View Full Version : Is it me but do we have a problem here?
Been sitting here reading various threads. Why is everyone so obsessed with buying new stuff? I've always found the surest way to make my photography worse is to have any kind of major upheaval in the gear I use. When I bought medium format gear it took me months to really get the best out of it and the same when I traded my eos kit for voigtlander. I've even heard a camera dealer say the reason why there are so many good condition leicas around is that people will not invest enough time to learn to use them -they go back to af slr's. Is it just me or am I going mad? Should we form cameraholics anonymous? ( "Hi I'm Toby and I've gone 3 days without buying some dubious piece of equipment that will disappear into my camera cupboard after a week")
back alley
09-08-2005, 13:07
it's you!
joe
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 13:10
Cameraholics Anonymous.. cool.. I wanna be a charter member
cp_ste.croix
09-08-2005, 13:10
my problem is exclusively a cash flow one...
Let me see... it's either what Joe said, or you have been lurking here all this time, and just couldn't resist any longer, just to tell us (as your first posting on RFF), that we have a problem.
Welcome!
First post and you tell us we have a problem? Are you going to be like the anti-Leica guy on the Leica forum at photonet? :)
Little Prince
09-08-2005, 13:18
Oh, it's just these people are out of control here, and they're trying to cover it up with goofy behavior.
Me? I'm the rock of Gibraltar. Ok, that's all for now. I'm a busy man. I gotta go somewhere.
*Opening new tab and typing www.ebay.com*
:D :D
Up untill now we've been extremely cordial and civil. We haven't ever really drummed anyone off RFF (on purpose) before. Let's say we gang up on Toby! Who's with me?
:D :D :D :D :D
First post and you tell us we have a problem? Are you going to be like the anti-Leica guy on the Leica forum at photonet? :)
Could this be, *gasp*.. a troll?
Naw, not on RFF?? :)
Little Prince
09-08-2005, 13:23
Hey but seriously, you've got a good point. Don't be discouraged. We're (most of us) constantly trying to find the best equipment that we feel suits us so that we won't ever want to replace it. Only when we get there (if at all we do, mind you) the grass is greener on the other side. Human nature. If you are free from this, run like hell.
But to answer your original question (Is it just me or am I going mad?), you're going mad :D.
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 13:34
howdy Toby
yes, it's true that we're rather involved in the technical aspect of photography.. perhaps that is why we stick to this niche site that caters to a very specific type of camera
but don't let our discussions fool you.. we're not really buying new stuff all the time.. we just pass it all around under the guise of buying and selling.. gotta give everyone a chance to get a look at everything
now.. joe, isn't it my turn to 'buy' one of your Canons?
I'm not free from this I bought my last piece of kit three days ago!
Heads up! FS: M2 on photonet $470
http://www.photo.net/bboard/q-and-a-fetch-msg?msg_id=00DUb4
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 13:42
Frank, are you becoming our new RFF deal scout?
pshinkaw
09-08-2005, 13:47
If it's a disease or a disorder that we have, at least it's harmless. It's not nearly as bad as trolling around on the web and picking arguments with people. Isn't there a special website just for that activity?
-Paul
Brian Sweeney
09-08-2005, 13:56
Toby, you have a point. We have the cure. The 35mm classified section and medium classified is the perfect cure for you. Myself, I do as much as I can to help these poor guys and gals that let excess equipment get in the way of their photography. Most of them will deny being collectors. Not me.
Toby: You have to understand that it's not just about being better photographers. It's also about looking in my camera case and seeing an example of the camera I had in 1968, and the one I had in 1969, and the one I had in 1970 and ....
And it's about fondling (maybe that's not a good word) a FED built in a factory started by the founder of the Soviet NKVD, or a Zorki built the year Joseph Stalin died.
It's about spending days learning how to replace the shutter curtains on a Zorki 1, or tell the difference between a Zorki 4a and 4b or 1971 Kiev 4A and the 1977 model.
It's about seeing if modern film makes a Graphic 35 a better picture taker than in was in 1958.
Heck, if it was just about improving my photo technique I would sell all 60 of my rangefinders, slrs, and tlrs, buy a Nikon F6 and only shoot Kodachrome slides.
"The process is sometimes more enjoyable than the result." -- quote by me but I'm sure someone else has said it, too.
Brian Sweeney
09-08-2005, 14:22
I still have THE cameras that I bought in 1969, and 1971, and 1975, and 1978, and 1979, and 1980...
And then I starting backfilling the ones that came out before I was 11.
"Is it just me or am I going mad?"
