GAS Dear Giary!

In B&W of course also.

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Some recent gear-related thoughts:

  • As I keep thinking about a second Nikon F body, why not let it be Fujifilm? We're having a small S5 Pro boom here in our forums right now. :) S5 Pro's are not terribly expensive compared to the D750/D810s that I've been eyeing.
  • Considering giving Fujifilm X-T3 a second try perhaps. This time I would get a speed booster so that I could shoot Nikkors on it.
    • XH1? If the IBIS helps even one stop's worth it could be a killer.
  • Perhaps get me some Pentax lenses:
    • A 35mm? Especially thinking about the f/2.8 Limited Macro.
    • And the "Bokina" 90mm f/2.5 would fit the bill nicely as I love the 135mm eq.

Not super inclined to act on anything particular right now. I just want to sell the Panasonic S1 and nobody has been biting. A very unsexy camera, I must say. I will have a much better chance when I suggest I'm open for Fuji trades.

On eBay the XT-3 is priced as if it's still the hot stuff. Weird? XH1 is on the other hand priced like the redheaded step son.


And yes, while writing this I also realized that it's going to be autumn time here sooner than later. I made myself promise to consider the Olympus E-M1.2 come Fall. Let's keep our ears and eyes open...

PS. My last GAS/gear purchase was on March 20. Can I make another 6 weeks so that it'll be 6 months since last splurge? It is not impossible right now in my condition, I would say.
 
PS. My last GAS/gear purchase was on March 20. Can I make another 6 weeks so that it'll be 6 months since last splurge? It is not impossible right now in my condition, I would say.
Man, I've been looking up to you as the poster-boy for GAS gone wild, but it seems I've been waaaaay worse, at least during the past six months. I just got the 15mm NiSi, a new sling bag a while ago, the 28mm f/2 should also fit within that timeline, also the 85/1.8, then the Sirui Traveler tripod of course... Better not even think about it, I don't want to realize how utterly hopeless I truly am.
 
Fuji second hand pricing is really wack last couple of months.
I have seen people trying to get 700 euro for a X100S and even 900 euro for a X-T3 with over 80k shutter count. I really don't understand this market.
That said, as a XT-3 owner this camera is just the value king. Its pretty insane how good it is.
 
I've said this some times probably but my brief shootership with X-T1 and X-T3 left me cold both cases. XT1 had the worst buttons and my copy had trouble with garbage under the dials; X-T3 felt hollow and soulless in its design.

I will not even entertain the X-T4 since it went full FAS-ist. ;) Would love an IBIS but I'd rather get the X-H1...

Maybe an X-T2 is the golden ticket? Image quality is practically the same between all the cameras across the generations, X-T2 is just priced decently on the markets.
 
I've said this some times probably but my brief shootership with X-T1 and X-T3 left me cold both cases. XT1 had the worst buttons and my copy had trouble with garbage under the dials; X-T3 felt hollow and soulless in its design.

I will not even entertain the X-T4 since it went full FAS-ist. ;) Would love an IBIS but I'd rather get the X-H1...

Maybe an X-T2 is the golden ticket? Image quality is practically the same between all the cameras across the generations, X-T2 is just priced decently on the markets.
X-E3, then? It's at least tiny and pocketable. Left me cold, though, but it really didn't suit either of my shooting styles. Not fast enough AF and no tilting screen for shooting kids and kitties, and cumbersome on a tripod for landscape shooting (no BT remote and the self timer cancels every time the camera is shut down or goes to sleep). Other than that it was a nice camera...
Is there such a thing as taking too many pictures? As long as my memory cards accommodate them, I don't care how many photos I make.
I was going to say no, but I'll go with "maybe". When culling becomes impossible due to confusion caused by mass, one has crossed the line. Maybe... Confusion can also occur when accidentally over-applying post-processing fluid - aka beer - and will usually dissipate with sleep. Also utilising coffee as PP fluid can help, but overapplication should still be avoided.
 
Other than that it was a nice camera...

What I'd do with a Fujifilm is to adapt Nikkors on it. The compact X-E3 wouldn't be the best fit for this purpose. That's why I'm eyeing the X-H1 or X-T2/3 for the job.

Is there such a thing as taking too many pictures?

When culling becomes impossible due to confusion caused by mass, one has crossed the line.

Some gorgeous sunset scenes have left me with a ton of replicated shots in the past. It is not impossible for me to find a local optimum as I'm not quite the perfectionist. But it's a lot of wading through the tiny variations. It's a skill one can get good at.

