Everything Seems To Be On Sale; A new Piece Of Gear; Need Or Want?

Pemaquid Lighthouse, Maine (click to enlarge)
Olympus E-M1 Mark II; 12-100mm f/4 PRO lens @ 17mm; 1/400th sec. @ f/10

It is the time of year for discounts and sales.  Black Friday, Cyber Monday, Christmas and holiday seasonal sales are the norm.  To me it always feels good to pick up a piece of camera gear at less than full price so it has been my habit to take advantage of these sales to buy something I either need or want.  That got me to thinking about the act of buying new gear or kit, as it is referred in some places.  How excited do I get when buying something I need versus treating myself to something I want?

Here are my thoughts about me and how I deal with "need vs. want" and a little technique I use to save myself some time and money.

Obviously, there is a psychology used by manufacturers and retailers in getting us to  purchase their products.  Also, those who review that gear, You Tubers and Bloggers, sometimes subtly (and sometimes not so subtly) "guide" us toward purchasing products they test, especially purchase through their sites as almost all of them get a commission from the stores advertising on their sites.  Many of these same individuals get free trips to gear introduction events, which I think is a very nice perk of the job.  You and I would assume they would want to continue to be invited back to those types of events in the future.  Selling gear through their site ensures they will get to participate in the future.  However, we all should be aware that, if not careful, we could be manipulated into buying something that is potentially more than it really is or even not what we need or even want.  It seems they come at us from all sides to buy, buy, buy.  However, for this post, my  thoughts about obtaining new kit run more toward the difference between needing and wanting a new piece of camera equipment.


When a new camera, lens, tripod or other piece of gear is announced, do you get excited and think (or quickly decide) you would like to have it?  I do sometimes.  Sometimes I don't.  For example, when the Fujifilm X-T3 was announced, I was excited about some of the newly introduced features, improvements in those areas I thought could be improved and the new generation of sensor and processor.  I thought that the improvements could produce some value to my photography.  When Sony announced the A7rIV a while ago, I yawned.  There is nothing about that camera that is attractive to me.  The fact that it has 61mp, which I perceive as the main marketing thrust, is the least attractive thing about it to me.  That 61mp, to me, is more of a detriment than it is a benefit.  Also, the ultra fast focusing ability is something that I don't need.  But why the difference?  Both are terrific new cameras that can bring benefit.  Why do we get excited about some new gear and not others?

In my mind it is a difference of "want versus need."  Want versus need generates an entirely different mindset in me.  When I need something I already know why so I logically, methodically and systematically figure out first if I can afford it, then how and where I can obtain it.  Not much emotion.  I need it.  Can I afford it?  What do I have to do and where to I have to go to acquire it?  I'm not lusting over it.  I need it for a specific purpose that I can clearly articulate.  Not much emotion involved.

However, when I want something without a specific need, it can be for a couple of reasons.  Sometimes I just want something new or an item that has novel features to play with, explore and use—even write about here.  Sometimes I want something for reasons I can't fully explain and that is when I find my emotions arise.  "Wow!  That Fujifilm X-T4 now has 150mp high resolution composite imaging capability!  It Also now has more dynamic range than most full frame cameras!"  Well, I don't really need high resolution composite imaging as that feature is something I don't normally use and I find the dynamic range of my current cameras sufficient.  These new features of our mythical Fujifilm X-T4 won't improve the types of photography I practice yet I want that camera!  I want it most likely because it is new, improved, the latest thing and most likely a joy to use!  I want to experience it more than utilize its features and improvements.  All emotion driven.  Not much logic to the purchase.

On the other hand, sometimes the desire falls in between the pure need and the pure want.  When a new piece of gear is available sometimes I think I could use the improvements or new features to allow me to create something that my current camera won't easily allow.  Depending upon what improvements are developed, a new piece of gear can provide us the means to create images we couldn't easily create before or delve into a new aspect of photography that we currently don't practice.  Astrophotography comes to mind.  For that I think a fast, sharp wide open, minimal aberrations, very wide angle lens would be needed.  I don't own one of those but if I wanted to take up astrophotography, I might get excited over a new lens that fits that bill.

For me it comes down to need being driven by logic and want being driven by emotion.  I don't get excited when I need something.  I get excited when something is out there that I want.  

Here is a technique I use to potentially save money.  Before I buy a new piece of gear here is what I do.  First, I try to do a little self-analysis.  I first ask myself, "What problem will this purchase solve?"  If I can't satisfactorily and honestly answer that to myself, that relegates the purchase to a "want" status rather than a "need" status.  If I do decide this purchase will solve a problem, then I have to ask myself how frequently does the problem arise and how important is the problem that the money I'm going to have to spend is worth it.  Again, if the problem arises only once a year, I may then relegate the purchase to the "want" category or considering renting the gear instead of buying it.  If the problem is one of continued photographic growth or I'm trying to learn a new skill or venture into a new photographic area, then the purchase can be easily worth it.

Now if, after analysis, I determine that I just want the thing but don't really need it I hold off on the purchase for at least two to three weeks—maybe longer.  That gives me time to step back and let my emotions die down for a while.  A few weeks allow me to synthesize the desire and internalize it.  If, after that time, I still want to make the purchase, I most likely will.  But that two to three weeks gives me time to mull it over in my mind many, many times and take the emotion out of the decision and make the decision on a more logical basis.  I can't tell you how many things I didn't purchase after that time period had passed.  Money in my pocket.  I don't often have buyer's remorse.  

This time of year makes things worse as the deals don't usually last long and I have a tendency to want to "jump" on a deal before it goes away.  I think the manufacturers and retailers know this and tempt us to buy things we may not need.  There might not be time to sit back and let my emotions simmer for a while.  Remember, after taking delivery you can always send it back.

As for "wants,"  sometimes we just want something that we can't logically justify and I think it is okay to indulge ourselves once in a while. That is, unless it takes money from other more important things such as food or medicine or a payment to the power or water company and such.  House payment or that new 61mp camera body?  Hmmm?  Which is more important?  LOL 

I think if you understand and honestly flesh out your differences between "needs" and "wants" you can then make more sensible decisions.  However, buying something that is newly introduced just for the sake of buying it or being the first to own it or for bragging rights just doesn't make a lot of sense to me, not that I haven't done it in the past.  But age and experience have taught me to slow down, think, sit on it for a while before acting.

Want or need?  As always, you get the final decision.  Just make sure that decision is a sound one.

Join me over at Instagram @dennisamook or my website, www.dennismook.com. 

Thanks for looking. Enjoy! 

Dennis A. Mook 

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