Gear consolidation - Anyone else thinking about it?

Part of me is thinking, event work and other types of photography will need to adapt to the current global situation. In fact I just did a portrait session a few days ago, and I used to think 85mm was good enough pre-pandemic, but now I'm leaning towards maybe 105mm or 135mm instead for safer working distance. While my current kit is fully situated to cover most types of photography, maybe it's time to rethink focal lengths and what types of photography will be sustainable for the future?
Love the 85mm f/1.4, it was one of my favorite portrait lenses, in fact almost all of these were shot with it.


On APS-C :hiding:

Nikon 105mm or Sigma 135mm? I not sure which I would pick. I switched it the 70-200 f/2.8 for most of my portrait stuff when I went FF.
 
I remember a similar thread some years ago when I sold all of my m43 and Fuji gear. Consolidation works. Apart from replacing my GRII with the III (which I regret), I haven't had another camera or lens purchase in 2 or 3 years and done less PP.
 
I need to consolidate mine too. I try to have lenses that can be used multiple systems, but then Samyang and Tamron release these small lenses for Sony that I cannot resist:) I like the Samyang 45/75mm, but then I got Tamron 70-180mm though I was not planning as 85mm+135mm shooter. When I had Canon, I consolidated both with Canon 100mm previously. New Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 gives you much better flexibility. Our pets are my lens test subjects and they usually turn their heads away from my camera:( So I end up shooting with 180mm end most of the time with occasional closer shots. f2.8 is good for indoor low light. When I checked the 180-200mm options, there is hardly any lens comparable to Tamron except maybe new Canon zoom and pricey CV 180mm f4 with 1 stop light loss. Tamron might give you the range you need in a small package...

Part of me is thinking, event work and other types of photography will need to adapt to the current global situation. In fact I just did a portrait session a few days ago, and I used to think 85mm was good enough pre-pandemic, but now I'm leaning towards maybe 105mm or 135mm instead for safer working distance. While my current kit is fully situated to cover most types of photography, maybe it's time to rethink focal lengths and what types of photography will be sustainable for the future?
 
I'm post-consolidation. Intentionally moved from a pile of Nikon gear to compacts for a variety of good reasons, but harboured some concern that with less equipment I would miss out on some vaguely defined 'opportunity'. Many months later, and I can't think of a shot I have 'missed'. In fact, now that I more consistently carry a camera, both quantity and quality are up. More time taking photos, less time obsessing over perfecting my kit. No regrets at all.
 
I need to consolidate mine too. I try to have lenses that can be used multiple systems, but then Samyang and Tamron release these small lenses for Sony that I cannot resist:) I like the Samyang 45/75mm, but then I got Tamron 70-180mm though I was not planning as 85mm+135mm shooter. When I had Canon, I consolidated both with Canon 100mm previously. New Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 gives you much better flexibility. Our pets are my lens test subjects and they usually turn their heads away from my camera:( So I end up shooting with 180mm end most of the time with occasional closer shots. f2.8 is good for indoor low light. When I checked the 180-200mm options, there is hardly any lens comparable to Tamron except maybe new Canon zoom and pricey CV 180mm f4 with 1 stop light loss. Tamron might give you the range you need in a small package...

Haha, I've been eyeballing the Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 FE and even the Samyang 75mm 1.8, despite owning the Samyang 85mm 1.4 AF lens! I currently own the Sony 70-200mm f4, but now I'm thinking of selling it for the Tamron. I also have my Nikon kit, but as mentioned there are still some Nikon strengths I like and the DSLR gear just works as @davidzvi mentioned. I hate being torn between two systems! Oh did I mention I still love shooting with my Nikon 1 J5? I even have a compact camera problem! :roflmao:
 
Last edited:
I remember a similar thread some years ago when I sold all of my m43 and Fuji gear. Consolidation works. Apart from replacing my GRII with the III (which I regret), I haven't had another camera or lens purchase in 2 or 3 years and done less PP.
The only regret I sometimes have is how quickly I sold off all my Nikon gear. It's left me very little justification to buy a Z6 or Z7. :D

While it did cost me some cash, I'm really regretting sticking more of my leg into Fuji for a while. I enjoyed it and learned a few things. But not buying anything for 2-3 years? :eek: One reason I've had so many cameras and lenses over the past dozen or so years is I enjoy all parts of the buying, using, and sell. Buy I can tell you it's been a lot more fun doing it with the prices of m4/3 gear than is was with my Nikon gear.

