Just curious if others also made the same or similar experience to shine away from GAS and adding more photo gear but instead simply continue using what you already own. I realized recently that I haven't made any photo gear purchase for almost two years - and what I purchased recently were smaller items like the Leica 100 book and the Keks light meter for my Leica M3 and M4-2 film cameras. But I have given up on upgrading camera or lens gear almost fully. It is not only about the money with higher and higher price tags - not limited but especially for Leica gear - but more so asking myself: would my photography really visibly improve in the final photos and in the handling of the camera itself? No matter at which alternative option I looked, I always had to answer the question with a "no".
I believe there are moments when upgrading is beneficial for an enthusiastic photographer - thinking back at the rise of the digital camera age beginning of 2002 to around 2014 with the rise of mirrorless. But since then - improvements are mostly incremental with very high resolution in FF sensors and very high ISO. Same thing with lenses - better coatings and optimized lens groups with rise of digital but now we are seeing incremental steps with very high resolving APO lenses on one side and revamping of rebranded older vintage lens gear for a specific look. I can see that the new camera and lens gear has benefits in specific applications in photography - but is this really for the majority of enthusiastic/semi-professional photographers? Again the question comes - does it really make a difference in the final photo and/or standard print sizes up to 19" in length?
This is kind of counter-intuitive to more and more influencers showcasing the latest and "best" photo gear in social networks. On the other hand, I am seeing more videos like a recent one pointing out that more photographers also now not only went back to film using older cameras but also to use again DSLR cameras, too. Maybe new photo gear prices hit a wall where most shine away making this investment and go back to more affordable older gear instead which still delivers well? What are your thoughts? Has your upgrading slowed down or ran dry?
Aug 19, 2025 at 07:08 AM
Steve Spencer Offline • • • • • • • Upload & Sell: On
retrofocus wrote:
Just curious if others also made the same or similar experience to shine away from GAS and adding more photo gear but instead simply continue using what you already own. I realized recently that I haven't made any photo gear purchase for almost two years - and what I purchased recently were smaller items like the Leica 100 book and the Keks light meter for my Leica M3 and M4-2 film cameras. But I have given up on upgrading camera or lens gear almost fully. It is not only about the money with higher and higher price tags - not limited but especially for Leica gear - but more so asking myself: would my photography really visibly improve in the final photos and in the handling of the camera itself? No matter at which alternative option I looked, I always had to answer the question with a "no".
I believe there are moments when upgrading is beneficial for an enthusiastic photographer - thinking back at the rise of the digital camera age beginning of 2002 to around 2014 with the rise of mirrorless. But since then - improvements are mostly incremental with very high resolution in FF sensors and very high ISO. Same thing with lenses - better coatings and optimized lens groups with rise of digital but now we are seeing incremental steps with very high resolving APO lenses on one side and revamping of rebranded older vintage lens gear for a specific look. I can see that the new camera and lens gear has benefits in specific applications in photography - but is this really for the majority of enthusiastic/semi-professional photographers? Again the question comes - does it really make a difference in the final photo and/or standard print sizes up to 19" in length?
This is kind of counter-intuitive to more and more influencers showcasing the latest and "best" photo gear in social networks. On the other hand, I am seeing more videos like a recent one pointing out that more photographers also now not only went back to film using older cameras but also to use again DSLR cameras, too. Maybe new photo gear prices hit a wall where most shine away making this investment and go back to more affordable older gear instead which still delivers well? What are your thoughts? Has your upgrading slowed down or ran dry? ...Show more →
I haven't stopped buying gear, but I actually have sold a lot of my gear and haven't fully replaced it, so in a way I have downsized and have less gear than I had just a few years ago. I am happy with that decision. There is a lot of really nice gear available at reasonable prices. Going forward I am planning on putting a lot less money into gear each year, but I am sure I will still move stuff around.
It's more about dialing in what kind of things work for you, at least in my experience. Sometimes the latest and greatest isn't it, and sometimes it is, depending on the use cases.
I've been trying to consolidate down to as much F/Z stuff as I can so I can share my gear around with the various bodies I enjoy. Then if a beautiful mint vintage lens pops up, I know I can get multiple uses out of it.