Listen to the voices......
back alley
09-08-2005, 14:43
I'm not free from this I bought my last piece of kit three days ago!
well then man, give us some details!
are ya gonna join our little clubhouse or not;)?
joe
Toby, I absolutly needed the 35 so I mustn't constantly change between the 28 and 45 and it is perfectly clear that I needed a second G body so I mustn't constantly change between the 35 and 90.
Of cause I needed a TLA200 because it's the smallest zooming TTL flash and the BP-8 batterieholder to save on the expensive CR2 batteries and a TLA30 flash for the same purpose.
But that's too big to be carried everywhere and the Rollei 35TE has no rangefinder so a Contax T-VS is in order.
And everybody has a Zorki and the Kiev was just sitting in the showroom when I heard it saying "Volker, I'm lonely, release me from this showcase"
Everything perfectly normal! If I had more than six computers at home, then I'd be the first to admit that I have a problem.
Oh, wait, make that seven computers, I may win the 12" iBook on ebay :-)
You only have six computers?
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 14:56
geez, the next thing I know, somebody is going to question why I need 8 fly fishing rods or 6 watches
Two wrist, two ankles, two front pockets...
I guess we should only worry about the 7th watch.
GAS is not a problem here, seems more like the ticket to get in ;)
I became a rangefinder user because I wanted my pictures to contain more of myself and less whizz bang technology. Surely the most important part of any camera outfit is the person holding the camera. I am as guilty as anyone of saying "If only I bought X my photos would be better and I would be a better phographer". Unfortunately this isn't true I just have a heavier bag to carry and a dented bank balance. What I should have done is shot more and tested more. I'm not against having lots of equipment (I have a lot) but surely craft is the most important thing?
Oh and I bought a pentax optio S55 -It eats batteries at a truly frightening rate I got through Six AA's just working out how to use it! ( maybe I'm just slow)
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 15:07
What I should have done is shot more and tested more.
*gasp* are you suggesting that we should actually use our cameras??
You found us out, Toby. We are an international syndicate with operatives always on the lookout for equipment bargains around the globe. A $10 RC somewhere in Canada? A $15 Konica III at a swapmeet in the US? Porta 400UC is on sale at Target? We've got that covered. Agfa masquerading as Arista II? They can't fool us.
And you say ebay? We've got snipers on every timezone in the world.
So, welcome, and enjoy your stay. For if you are anything like us, "you can never leave... (Eagles)"
*gasp* are you suggesting that we should actually use our cameras??
oh how nasty of you to even think and then write such nasty things, be ashamed of yourself :D
I just found a good'un that I hope ends up in my lap tomorrow night.
*gasp* are you suggesting that we should actually use our cameras??
Dang, Brett. I exercise the shutters on mine and I wonder where the day went. ;)
back alley
09-08-2005, 15:13
i only have 5 watches...omg! an odd number!!!
sorry, i'm off to the jeweler's.
joe
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 15:14
I've gotten to be almost as bad as gman.. lately, I can't even find all my cameras
back alley
09-08-2005, 15:14
I just found a good'un that I hope ends up in my lap tomorrow night.
what what what ? ? ?
joe
but surely craft is the most important thing?
But seriously, Toby. If you think that the members here are not dedicated to improving and enjoying their craft, then surely, you must not have been reading posts for too long.
Todd.Hanz
09-08-2005, 15:17
I became a rangefinder user because I wanted my pictures to contain more of myself.
then get a mirror, we all do it, sometimes in the bathroom, sometimes in a public bathroom in front of the toilet..... :D :D :D
Todd
He'd tell us Joe, but then he'd just have to kill us. Ebay auction ending tomorrow, Ralph?
Zero feedback seller, I don't know, risky. I will send you a PM with the link.
Gotta keep this one under my sleeve guys. My bet is that it will go over my head, but you never know.
JoeFriday
09-08-2005, 15:19
I'd still consider it if the seller gives you the option to pay with a credit card and it's a good deal
Toby, one nice thing about this place.. we're all gentlemen and gentlewomen in regards to not outbidding each other on auctions.. at least not knowingly
Reminds me of the intern in medical school who walked into a biker bar, "What's with the tatoos? Haven't you people heard of Hepatitis C?"
He was right, of course. But there's a time and place for everything.
Sure craft is important, but equipment is fun, too!