Haha, I've been eyeballing the Tamron 70-180mm 2.8 FE and even the Samyang 75mm 1.8, despite owning the Samyang 85mm 1.4 AF lens! I currently own the Sony 70-200mm f4, but now I'm thinking of selling it for the Tamron. I also have my Nikon kit, but as mentioned there are still some Nikon strengths I like and the DSLR gear just works as @davidzvi mentioned. I hate being torn between two systems! Oh did I mention I still love shooting with my Nikon 1 J5? I even have a compact camera problem! :roflmao:

You know what lens I'd be looking really hard at if I was still shooting events? The Tamron 35-150mm f/2.8-4.0.

When I shot APS-C I mainly used f/2.8 zooms with a few f/1.8 thrown in. When I went FF f/4 zoom became my primary tools giving me similar DoF to f/2.8 on APS-C. So I actually went to smaller and lighter system for most of my shooting going FF. But I still almost always carried two bodies on me, one with the 70-200 f/4 and the other with a wide or mid zoom; especially during the cocktail hour so I could get the candid shot across the room or the small group standing next to me. The 35-150mm would have worked well for both.
 
So, is my “not worth selling” mu43 gear now worth more or less? ;)
I should note that my X100V is completely unaffected by whatever system I were to choose. If I did move to Sony, for example, the X100 would still play the same role it does now in my kit.
 
Last edited:
So, is my “not worth selling” mu43 gear now worth more or less? ;)
It could go either way. I would not be surprised if some sellers try to create an artificially high market by jacking up the prices of used m4/3 gear. I would also not be surprised if some people panic and try to dump their m4/3 gear. Then there's those of us in the middle ground, who will shrug and say "my gear is not going to suddenly stop working even if there's no more new Olympus gear". I think there are many of us who could never buy a camera or lens for the rest of our lives, and our current gear would be fine. On my heaviest use days I might shoot 100 images, and most days it is less than 10.
 
Ugh, I'm coming back to this thread because I'm still getting the consolidation itch! Lol

Now that Nikon has announced the Z5, I'm now thinking about that camera because of the dual UHS-II card slots. I'm not to thrilled about 4.5 fps in both mechanical and silent shutter mode. Though it'd easily slot into my workflow due to the shared EN-EL15 batteries and UHS-II SD cards. No need for XQD or an accompanying XQD card reader. I was thinking of selling one of my D750 bodies and 300mm PF VR to fund it. Keeping Nikon is mainly a budgetary concern. I'm also still thinking about an A9 since prices are fairly reasonable for a camera that's on par with a flagship CaNikon sports body and that's the camera I've been wanting since it ticks all the boxes for me.

I guess I'm leaning towards keeping 2 systems or consolidating all towards Sony in order to obtain the A9. Plus with the pandemic, I have no clue how I'll be shooting in the next couple of months/years, so maybe I should just go small and lean?
 
You've no doubt seen my gear musings in recent days. I had first thought I could consolidate to an FZ1000 II, then thought better of it. The one I'm presently renting has nice handling and decent IQ, but there are some things that don't tick, chief among them is that if you want to use MF, you must use the zoom rocker switch. The G95 I decided to purchase will arrive tomorrow. My daily use will be with a pair of kit zooms, augmented occasionally by the O 45/1.8. I really wanted to go full in with a pair of premium lenses, but I just felt like the cost in both $$$ and weight was too much. As I don't do this for $$$, I'm hoping my choice of sticking with the smaller lenses will be sufficient.
 
