Do you ever get to a point where you think you have all the gear you need?

Raymond Lin

Raymond Lin

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Raymond
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A year a go I would be OVERJOYED to have what I have now. However, I am still yearning for more gear. Not because what i have doesn't do what I need, however, out of pure artistic reasons, i want more lenses to experiment.

2 x 5Dii (the photo is taken with the other one)
30D
16-35L
24-70L
50/1.4
135L
580EXii
550EX
Some eBay wireless triggers
HP Mini with wifi dongle just in case i need it
All in a Thinktank Airport International v2.0



Now i want a 45mm T/S (for weddings), 35/1.4, 24/1.4, 85/1.2 & 1.8.......

It never ends, and that is before any new bodies that comes out!! And I can only shoot 1 photo at a time.
 
Very nearly, but then the 'next best thing' is released and the game changes to such an extent that we're forced to re-equip (sometimes only partially, it must be said) in order to keep pace with the competition...

Fifteen years ago it was a lot easier - if you had a 'good' pair or trio of film bodies and some good glass, you could go on indefinitely it seemed...
I knew a couple of very well-respected and highly experienced newspaper togs who cheerfully used 20-year old cameras and lenses alongside newer kit...
 
Thought I had, was happy with what I had, the I started shooting in the studio and on location, now I NEED more, more lights now needed, light modifiers, reflectors, lenses and worst of all a Studio :D

so now think it will never be the case I have all I need:D
 
I'm lucky to have a bag full of kit at my disposal but take a lot of inspiration from Trevor Yerbury. He has one camera (D700) and one lens (85mm f1.4) and shoots the bulk of his images on that. I dare say he pinches Faye's zoom from time to time but generally one camera, one lens. :)
 
It will never happen, every time I say I have all I need, something else that I 'need' comes up and my camera insurance representative has to update my records, again ... and again ...
 
"He has one camera (D700) and one lens (85mm f1.4) and shoots the bulk of his images on that."

Wasn't there a famous war photographer who only used something like an 85mm lens on a Nikon SLR? He took some iconic Vietnam shots if I remember correctly. I think he said that it was the best lens ever made and that if a shot couldn't be taken with that lens he didn't want to take it.
 
I'm very happy with my current bag at the moment - the only changes I would make would be to replace the Aigma zooms with their Nikon equivalents but I don't have the 4 and a bit grand spare at the moment!
 
As a hobbyist, never, because there's a certain gearlust that comes with the territory.

A true photography genius probably only needs one body and one lens - Ansel adams, Man Ray, Cartier Bresson etc...

I could probably get most of my photographic kicks with a D700 and a 60mm macro. But then I'd get the stupid urge to shoot wildlife....
 
I'd quite happily take a D700 (or D3 :p) and 85mm f/1.4 tbh. I'm quite content with a Canon 5D, 50mm f/1.4 and 70-200mm f/4 L at the moment, but I know if I follow my dreams/plans they won't quite cut it. I have strobist stuff as well, but that's only because it helps me bring in money sometimes, not because I like it.
 
I am happy with what I have but I don't think I could ever get to a stage where I wouldn't want more. I currently have 2 x D300's but I would love to trade one of those in for a D700 to go full frame. I have a Tamron 17-50mm that really needs to be upgraded to a Nikon 24-70mm, particularly if I was to ever go full frame. Even if I got to upgrade to the D700 I’d always want a D3S but even that will be out of date one day so I’d want whatever the newest camera was. I have the mk1 version of the Nikon 70-200mm but I’ve tried the mk2 version and realise how much better it is so I want one.

Technology advances so quickly which means what you are happy with today you’ll want to upgrade tomorrow. It’s a fact of life and something you have to accept when you have an expensive hobby like photography.
 
I guess we all strive to get the best we can afford, and always chase the "latest" thing. The one thing I have learned over the years is get the glass right once, and change bodies as they come along.

I now have 17-40L, GAP, 100-400L.

The gap will be filled with a 24-105L at some point, but funds don't allow yet. At that point I will be comfortable that I have all the focal ranges covered with top quality glass.

As for bodies, I recently got the 5d2, and personally find it a belter, but when the 5d3, 6d2,3,4 etc come out I know I will want one, but the glass will stay.

F
 
Having just bought a Tamron 90mm Macro I have just :suspect: "promised" SWMBO that I don't ned anything else for 12 months :lol: :shrug:
 
Speaking from a realistic point of view, I'm perfectly happy with what's in my sig. If I had some spare cash lying around, I'd purchase another old 1 series body as a backup (maybe a 1D or 1Ds second generation), a 50 L and possibly an 85, but hey if we all had spare money lying around wouldn't we splash out?
 