And the FSU rangefinders are so cheap, that it doesn't dent most bank accounts and using them is very pleasing. The Kiev 4 is the first camera I dared to disassemble and I got it back together and in working condition, except the lightmeter as I couldn't find anything to replace the worn potentiometer. Same with the Jupiter 8 for my Zorki, I cleaned and relubed it and it realy works. I'm looking for a Zorki 3 or Fed 2 with a collapsible Industar to make my own "Leica copy", I.E. a CLA and a black paintjob.
It's like DIY developing, when you find out how to do it you start all over again with different film and/or developer.
It's not so much that everyone is obsessed with buying more equipment -- only that that's something on which it's useful to exchange information.
Most of us are interested in the aesthetics and philosophy of photography etc., but it's harder to discuss that succinctly in an online forum.
Gabriel M.A.
09-08-2005, 15:38
I drive on the right side of the road...is it just me...or...? :angel:
No, seriously, I think it's because rangefinders are usually much cheaper than a "professional SLR" that it just lends itself to be easier to just acquire more and more. It hurts less to pay bits here and there than thousands and thousands all the time. That may be one way of looking at it.
Cameras are just tools. Check out the 2,000 + posts on "Camera and Coffee" (which, BTW, I just added to). ;)
surlysimon
09-08-2005, 15:59
Having just bought a Yashica lynx14E that i may or maynot have paid too much for all i can say is part of the fun is playing with different cameras. if i wanted too i could probably sell all the 70's and later equipment i own and buy just one (i could maybe afford just one leica with a 50mm, maybe) but wheres the fun in that. i go on holidays and spend hours working out what cameras to take, and enjoy them.
I do have 5 bicycles and a tandem and i don't think that's a problem.
to paraphrase a bicycle quote "The correct number of cameras is the number you have plus one"
enjoy, i'm off to watch for the postman and my yashica
You only need one (more) camera!
Welcome to the forum Toby - we're only tweaking! ;)
Brian, I still have the cameras I bought in 1962 through 1964. That doesn't make me better than you , only older than you. BTW I still use them and still love them e.g. Leica m1, Zenit 3M, Mamiya C-3, Agfa Silette, Agfa Isoly II, Agfa Isola (replacement obtained from Sockdaddy) as I managed to break my original, Rollei Magic II, Minolta Autocord and a few others. I also enjoy the use of a digital Olympus 2040 and a Canon G-6, the latter recently bought; a great camera but not as much fun as the old timers. Responding to Brian Sweeney's post which I can't find for the moment. Maybe I should cut down on the Scotch and sodas before dinner.
Kurt M.
Gabriel M.A.
09-08-2005, 18:39
( "Hi I'm Toby and I've gone 3 days without buying some dubious piece of equipment that will disappear into my camera cupboard after a week")
Actually, I think we do have a problem here. A troll?
Are there Trolls in the UK? I was under the impression they were only found in Norway.
Kurt M.
I have a Norwegian Troll locked in a chest in the bedrom. He's allegedly a good troll but I'm not taking any chances with all these cameras lying around. I could wake up some morning and find he's turned my FED NKVD into and Argus C3!
SolaresLarrave
09-08-2005, 20:20
I guess Toby needs a hobby.
As for yours-truly... I buy cameras, use them, sometimes keep them, sometimes not. Is that a problem? Not really... Just the thrill of the chase.
BIG SECOND TO FRANCISCO! Buying and selling is fun too!
dostacos
09-08-2005, 20:59
Up untill now we've been extremely cordial and civil. We haven't ever really drummed anyone off RFF (on purpose) before. Let's say we gang up on Toby! Who's with me?
:D :D :D :D :D
somebody get a rope!b :rolleyes:
Film dino
09-08-2005, 21:30
Hey folks, maybe it's really a question of "stay out of our collective psychosis" :D
jmilkins
09-08-2005, 21:57
Buying and selling is fun too!
I've got the "BUYING" bit down pat, just can't seem to lock on to the "Selling" (shudder) aspect...
I think Toby might not be the mad one be hearing voices, he might actually be the secret voice of my conscience......
Toby Bad!! ;)
But Welcome anyway!
Brian Sweeney
09-09-2005, 02:10
Kurt, Thankyou. It's nice to know that other kids got into this hobby.
Toby, welcome aboard. If you go through the threads, you will see this is a question that we have discussed before. We have discussed setting up a support group to help members from buying more equipment.
