What is a Stop Worth, and the Meaning of Life

[Andrea B.]

I have absolutely no idea what I "need" for photography beyond "needing" to create images and art. As a mostly amateur (?? who knows ??) I bought a D3S because it was hugely better than anything else out there at the time and permitted me to be both creative and have good image quality when I wanted it. That D3S never got in my way. I did not have to make do with the D3S or learn workarounds. There is a glorious freedom in that. And I LEARNED from that camera. And, yes, absolutely - that camera made me happy. Does that make me some sort of shallow materialist? Don't know. Don't care. I paid my dues. I donate to charity. Who can possibly care whether I shoot a D3S or not? Who knows why a soul yearns for art? Shoot what you will and let others have the same freedom.

[Akira]

I have absolutely no idea what I "need" for photography beyond "needing" to create images and art. As a mostly amateur (?? who knows ??) I bought a D3S because it was hugely better than anything else out there at the time and permitted me to be both creative and have good image quality when I wanted it. That D3S never got in my way. I did not have to make do with the D3S or learn workarounds. There is a glorious freedom in that. And I LEARNED from that camera. And, yes, absolutely - that camera made me happy. Does that make me some sort of shallow materialist? Don't know. Don't care. I paid my dues. I donate to charity. Who can possibly care whether I shoot a D3S or not? Who knows why a soul yearns for art? Shoot what you will and let others have the same freedom.

Well said, Andrea!  Totally agreeable.

[tommiejeep]

Andrea, the D3S certainly did not make me a better shooter but the sense of freedom to shoot how, and what, is fantastic.  I do not use it as much as I used to but cannot bring myself to sell it because it is just always there for me  .  It did make me lazy about the constant need to change setting for the best speed/iso/aperture combos... just set the bloody thing to cover the speed and worry about trying to clean up the image later  .  This is sort of my gospel :  Anticipate the Light and wing it when you get it wrong.
 I certainly agree with your post  .
All the best,
Tom

[Frank Fremerey]

I have absolutely no idea what I "need" for photography beyond "needing" to create images and art. As a mostly amateur (?? who knows ??) I bought a D3S because it was hugely better than anything else out there at the time and permitted me to be both creative and have good image quality when I wanted it. That D3S never got in my way. I did not have to make do with the D3S or learn workarounds. There is a glorious freedom in that. And I LEARNED from that camera. And, yes, absolutely - that camera made me happy. Does that make me some sort of shallow materialist? Don't know. Don't care. I paid my dues. I donate to charity. Who can possibly care whether I shoot a D3S or not? Who knows why a soul yearns for art? Shoot what you will and let others have the same freedom.

For me the D3 was the camera that made me happy. A reliable tool that does not get in my way. That is what I need.

If I have such a tool, the FM2 was it in Film Days, I can simply design the photo.

with unreliable tools like the D70 one always has to do work around it like a rubber hammer to handle steel nails

The D600 is somewhere in between. After two years with her I do not get unexpected results anymore

reliable? Nope
learnable? Yes

a wood hammer instead of rubber

a D3Xs with 2015 technology would be my tool of choice.

[the solitaire]

Nice to meet someone who came from a Nikon FM and moved to a D3 and thought of it in the same way I do.

Compared to most photographers I really have no financial means. My budget is non-existing, but over the years I built up a set of working gear that lets me do pretty much whatever I like photographically, plus some bells and whistles.

I started photography with a loaner Pentax SLR but soon found a way to pay for a used Nikon FM with a beat up 50mm f2 Ai. My next lens was an 80-200 f4 Ai-S zoom followed by a Tokina 17mm f3,5 wide. 2 years later I could afford a 2nd body. A used Nikon FM2.

15 years later I bought quite a few lenses cheap and sold them with small profits. At one point I had some freed up cash and bought a new 14-24mm f2,8 which I traded for my current D3 some 6 years later.

Even with a budget of -XX$ and having to save and put aside money to buy the lenses and cameras I use I never regretted a single purchase when it comes to photographic equipment. Today I am watching an ebay auction for a 5cm f2 lens and hope it does not exceed $75 because with that it would exceed the money I have to spend on photography by more then $75.

One thing that really enriched my photographic experience is meeting my girlfriend who shares the passion for photography with me. Because we both do not have amounts of money that would allow us to freely buy what we want we decided that I sell duplicates of lenses and focal lengths we both own to spend the money on an 85mm f1,4 AF-D Nikkor. Another purchase well worth the money.

I guess we all come from different walks of life and with that have different views on what is nescessary and what isn't. I can only say that after years of saving and spending my money in a way that I consider wisely, I now have a set of lenses and a camera that allows me to enjoy photography like I never could before. "Worth every penny" would be the way I would describe my current set of camera gear.

(I think I paid less on all cameras and lenses combined then some have spent on a single lens or camera, but in the end the photographs do count, and photography is more enjoyable when your gear does not get in the way, even though limitations by camera gear are more of a mental infliction then a technology related one)

[Hugh_3170]

Buddy, whilst the differences between wants and needs can be subtle, it is more important to want what you actually have, than to have what you might want.