Influencers "going back" to old stuff is just because the X100VI is always out of stock and they are coping with shitty digicams that I literally threw into the garbage in the late aughts
This big move I am going through right now has me downsizing everything in my life as much as possible. I have sold, given away, put in storage , or thrown away so much stuff that I accumulated during the 25 years I have lived in my house. This includes camera gear. I have a pretty efficient photography setup now. One M11 kit with 5 lenses, one SL3 kit with 4 lenses, and a D-Lux 8 point and shoot. Primarily orientated to high quality and broad use case capability. About the only subjects I can't effectively photograph at a very high quality are things moving really fast like BIF. I keep muttering under my breath that I will never again buy anything that I can't immediately eat.
I haven't bought much lately. I've an extensive collection of Contax Zeiss, Leica R, Olympus, Pentax and even Mamiya 645 lenses that I still use on my EOS DSLRs. I haven't dabbled in Mirrorless yet. Although I am considering add an old Leica SL to the mix if I can find a reasonable one worth playing with. One thing I have done this month is to finally get enough FotoDiox adapters to fit all my lenses so I no longer have to share. Should have just did that years ago.
Last night I was out with the Mamiya 645 200/2.8 APO on my 5DSr working on my technique again. I haven't done much shooting the past couple of years due to work and health issues. I'm retired now and time to ramp things back up. As such I'm sure there's some purchases coming as I work to optimize my total kit.
I did finally put all the MF/Alt stuff in a cabinet for easier access. I used to just carry pretty much all of it in a backpack with me. Time to go smaller with what I take out for any given day of shooting.
All the lenses on the lower shelf are adapted to the EF mount.
Oh and I did pick up a Vivitar Series 1 70-210/3.5 Macro about a month or two ago. Found it while antiquing for well under $20 so could not pass it up.
I went from a sizeable Fuji kit, zooms and primes, etc, to Leica M life for a few years, to a Sony and a couple of primes, even sold that, and now just using an Fuji X100F and some film cameras (Nikon and Olympus OM).
All of this is due to life course stuff (little kids, work from home hermit life, all travel is family travel now). This year I bought a small camper trailer so I find myself in nature a lot more this year. So I finally found a limitation with a only having a 35mm when I came up on a gorgeous alpine meadow.
Not too many lens but lots of camera bodies, especially after I got back to film.
Still haven't finished my film cameras collection but almost there. They are not only for display, I use all of them in rotation.
I'm ALWAYS buying more.
Since the 70's, I haven't sold nor traded any gear.
I have all the gear I've purchased, except the stuff I've given away to family.
To me, it isn't about switching systems, etc., I like gear, ALL gear.
Yes, it has long since past the point of addiction.
Yes, I know photography isn't necessarily all about the gear.
Shrug...
buggz wrote:
I'm ALWAYS buying more.
Since the 70's, I haven't sold nor traded any gear.
I have all the gear I've purchased, except the stuff I've given away to family.
To me, it isn't about switching systems, etc., I like gear, ALL gear.
Yes, it has long since past the point of addiction.
Yes, I know photography isn't necessarily all about the gear.
Shrug...
It's ok to like and collect objects. If I had the means I would own a Leica III in every variant and color and would enjoy just wearing them like a watch.
I've been shooting Leica for 18 months, and it's taken me this long to mature and gain knowledge as to exactly what gear suits what/how I want to shoot. Along the way I've shed gear that doesn't suit my desires.
At this point, I have no want of the rumored M11V, and a new M12 would need to have some amazing new sensor that yields appreciably better images than do my M11M and M11P before my skirt would be lifted.
For me at this stage of life, it's all about want not need, and I'm grateful to have all the gear my heart desires.
retrofocus wrote:
What are your thoughts? Has your upgrading slowed down or ran dry?
Over the past many years, I have used, Pentax, Panasonic Lumix, Sony, Fuji, and Leica equipment. I've not noticed any correlation between my enjoyment of th hobby and equipmentcost/brand. These days, my Fuji XT3, Leica CL digital, and Fuji X100v give me all the fun and excitement that I can handle.
I see no need to buy more "stuff." But of course, YMMV.
I own many lenses that I enjoy shooting with, and over time I've come to appreciate their differences in rendering, almost like choosing a different paintbrush. I don't have any deep attachment to them though..I could live without them. In fact, I often sell off lenses once I lose interest in them or realize their look overlaps with something else I already own. This happens from time to time.
