Bill Pierce
Well-known
I’m interested in a quick survey from our membership. I hear all the time that you shouldn’t own a lot of cameras. I think this statement usually accepts the fact that folks who have to shoot in one or more specialized area, be they pros or really dedicated amateurs, can have specialized gear above the basics. And I think we all have to accept the fact that it may take more of an effort to master digital cameras from different manufacturers with dissimilar menus and controls than it did with different film cameras. But, I think owning a lot of different cameras is useful not only because you can broaden the ways you work and the pictures you take, but it’s also fun to have a lot of toys.
OK, here’s the survey. 1 or 2? (1) The moderator is an ass and completely misses the point of photography. (2) You can have a lot of toys and take bad pictures. You can have a lot of toys and take good pictures. But children like toys.
OK, here’s the survey. 1 or 2? (1) The moderator is an ass and completely misses the point of photography. (2) You can have a lot of toys and take bad pictures. You can have a lot of toys and take good pictures. But children like toys.
Larry Cloetta
Mentor
2..........
agentlossing
Well-known
1 seems unnecessarily confrontational, so... 2!
nikon_sam
Shooter of Film...
I gotta go with #2 because I'm there already...and currently shopping for yet another lens...
Gregm61
Well-known
2.....the only option....and Guilty as charged...
steveyork
Well-known
Rule #1 -- Variety is good, keeps things interesting, and creative types get bored easy. But I generally get rid of something if I don't use it in a year.
Rule #2 -- The absolute minimum is three. Based on experience, two is the minimum for traveling (I had one break on a trip once), and to have reasonable anticipation to have two ready to go, you need three (once I had a camera become unavailable right before a trip).
Rule #3 -- Seven is a good number, one for each day of the week, but in photographers' math that really means 9-10 cameras.
Rule #4 -- When I've been too gear centric in the past, it usually meant I wasn't out taking enough pictures!
I generally have 5-8 working cameras, getting rid of something as a "new" one comes through the door, but they're all old film cameras; ha, ha, about the same number of developers in the house. Some I don't use much anymore (eg, the SLR's), just a lot of memories attached to them and really they don't have much value these days. I have a few from the 1930's I use little but which I know the provenance and probably will never sell them for that reason.
Based on "need" alone, it would be three, with three different 35mm lenses and lots of film. So I'm somewhere in-between #1 and #2, off in my own little world
Rule #2 -- The absolute minimum is three. Based on experience, two is the minimum for traveling (I had one break on a trip once), and to have reasonable anticipation to have two ready to go, you need three (once I had a camera become unavailable right before a trip).
Rule #3 -- Seven is a good number, one for each day of the week, but in photographers' math that really means 9-10 cameras.
Rule #4 -- When I've been too gear centric in the past, it usually meant I wasn't out taking enough pictures!
I generally have 5-8 working cameras, getting rid of something as a "new" one comes through the door, but they're all old film cameras; ha, ha, about the same number of developers in the house. Some I don't use much anymore (eg, the SLR's), just a lot of memories attached to them and really they don't have much value these days. I have a few from the 1930's I use little but which I know the provenance and probably will never sell them for that reason.
Based on "need" alone, it would be three, with three different 35mm lenses and lots of film. So I'm somewhere in-between #1 and #2, off in my own little world
agentlossing
Well-known
And, to actually address the question, I do think it makes sense for me to have multiple cameras for different uses. Street photography is an example of where there are... not quite requirements, but where it's much more convenient to have specific abilities to your camera. Fast AF or zone or rangefinder focusing, inconspicuous looks, etc. But then you also want to have different abilities for a camera that gets used for different things, or for a more casual use camera, or for work, or whatever.
Also, though, different cameras have different vibes, and they make me think differently, and end up making different pictures. I think that's part of the fun of photography. BUT, you have to have your camera for a pretty long time for it to start really speaking to you. Cycling through cameras endlessly is a waste of not only time and money, but of potential as well. I've been plenty guilty of this, but I have mostly started to realize that even if I have initial objections to some part of a camera, if I use it long enough to become second nature, I may still find something valuable in it. Kind of like people - even the most annoying acquaintance has probably had some experience or insight that you can use, that adds potential value to your life.