I suspect that this idea has helped you to maximise the benefit to cost ratio of your purchases.

Good on you. 

[the solitaire]

Hugh, I never managed to express it in so few words and still capture the essence, but yes, it pretty much comes down to that. And the realisation that we can own pretty badass camera setups these days without having to sell a kidney

[Ron Scubadiver]

Buddy, whilst the differences between wants and needs can be subtle, it is more important to want what you actually have, than to have what you might want.

I suspect that this idea has helped you to maximise the benefit to cost ratio of your purchases.

Good on you. 

Brilliant.

[Frank Fremerey]

Buddy, whilst the differences between wants and needs can be subtle, it is more important to want what you actually have, than to have what you might want.

These are very wise words. In Scotland I wore a T-shirt that is sold as merchandise for my favourite blog http://waitbutwhy.com/

It reads: "Reality - Expectations = Happiness" ... https://store.waitbutwhy.com/collections/tank-tops/products/wbw-reality-tank

which reduces it even further and so makes it so reach even further.

To want something and to get it does never mean you get happier.
With ownership and choice come the plagues of loss protection and having to choose.
A friend of mine put it this way: "Every lens you add to your bag will devalue all other lenses you already own"
He had all there is to have in Hasselblad, Linhof, Sinar, Leica and Nikon. He sold all but one body and three lenses.

You say that the FM2 and the D3 make you happy? Very good. I feel a reliable tool is worth every cent you spent on it.
When people come to me and ask I tell them to better buy used professional equipment in good shape than new plastic fantastic.
My argument is to better get a used Mercedes than a new Fiat/Ranault/Dacia.

What does one win?
A reliable tool simply melts into the background because it does what it is expected to do. Period.
A lens you often use gains value, because with training you get better and better.
Which lens this might be depends just on your own style of shooting.
Sharing equipment is always fun, sharing equiment with your loved ones? How much better can life be?

Money is no solution, money is just a method and a tool. As overvalued as many other things.

[Airy]

Just curious - which one body and three lenses?

[Frank Fremerey]

Just curious - which one body and three lenses?

D600 + 2.8/60G Micro + 2.8/24-70G AF-S + 2.8/70-200G AF-S

But I think he currently has other fish to fry than taking photos.

[gryphon1911]

Expensive gear rarely, if ever, determine the photographic quality of the resulting images. Some people burn a lot of money before realising this fact, and some never learn at all. Photography is no different to other walks of life in this respect. 

One can make excellent deals on second-hand equipment because of these follies.

Indeed - and I am re-discovering that as shown in my recent "Df and older lenses" post.

I live firmly in a "right tool for the job" mentality.  I have rare occasion/need to break out the f/2.8 zooms and the f/1.x primes except for some of the most difficult of work situations that require them.  I'm enjoying the older lenses.  I LOVE having an aperture ring.

[David H. Hartman]

The late Galen Rowell often used "consumer" grade lenses for his landscape and mountainering photography.  He was a long distance runner and often ran to his favourite sites and was consious of the weight penalty of heavier "Pro" lenses, especially when he needed to be at the right place at the right time to get the best light...

Galen Rowell was often running at altitudes that would be hard for many to walk at. His favorite camera was the F100 but he use an N80 when he need to be light for trekking at high altitudes. One lens he used was a 75-150/3.5 Nikon Series-E. This shows what can be done with carefully chosen economy consumer photographic equipment. I would not use this specialized example as one would need Galen's eyes and brain of something similar to get the same quality photographs.

For trekking at Disneyland, Anaheim, California I used to carry a Nikon FM2n or FE2 with a 25-50/4.0 AIS Nikkor and 50/1.8 AIS Nikkor.

Best,

Dave

The better the photographer the more they can do with less.

Dave

[David H. Hartman]

In one forum some guy celebrated his purchase of a new 300 f/2.8 to photograph his 6 year old's soccer games.  I am certain those photos will be better than if a simple 70-300 had been used.   The boy will probably have to borrow an additional $15,000 to get through college because his dad did not put away $5000 in and S&P 500 index fund.

What kind of car does he drive? Most will easily spend more than an extra $5,000.00 (USD) on a more expensive car every few years. Buying a 300/2.8 if frugal elsewhere may be quite reasonable. A slow telephoto lens for stadium sports sucks as you can't differentiate the action from stadium spectators.

My mothers best friend who she frequently commuted to work with drove a 1965 VW bug. Her husband was criticized once in a board meeting for owning a 26 foot (8 meter) sailboat. I don't remember his car but it was similarly frugal. The person making the personal attack drove a new Mercedes-Benz sedan. The boat owner was a radio evangelist who spend a little over half a year traveling in his work while the other was a church administrator (life of poverty, ad hominem, etc.).

Dave

[BW]

I see no reason why I couldn't live with an eleven year camera for 95% of my photography. I took the D70s out for a spin today and it still delivers excellent images. This 2005, 1200 $ camera can take 2500 pictures in one charge, its highest shutter speed is 1/8000 of a second, it delivers beautiful colors from the CCD sensor, auto white balance is great, the 6 megapixels gives decent 8x10 prints. What else do I need?