What I really enjoy is the process itself, going from shooting with "perfect" APO lenses to ones that are quirky and imperfect like in older recreations, and figuring out the best way to use each. At the end of the day, they're just tools of expression. What matters most is getting your vision across, even if it's something as simple as a family gathering. Most people won't notice the differences between lenses and their unique rendering, but I do. I see my own failures and successes quietly in my work when editing images in LR. And sometimes friends dislike an image I love…which just shows how subjective it all really is.
So no, I haven't stopped buying alt gear. In fact, I just pre-ordered the reintroduction of the MS Optics 35mm f/1.4 Apoqualia. I'm curious to see how this new paintbrush draws.
retrofocus wrote:
What are your thoughts? Has your upgrading slowed down or ran dry?
It's definitely slowed down for me. But I think the main reason for that is that I have ended up with gear I think is so good it's hard to improve on in any meaningful (for me) way. That's been the case for some other hobbies/interests as well; when you do it long enough and keep acquiring gear eventually you'll likely end up with something really good and suitable and at that point more time is being spent on actually using the stuff.
That said, I will get things I feel like I actually _need_ though it's not that much anymore. Right now I am shopping for a longer L mount landscape option since I don't have anything native above 90mm (other than the 28-200) and will be taking a trip this fall where I know I can use 150-200mm quite often.
But I also want to sell some m43 gear so it'll likely be a net loss in overall gear once that's done.
Fred Miranda wrote:
I own many lenses that I enjoy shooting with, and over time I've come to appreciate their differences in rendering, almost like choosing a different paintbrush. I don't have any deep attachment to them though..I could live without them. In fact, I often sell off lenses once I lose interest in them or realize their look overlaps with something else I already own. This happens from time to time.
What I really enjoy is the process itself, going from shooting with "perfect" APO lenses to ones that are quirky and imperfect like in older recreations, and figuring out the best way to use each. At the end of the day, they're just tools of expression. What matters most is getting your vision across, even if it's something as simple as a family gathering. Most people won't notice the differences between lenses and their unique rendering, but I do. I see my own failures and successes quietly in my work when editing images in LR. And sometimes friends dislike an image I love…which just shows how subjective it all really is.
So no, I haven't stopped buying alt gear. In fact, I just pre-ordered the reintroduction of the MS Optics 35mm f/1.4 Apoqualia. I'm curious to see how this new paintbrush draws. ...Show more →
Good points here and throughout this discussion thread - agreed that all is subjective and depends on personal situation, interest, and needs. For me time is actually the most limiting factor - my full time job which I also enjoy - unrelated to photography - keeps me very busy with responsibilities which only leaves me part of my weekend to actually focus more on my photography hobby. I have a quite large amount of lenses and cameras collected over decades, and I wish I had the time to make my YouTube channel to compare and illustrate some pros and cons of each. Currently this is just not possible time wise. I admit that this is also a major factor for me to put any larger photo gear addition on hold.
I shoot for work so I am bored of using serious cameras. Like I rarely take my Sony A7 and Fuji X-T4 kits out now if there's no pay in it.
Instead of dumping money on hot new gear, I spend on food and experiences. I also like to get cheap compact cameras to mess around with and bring them along with me when out. Fun stuff.
After upgrading from Fuji XF to Nikon Z I went on an acquisition spree of interesting older full frame primes. Now I've filled out my focal length range with a dozen lenses from 24 to 105, and it's getting harder to justify new additions. It's fun to research new lenses and bodies but the curve of diminishing returns is looking very steep.
I think when I was shooting as a job, I focused on building out a kit that would improve my workflow (and enjoyment). When I pulled back from paid work in 2020, I have had a slow process of consolidating upward. I don't need 4 bodies and backup lenses and piles of flash gear, but I still do have a desire for new experiences. My favorite lenses and shooting experiences have seldom been with the most expensive thing and I'm not particularly sentimental.
All of that said, Dad-tography, travel, and personal fulfillment don't necessarily all overlap. I have it all boiled down to a Z8, some primes that I love, and a Q2.
I did replace my macbook recently as a way to improve my experience, as my previous intel MBP made lightroom unbearable. Feels good to not always be lusting after something different--at least until someone releases a fast fixed lens 50mm compact camera.
And sometimes friends dislike an image I love…which just shows how subjective it all really is.
