive point-and-shoot cameras all the way up to medium format behemoths.  I've seen images from inexpensive, small, simple and completely plastic cameras that are anything but full featured, that have produced images that, at a normal viewing distance, look great!  You would have no complaints.  The images were sharp, had good color, good contrast and were fully detailed.  

Would these images stand up to the ones I make on my Nikon D810 with a 24-70mm f/2.8 lens?  Yes and no.  Yes if you are looking at the entire image on your computer monitor or a print that is 8" X 10" (roughly A4) or less and, no if you compare them at 100% on your computer screen or in a 16" X 20" (roughly A2) or larger print size.  But how many times do we print that large and how many times do we really look at images at 100% when we are perusing Flikr, 500PX or other large photographic repositories?  Seldom, unless we are obsessed with finding any fault with the image that may be possible.  We enjoy the images at the sizes that fit on our computer monitor, tablet or even phone. The only time I look at images, or pieces of images, is if the photographer wants to show us something about a particular image, such as specific detail, digital noise or the like. Otherwise, we admire the image in totality, as we should.

I no longer obsess about which camera or which specific lenses will produce the technically best image.  As I said, they are all good, in my opinion.  The differences are minute and only seen at extreme magnifications or really only in optical theory.  I now find the ergonomics, or how a camera handles, as well as how easily I can find specific menu items and how the controls are laid out more important than the minute differences one camera and lens possesses versus another in image quality.  How the camera feels and how I interact with the camera is now more important to me than any image quality differences I could possibly find.  I find that I will use a camera that feels "right" to me much more than maybe even a better one that does not feel as good in my hands and in use.

I've made many a beautifully and fully photographically toned (in color and black and white), nicely saturated, detailed, noiseless, undistorted, properly white balanced and sharp image with several kit lenses on cameras from point-and-shoot to M4/3 to "full frame."  I'll go as far as to say even looking at most of the images at 100% one still cannot tell the camera and/or lens was not the best that is available.  And...my stock agency, as picky as they say they are in accepting images, have accepted these images from so-called "lesser" cameras.  The trick, I found, is to remove the metadata and they then can't be prejudiced by format, brand, or anything else but have to judge the image on its merits only.

If you want to obsess about gear, have at it.  There is nothing wrong with that.  But there is not need.  It is all good stuff.  I've gone through my own "12-step" process to finally stop obsessing about finding and buying only the absolute best gear.  I finally figured out it that, in today's digital photographic world, that hunt for only the best had become a psychological thing with me and my "need" to have only the best really could no longer be substantiated in differences in my images.  Yes, the right gear (tools) for the right job, but those tools, properly identified, are all good now.  So, I let it go.  I released myself from the psychological burden of stress and worry about what gear to buy and own.  Now, I just enjoy my photographic pursuits stress free.  Afterall, isn't that the reason many of us get into photography for?  Pleasure?  Enjoyment?  Creativity? 

Thanks for looking.  Enjoy!

Dennis Mook

Many of my images can be found at www.dennismook.com.  Please pay it a visit.  I add new images regularly.  Thank you.

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