For storage, I brought my 2-terabyte WD Passport Pro with me. Its builtin SD card reader can back up a card and I can also verify via an app on my phone that the files are all transferred okay.

What I didn't think of considering was to bring any extra cards. My only option after a backup was to erase the card contents. Therefore, no backups really. I'm short of SD cards because I have so many bodies and I spread myself thin dedicating one card per camera...
 
Nikon color is not my favorite and Fuji also happens to give us the nicest manual focus tools in a mirrorless camera.

I had every intention of exploring the focus aides the last time I had the X-T3 but it never happened. Mostly because I only had native Fuji XF lenses and they're best autofocused...
 
I've had a trade offer that involves a Fuji XPro2 and some lenses. I did specify that I'm willing to entertain trades of Xpro2 but I don't know why I am so hesitant.

Maybe I do know deep inside that the camera is a beautiful promise but it never deliver like a real rangefinder?
 
A quarter of Oslo pics edited and PP'd (I do them in a single phase).

Meanwhile there's work to do and the new trip is right around the corner.

There's a good chance of night time people photography so I'll pack in Pentax. This weekend is really the first one where my shooting conditions may become sufficiently dark.
 
My guess about Leica M11-P is that it'll be introduced in May or June 2024. For availability, add an extra 3-6 months maybe? Say it's 28 months.

Save 320 €/mo and get it with cash. My goodness it's expensive any way you approach the price.

~

Why bring it up? I want to tell about my successes related to photo walks and such.

Last winter was a dark time (pun intended) and I spent too much buying gear and too little shooting what I have. Hell, I was so low I didn't even shoot all the new acquisitions.

So like I wrote back then, in mid-January I introduced myself a reward system where I'd give myself "money" for photo walks and strolls and out-of-town trips. Knowing my own very nature I knew I couldn't really promise myself f.ex "100 € camera money" in a way I'd respect this artificial budget, or I'd simply not consider it real money that I can spend. I denote my reward in euros but it's just a score like that of an arcade game.

More than six months later, the reward system has been a success in its intention. I reward myself 20 € for getting outdoors with a camera in hand, 40 € if the stroll is longer than a hour, 80 € if I travel out of town and stroll more than 2 hours. More lately I also added a +20 € bad weather extra.

And while I know it's not real money I can spend on anything really, it has been a motivating factor and I've maintained a good and constant record. I've accumulated a score of 4510, with a weekly average of over 150.

Just like gamers obsessively chase some imaginary rewards, I was able to make score grinding my bitch.

~

With a score of 4500 I am halfway to a Leica M11. Only I don't have a desire to spend 9000 € real money on one. But I think the grind continues...
 
But I think the grind continues...
...and more importantly, if I do get the craving some day, I can somehow justify it! :D

~

A pal visited me for coffee. I got to handle his new acquisition, the Leica Q2. The EVF is much better than in Q1, and immediately must go to a top ten list? Very nice.

Otherwise the camera is identical to Q typ 116 and there's little that would make me lust for it instead of the first. Well, the battery door is really nice...

I keep thinking Q is the perfect holiday/travel camera but what about the 50% of my 2600 shots that I've taken with a 70-200mm eqv. :D
 
I watched the bidding of a decent Fuji X-H1 kit from Germany, on eBay. It was about hour or 30 minutes before closing and the seller pulled the listing. Probably wasn't liking where it was heading. Seen many similar cases on eBay, all related to Fujifilm cameras :)

I myself bid 480 on it, then 580 later on. No Fuji is worth 700 € to me. Guess I'd rather put 9000 € on a Leica M11 than 1800 € on a brand new Fujifilm camera. :)
 
There's an Olympus kit with attractive ask for sale. 1000 € for E-M1.2 + 15mm body cap lens + 7-14/2.8 Pro

An expensive UWA zoom is not something I feel I need in my kit but at the same time I've been eyeing some sort of an UWA zoom. (although Pentax's fisheye UWA zoom is much more interesting than a rectilinear one but anyway...)

The body cap lens isn't free either. I think I once tried to find one for cheap but 40 € was the lowest I could find.
 
Itś hard to find a decent camera at an afordable price.
Guess your search is limited to EU due to tax regulations.
Good luck @mike3996 to get a X-H1!
Thanks Herman. It is indeed true that a camera outside of EU will have to be very cheap indeed, for it to make sense to import here. With customs and taxes any item will cost approximately 30% extra.
 
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