Are you obsessed with the technology only?

If your argument is that buying the latest and greatest just because it's the latest and greatest, and not because it's necessary or important, is silly, then we agree. My two primary cameras are the 2005 Canon 5D and the 2016 n 7D Mark II. But each of those was an upgrade to help me get shots I was previously missing.

This was the point of the original question, and the entire thread. That you are only now grasping this is the source of conflict. Nobody has disputed the need for specialized equipment for making specific photographs.

Nobody?

I addressed that specific @XRay comment upthread. You’re applying a literal interpretation to their generalized comment supporting an image before gear approach to photography. Of course gear can be important, but the conversation here is around attaching importance to gear for its own sake.

Not dissimilar to your calling me out earlier in the thread for answering the initial question Are you obsessed with the technology only? with No. Story trumps gear. You deemed my response to be a general statement. How should I better have answered that question? Had I done so, would that technically correct answer be a more honest, or useful in context, response given my viewpoint?

Yes, I need (in a first world way) a modern, MILC (or EVIL camera if you prefer) with fast” focus, and a high-power zoom lens… but only for a small percentage of my photography. If I didn’t have this kit, I could make the vast majority of my reportage pictures, which sometimes rise to the level of art, using a fixed lens camera with a 35mm FOV. Or, for that matter an iPhone. I don’t need to make closeups of bison, or flying birds, to be fulfilled as a photographer, maker or artist.

If we can’t allow for some flexibility in interpretation every discussion will devolve to whataboutism. There are exceptions to nearly every rule proposed. Continuously citing edge cases doesn’t always better or benefit the conversation. Sometimes you have to read the room to filter responses through a lens of context. Yours and those of others.

@simplejoy

Stunning set of images!! I see you use an R5, which is your lens of choice for those awesome macros?

Congratulations. Like it or not, agree or disagree, this is art and you, the maker, are a genuine artist…knowingly or not.

I've found that the less I obsess over the gear, the more I enjoy the experience. Even if you don't have the right gear at hand. Shoot these with my little manual focus 10mm Laowa. Had a blast

That's true any tech or hobby or passion you have and in a way independent from the gear.

Get that 5 minutes or two hours - do it twice a day at least - even when you're sick.
- that's a good solution.

I cannot read music, I've never been able, but I can visively record them in my brain.
I played only a little Piano. My hands didn't fit the task, so I switched to Piano-Accordion which has smaller keys, and played it to my full some years. Switched to guitar, 'till Dupuytren hit hard. Then for two years Sliding-Trombone 'till my shoulder started complaining. I gave a last stint with Trumpet, and 3 months later shoulder told me to stop.
Never played in public, I did it for my own satisfaction.
I got the good gear not the fantastic one and stayed with that. My instruments I never sold, I still own them, and are somewhere in the house if I've not made a gift to somebody I cared about.

Same for fotografy....
I'm getting a very heavy 9 years old Sig 150-600 C - used - It will fill my lenses range nicely
When I get my hand on it ... I will use it, and use a little less the AF-P 100-300 - bought used as well.
As soon as I'm able to stand and walk I take the car and get out with my bag.
When I'm not ... I go into the balcony and get some shots from there.
But if even that is too much ... I'll try some macro, without a tripod and focus shifting.

Resilience is what helps you against GAS

( Great Astounding Systems )

Utricularia subulata flower - 3mm - Raynox 250 - handsheld - sooc

I was thinking a bit more about this, and have decided, unequivocally, that I am free of that affliction. I bought the DPreview 2020 worst camera of the year a few months back. In 2023. Not only that, I liked it so much that I bought a second one. Beat that

Hi,

Well, I don't know if this beats that....

I have a Pentax 645D. 40 MP Kodak CCD. Slow to shoot, both the camera itself and the sensor. Keep it at the base ISO of 200. Use tripod. Shoot Mirror Up to get rid of mirror slap vibrations. Slow it down even more! ;)

Takes wonderful shots as long as you have lots of light and the subject doesn't move. Which is exactly the use cases I bought it for back in 2020. Much better in the large print dept than my Nikon Df.