Also, though, different cameras have different vibes, and they make me think differently, and end up making different pictures. I think that's part of the fun of photography. BUT, you have to have your camera for a pretty long time for it to start really speaking to you. Cycling through cameras endlessly is a waste of not only time and money, but of potential as well. I've been plenty guilty of this, but I have mostly started to realize that even if I have initial objections to some part of a camera, if I use it long enough to become second nature, I may still find something valuable in it. Kind of like people - even the most annoying acquaintance has probably had some experience or insight that you can use, that adds potential value to your life.
back alley
IMAGES
#2 !
i'm a moody guy and my mood often guides me to what i shoot and what i prefer to shoot it with.
i'm a moody guy and my mood often guides me to what i shoot and what i prefer to shoot it with.
jordan.dickinson
Jordan Dickinson
#2.
I have many cameras and I love them all on different days
I have many cameras and I love them all on different days
#2. I still have the Minolta Hi-Matic 9 bought when I was 11 years old. The same Summer I repaired an 8mm movie camera my neighbor gave me.
My taste in toys has not changed.
My taste in toys has not changed.
Paulbe
Well-known
#2 sure works for me!
Paul
Paul
peterm1
Mentor
hahhaha Proposition 1 and proposition 2 are not necessarily mutually exclusive. (Sorry I do not really think you are an ass, I was just joshing in my usual dopey manner).
I have no excuses for loving to play with new toys. I just do. But there is perhaps one thing that goes close to being an excuse. New toys bring new enthusiasm to my photography (well, if things work out - sometimes they bring disappointment). When I have a new toy (bearing in mind though that my particular addiction are lenses more than cameras) I find I get out more and shoot more when otherwise my enthusiasm might be flagging or I am running out of ideas. The process of learning to shoot with new equipment and learning what it can and cannot do is itself exciting. So I go out and shoot more photos. Both good and bad. What's the old expression "The secret to good photography is f8 and be there!" Well maybe mine is "F8 and be there - with a new camera or lens".
Dogman
Mentor
#2 because...
...excess may not be good for you but moderation will kill you.
I'm a kid. I like toys.
...excess may not be good for you but moderation will kill you.
I'm a kid. I like toys.
Darthfeeble
But you can call me Steve
6 digital, 2 film and about 20 or so shelf queens of which half work.
Steve Bellayr
Mentor
62 A little too much maybe but how do you turn down a camera and four lenses and a viewfinder for $21?
CMur12
Well-known
#2
I have more cameras than I can ever use.
Some I bought because they were out of reach when they were new and I bought them at a good price for reasons of nostalgia.
Some I bought because I had looked forward to obtaining them over many years.
Some were such a good price that I couldn't pass them up.
Some were given to me. (A couple of them, such as the Canon AE-1 Program, I don't even like.)
Some I hope to use to snag a new friend or old friend into film photography, or for them to learn the basics of photography on a manual camera.
Some for reasons as yet unformulated.
- Murray
I have more cameras than I can ever use.
Some I bought because they were out of reach when they were new and I bought them at a good price for reasons of nostalgia.
Some I bought because I had looked forward to obtaining them over many years.
Some were such a good price that I couldn't pass them up.
Some were given to me. (A couple of them, such as the Canon AE-1 Program, I don't even like.)
Some I hope to use to snag a new friend or old friend into film photography, or for them to learn the basics of photography on a manual camera.
Some for reasons as yet unformulated.
- Murray
gdmcclintock
Well-known
#2
After more than 50 years taking pictures, I have dozens of cameras, from Minox through 35mm (even half-frame) to medium format, as well as large format from 4x5 and 5x7 to 8x10. Lately I have become enamored with Graflex SLRs (R.B. Auto, Series D, Super D). I make photographs with all these cameras. Occasionally I'll even use a digital camera. God help us all.