It depends on what you start with, my budget only allowed for a D60 and kit lenses. The bigger purchases were Sigma lenses at first which at some point in the future will turn into Nikon ones simply because of quality. I now have a D300 and this I will be happy with for a long time but the glass does need upgrading and they will be bought used :)
 
Need?.......Yes.

Want?.........Never.



:)
 
Err nope....

The more I get the more bits I need...

At the moment I need a 70-200 f2.8 vr2, Lencarta ring light, Elitepro light, several more softboxes and a hilite....

Once I have those I am sure something else will crop up, love an F5 and/or F6
 
cowasaki said:
Err nope....

The more I get the more bits I need...

At the moment I need a 70-200 f2.8 vr2, Lencarta ring light, Elitepro light, several more softboxes and a hilite....

Once I have those I am sure something else will crop up, love an F5 and/or F6
Click to expand...

Darren, you want a 70-200 vr2 but you don't need it;)
 
Are you guys buying the kit just to say that you have it though? Be honest.

Surely you want to learn all you can about the kit you have before you buy something else you need to learn?

Is that not how the people mentioned above who predominantly use one lens have got so good, Rather than thinking "that shot needs to be taken/would be better taken with a ..........", think about how you can make the shot work with the kit you have. Isn't that where inspiration comes from?
 
Do you ever get to a point where you think you have all the gear you need?

that is a point usually defined by a spouse
 
Do you ever get to a point where you think you have all the gear you need?

that is a point usually defined by a spouse
 
I finally reached this goal about a month ago after a good 5 years of buying, trying and selling. This is the main gear I have (excluded all the lighting stuff.)

2 x 5DMKII
16-35/2.8 II
35/1.4
85/1.2 II
100/2.8
135/2

That's it.

I'm happy with my lot and I won't be buying any more gear except when these lenses are upgraded. I may buy the 200/2.8 but as I also own the 80-200/2.8 L lens, this won't be for some time. I simply don't want the weight and size of the lens and for the work I do 135mm is long enough.
 
I thought I'd be ok with the gear I have now for a couple of years or so but am already planning on upgrading a lens, buying another and still dreaming of one day owning a D3x. Then there's studio lights and accessories to consider...

And that's just the 'essentials' for me. There's plenty of other lenses that I've seen and coveted but unfortunately my photography hobby comes second to my photography business. Looks like I'll be waiting a long time before I ever get a quality really long telephoto lens. :(
 
lawrie29 said:
Are you guys buying the kit just to say that you have it though? Be honest.

Surely you want to learn all you can about the kit you have before you buy something else you need to learn?

Is that not how the people mentioned above who predominantly use one lens have got so good, Rather than thinking "that shot needs to be taken/would be better taken with a ..........", think about how you can make the shot work with the kit you have. Isn't that where inspiration comes from?
Click to expand...

Nope, for example I have no desire to get a 100-400, or a true macro lens. Nor do I want a 300 prime. Basically anything above 200mm does not interest me.

I do have have limit myself to a set gear, but not at a job. On holiday I went with just a 30D and a 50, shot an entire week with that and it came out quite well but i also know. The limitation hence having more options at a job is better than not having that option.
 
I've just reached that point for the first time since taking up photography (18 months ago) :).

I started off by going 'straight to the top' and investing in all full-frame gear (a D700 and some quality, wide aperture lenses), but soon realised that it was too bulky and expensive to carry the whole kit with me everywhere I went :(. I appreciate the quality of the kit and the results, but sometimes want something smaller and easier to carry.

So, I've now added a crop sensor camera (D90) and a set of DX-specific lenses to my kit bag. Yesterday my new Tokina 11-16mm f/2.8 lens arrived for the D90 and so now I have a complete "FX" kit, with focal lengths from 17-200mm all at f/2.8 or lower and 300mm at f/4, as well a parallel "DX" kit with the focal lengths from 11-75mm at f/2.8 and 75-200mm with smaller apertures.

Camera and lens-wise, the only wish would be for some of the really big Nikon telephotos (200mm f/2 and the 300mm f/2.8 for starters), but this is pure fantasy due to the prices ;).

I have a couple of decent tripods, two top quality flash guns, 5 camera bags and a fair array of filters, diffusers and other gadgets, too.

So, I think that all of the big purchases have been made now. Unless I lose, break or tire of anything in the kit bag, I reckon that I should be safe from GAS for a while to come (famous last words :D). Any new purchases are likely to be just small accessories.
 
I'm happy with my kit bag at the moment, however saying that there is always gear that you would like to have, more of a want rather than a need
 
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