Stan

There's a clue in my username 😁

The most despised cameras on the interwebz, the Panasonic G100.
I enjoy shooting wide. Very much so. I was very annoyed when Nikon cancelled their 1" ultrawide compact camera that never made it to market.
So I made my own. Kind of. G100 with either my Laowa 10mm f2, or Panasonic Leica 9mm f1.7

If I understand the question . . for me, I always find it humorous when digital photographers talk about how a camera is outdated because "the technology is outdated" especially when the camera is only a couple of years old. To me the only outdated camera is a broken one. That said I shoot with low tech, old and outdated (to some) Hasselblad, Nikon, Rollei film cameras because I prefer them and the look they give. Funny thing is when I use my digital cameras I spend more time editing the images to get what I want than with film photos. The less dependency on technology the better 'for me'. Yeah I edit some film shots to get what I'm looking for at times. To me digital has created a lot of 'technicians' who love spending time trying to edit the life out of images rather than taking the photo. Of course not all. Just go to 500PX to see what I mean. I mean, how many so called perfectly edited water drop photos did we need to see after the first 200,000 were made once digital cameras came out? Thankfully we are all different. As a guitarist I wanted to be Hendrix as a kid so I was pissed when the guy I was going to take lessons from as a kid told me to learn the basics on an acoustic guitar first and not depend on tech with pedals / amps first. He was right. It seems a lot of newcomers to photography could learn a lot learning the basics with less dependence on tech. Just my two cents.

I think some of my film cameras definitely feel outdated, but that doesn't make them unusable. Sometimes there is extra pleasure from using outdated gear.
My vest pocket kodak , from 1919, is outdated as you can no longer get authographic film. Its special feature of being able to annotate the negative at the time of shooting is no longer available & even finding regular 127 film for it is a little awkward, but there are a least sources. My Ruby reflex would need custom made plates...

My newest proper camera was introduced nearly 8 years ago (very outdated to some) though older models are used quite regularly. I don't think I've ever brought one that was still in production - the few 'new models' I've brought were end of line with their replacements already on sale.

Great inspiration and talking points.

Recently, I realized that this negative feeling and feedback and moods themselves serve the purpose of motivation very well. It might be uncomfortable, but it springs me into action. I think it´s not about best and latest gear, but best compromise is to be found as a "solution". And that´s the problem. I always go for the solution. But the hobby doesn´t have a solution. And it is hard to cope with that.

And so more getting out and more exposure to the photography would help me "socialize photographically".
I have tried that, but maan quite many togs and techs are much more arrogant than on the forums. Ridiculous. So i will be looking elsewhere. Different disciplines, different places, different people, different content and use.

To be sure, I did my round around the shops to see if there is some better gear I could get, and I concluded that there is nothing in camera bodies I would want to get anymore. Either too great compromise of size and weight or absurd price compared to the joy it would give me. So the path is set. More supportive gear, more time outside, more effort and fun. That also means I will not be online for offtopic wars four times a day as before. :-)
Thank you and best luck to everyone.

So I read through this thread... interesting points of view... things I have all felt (sometimes discussed with friends)

I started with sports photography in 2005 (coaching and photographing hockey) ... after couple years added nature/landscapes (travel and photography... after a couple more added cityscapes/rural (convenient photography)... always said I would never do BIFs .... In my circle of friends, somehow would up with the best BIF gear... so started BIFs(sports photography + nature).... so on and so forth... Each time enjoying the euphoria of the added gear... but more importantly the added skills for each genre.

Somewhere started adding (excessive?) post processing tools.... including coding my own algorithms because a) I can b) couldn't find what I wanted.

But, for the past couple years, been in a bit of a slump... Then it hit me, I am wired to somehow combine skills.

So recently, updated the woodshop to make frames**.... silly investment, I can buy frames cheaper than I can make them... and this doesn't include the cost of the equipment upgrades and the time to do the work... BUT... the new gear euphoria hit.... as did the thrill of the value that comes from combining skill sets.

** the woodshop was original for speaker cabinets, there are also both wind and string instruments in the house

The combining the skills from assorted hobbies or experiences is the addiction that haunts my persona... GAS seems to be a spin-off.

In the end... way too much money in camera gear.... I could have saved a lot browsing the internet and buying other's images.... Too much money in the woodshop... cheaper to buy what I am learning to make... frankly, too much money in gear for every hobby.... The value for me is the excitement from "the sum of the parts"...

To answer the OP my answer is a resounding NO. Having said that, I have changed my kit over the years to best meet my professional needs. So it’s the right tools for the job, not GAS.

Oh dear. I must be a very poor craftsman then. Or, perhaps taking a photograph that you're happy with, does not require the absolute best in gear, or the very best result possible every single time. Sometimes, the situation may even require a little bit of improvisation. Or, in my case at times, deliberately setting out with less than optimum tools, and seeing what you can manage. I personally don't see the attraction in always attempting to get the very best shot possible, in what to me is supposed to be a relaxing and enjoyable hobby, rather than a competition.
Some of the best Tradesmen I've seen & worked with, are the ones that CAN get great/fantastic results, without having the ultimate in tools or equipment available to them when they really might be required