After more than 50 years taking pictures, I have dozens of cameras, from Minox through 35mm (even half-frame) to medium format, as well as large format from 4x5 and 5x7 to 8x10. Lately I have become enamored with Graflex SLRs (R.B. Auto, Series D, Super D). I make photographs with all these cameras. Occasionally I'll even use a digital camera. God help us all.
AlwaysOnAuto
Well-known
#2 I like toys and have more digital than film cameras (I think, but I could be wrong on that). I use the digital cameras with my old manual lenses which are from the film cameras, mostly.
PKR
Mentor
5 film and 2 digital. #2 ?
Digitals are for work, film are for me and my projects.
All working well and not toys. I don't collect camera hardware. And, I don't mind that others do. I enjoy looking at many, both old and new.
Digitals are for work, film are for me and my projects.
All working well and not toys. I don't collect camera hardware. And, I don't mind that others do. I enjoy looking at many, both old and new.
RichC
Well-known
1 - but Bill's not an ass!
I see camera's as tools, not toys. So, I only need cameras for the different jobs I need them to do. And that's not many, as a modern high-end camera's is a toolkit in itself.
I have just three (all digital) - all with very different uses:
• main tool (full-frame, 42 MP, mirrorless, interchangeable lens)
• weatherproof tool (waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, compact)
• carry-around tool (my phone).
95% of my photography is done with my main tool - a Sony A7R II. I have a cupboard of accessories for it, from lenses to tripods to strobes.
I can't think of any kind of photography I can't do with the Sony or the other cameras. More cameras would just waste time and money. I may need to buy a new accessory such as a lens or filter to get a certain photograph - but not another camera.
I used to have a fourth camera - for medium-format film. But sold it, as digital cameras now surpass medium-format film in every meaningful way for image quality. (I do miss the unique colours of Portra, but the advantages of digital are so many!)
All three cameras are replaced when newer cameras have superior features that make them better tools for me - like an electronic viewfinder (the reason why I sold my previous main camera, a Nikon D800E; I will never go back to an optical viewfinder).
Finally, cameras aren't toys! As I said, they're tools. I have no desire to play around with them. In fact, I don't really understand that at all! I plan a photo project, decide on the type of images I want and their look, then select the equipment I need to capture these photographs.
I get collecting cameras and appreciating them as desirable objects from that viewpoint. But that's not photography! (Though of course you can be both a collector and photographer.)
I'm merely a photographer, and all I'm interested in is the image. To be honest, one versatile camera (my Sony) and my phone for everyday, always-with-me convenience would do me just fine...
I see camera's as tools, not toys. So, I only need cameras for the different jobs I need them to do. And that's not many, as a modern high-end camera's is a toolkit in itself.
I have just three (all digital) - all with very different uses:
• main tool (full-frame, 42 MP, mirrorless, interchangeable lens)
• weatherproof tool (waterproof, dustproof, shockproof, compact)
• carry-around tool (my phone).
95% of my photography is done with my main tool - a Sony A7R II. I have a cupboard of accessories for it, from lenses to tripods to strobes.
I can't think of any kind of photography I can't do with the Sony or the other cameras. More cameras would just waste time and money. I may need to buy a new accessory such as a lens or filter to get a certain photograph - but not another camera.
I used to have a fourth camera - for medium-format film. But sold it, as digital cameras now surpass medium-format film in every meaningful way for image quality. (I do miss the unique colours of Portra, but the advantages of digital are so many!)
All three cameras are replaced when newer cameras have superior features that make them better tools for me - like an electronic viewfinder (the reason why I sold my previous main camera, a Nikon D800E; I will never go back to an optical viewfinder).
Finally, cameras aren't toys! As I said, they're tools. I have no desire to play around with them. In fact, I don't really understand that at all! I plan a photo project, decide on the type of images I want and their look, then select the equipment I need to capture these photographs.
I get collecting cameras and appreciating them as desirable objects from that viewpoint. But that's not photography! (Though of course you can be both a collector and photographer.)
I'm merely a photographer, and all I'm interested in is the image. To be honest, one versatile camera (my Sony) and my phone for everyday, always-with-me convenience would do me just fine...