But then I started using the "Display Subliminal Text" feature of HTML.
http://www.rangefinderforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2830
Toby,
I stumbled across this site, and found it interesting. After reading some thread, I joined the forum. Then I dusted off my GSN, which was sitting on my book case for a year or so, to take some pictures. Next thing I know, Kiev IIIa, Kiev 4a, Contax II jointed my GSN on my book case to keep it company. After reading Paul's little review on Kodak Retina IIIS, I got 2 and a whole set of lenses!!!! :bang:
This site is bad influence. However, I would not admit that I got the acquisition disease, but I will admit that I am fascinated by the quality of those old cameras and lenses. They feel different when I hold them in my hands. They just don't make cameras like those anymore. With all being said, I do use all (well, most) of my cameras regularly.
Jason.
Today I bought 20,000 shares instead, hopefully they'll help financing my G.A.S attacks, if not, well, it's only Cornflaces for next two month :-)
RichardS
09-09-2005, 07:53
Toby,
I stumbled across this site, and found it interesting. After reading some thread, I joined the forum. Then I dusted off my GSN, which was sitting on my book case for a year or so, to take some pictures. Next thing I know, Kiev IIIa, Kiev 4a, Contax II jointed my GSN on my book case to keep it company. After reading Paul's little review on Kodak Retina IIIS, I got 2 and a whole set of lenses!!!! :bang:
This site is bad influence. However, I would not admit that I got the acquisition disease, but I will admit that I am fascinated by the quality of those old cameras and lenses. They feel different when I hold them in my hands. They just don't make cameras like those anymore. With all being said, I do use all (well, most) of my cameras regularly.
Jason.
You seemed to have overlooked all the other Yashica Electros. Buy a half dozen of various models to keep company with your GSN.
Dick
You seemed to have overlooked all the other Yashica Electros. Buy a half dozen of various models to keep company with your GSN.
Dick
Well, I guess I am more an interchangeable lenses kind of guy. And I like to control the aperture and shutter speed combination. Beside, all those Electro variations kind of look the same to me (don't yell at me). The only other Yashica I’m interested in is the Lynx, which lets me control both the shutter speed and the aperture.
Jason
RichardS
09-09-2005, 09:52
Well, I guess I am more an interchangeable lenses kind of guy. And I like to control the aperture and shutter speed combination. Beside, all those Electro variations kind of look the same to me (don't yell at me). The only other Yashica I?m interested in is the Lynx, which lets me control both the shutter speed and the aperture.
Jason
The Yashica Minister D also allows you to do that although since it has the EV system, you will also have to adjust that to get the other settings you want. But if you can find one, and I think one is for sale on eBay right now, it will probably have a lower price than the Lynx.
Dick
Okay, I've bought a lot of gear lately but I was finding stuff cheap and it's a sin to let good equipment sit idle, so I buy it and re-sell it. Well, most of it.
dostacos
09-11-2005, 07:47
Been sitting here reading various threads. Why is everyone so obsessed with buying new stuff? I've always found the surest way to make my photography worse is to have any kind of major upheaval in the gear I use. When I bought medium format gear it took me months to really get the best out of it and the same when I traded my eos kit for voigtlander. I've even heard a camera dealer say the reason why there are so many good condition leicas around is that people will not invest enough time to learn to use them -they go back to af slr's. Is it just me or am I going mad? Should we form cameraholics anonymous? ( "Hi I'm Toby and I've gone 3 days without buying some dubious piece of equipment that will disappear into my camera cupboard after a week")
Toby it is you! :) I for one am new to the RF world so I need to get some gear to actually have gear to shoot.
next I have a Nikkor 85/2 lens that came with my Bessa R and I plan on selling it to get a 50/1.5 why? because I want to stay with the brand that goes with the camera [I really like the click stops on the lens]
I find my shooting technique with SLRs and MF does not work with RF [ note to self MUST keep focus hand below lens.... :bang: ]
and I have not found any "dubious" piece of equipment mentioned here, what type of gear did you have in mind???/
Dan - I'm looking for an 85/2 LTM Nikkor. Sent you a PM.
I had one of those 85mm f/2 Nikkors in LTM- used on a Hexar RF, and it was simply outstanding. A wonderful lens, with a great drawing. Very much like good J-9 I have, and less prone to flare.
Brian Sweeney
09-11-2005, 09:07
The Nikkor 85mm F2 is an outstanding lens. Pop Photo did a test on it in 1991 and it fell into the "Good for a modern lens" rather than "Good lens of the '50s".
I have one in LTM, one in Contax mount, and two in S-Mount. One of those two was dirt cheap and is rare, the markings were not listed in Rotoloni's book. It was a cross-over when Nikon was changing the markings and min F-Stop, and has "old" and "new" features on it. Just keeping the thread on track...
Not only are we obsessed with buying new gear we often put silver oxide batteries in our old mercury cell cameras, so there!
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