You've no doubt seen my gear musings in recent days. I had first thought I could consolidate to an FZ1000 II, then thought better of it. The one I'm presently renting has nice handling and decent IQ, but there are some things that don't tick, chief among them is that if you want to use MF, you must use the zoom rocker switch. The G95 I decided to purchase will arrive tomorrow. My daily use will be with a pair of kit zooms, augmented occasionally by the O 45/1.8. I really wanted to go full in with a pair of premium lenses, but I just felt like the cost in both $$$ and weight was too much. As I don't do this for $$$, I'm hoping my choice of sticking with the smaller lenses will be sufficient.

Haha, I guess we all have our GAS desires! Amazingly enough, this is one area that always has me worried about a Sony consolidation:

Here’s the dark secret about Sony Mirrorless Cameras. The flash shoe attachment system is flawed. Flawed beyond belief. I have never once worried about whether my Canon, Fuji or Leica flash made a good enough connection to properly communicate to each other. But with Sony those small pins are delicate.

The unspoken secret about Sony A9 TTL flash connection — Ben Hider

Sony's flash connector is not robust whatsoever. Nikon has always been my go-to system for durability. I already snapped a Sony flash, but luckily was able to repair the hot shoe connector cheaply.
 
I'm really trying to go full reverse on "stuff", and not just photo gear. I just sold a bicycle I had bought back in January, because I was only riding it occasionally, and my other bike was getting much more use. My basement is full of "stuff" I bought in my many hobby phases - model airplanes, rockets, instructional books. I really want to clean out our basement and get rid of about 80% of the stuff down there, but when I think about doing so, it gets overwhelming. If it wasn't for the thought of just wasting $$$, I'd pull our waste bins up next to the door and just start filling them with things I don't use. In these COVID times, I don't want people coming to our house, or I'd haul it all out to the driveway and offer it all for stupid low prices.
 
I'm really trying to go full reverse on "stuff", and not just photo gear. I just sold a bicycle I had bought back in January, because I was only riding it occasionally, and my other bike was getting much more use. My basement is full of "stuff" I bought in my many hobby phases - model airplanes, rockets, instructional books. I really want to clean out our basement and get rid of about 80% of the stuff down there, but when I think about doing so, it gets overwhelming. If it wasn't for the thought of just wasting $$$, I'd pull our waste bins up next to the door and just start filling them with things I don't use. In these COVID times, I don't want people coming to our house, or I'd haul it all out to the driveway and offer it all for stupid low prices.

I did major house cleaning during the early quarantine. Mainly because I needed to maximize space since the whole family was home. I spent probably a good week cleaning. Later on I had to make room for my home gym, which required maximizing more space. My wife always bugs me about my office being filled with stuff, maybe that's the next thing I'll clean out! :D
 
.....I really want to clean out our basement and get rid of about 80% of the stuff down there, but when I think about doing so, it gets overwhelming. If it wasn't for the thought of just wasting $$$, I'd pull our waste bins up next to the door and just start filling them with things I don't use. In these COVID times, I don't want people coming to our house, or I'd haul it all out to the driveway and offer it all for stupid low prices.
We moved at the end of 2018. This was the first move after the kids moved out. We sold what we could, gave away some stuff to family, and had 1-800 Get Junk come twice (about 1/2 trucks each time). Over a year and a half later there have only been a things I've said "Didn't I use to have...".
 
I sometimes feel like I should consolidate my gear, but it has’t really happened yet. I still have:
  • A-mount - A99ii with its collection of native zooms and primes from 16mm to 500mm
  • E-mount - A6600 with its collection of native zooms and primes from 10mm to 600mm
  • L-mount - Leica CL with its collection of native zooms and primes from 11mm to 135mm
  • M-43 - Pen F with its collection of zooms and primes from 9mm to 300mm
  • Compact - Leica D-Lux
  • And a few adapters to use lenses on the wrong systems
If you subjected me to waterboarding, I would admit that I don’t need all of it.

I have already admitted that some can go - I recently sold my Oly 7-14/2.8 because the wides are well covered elsewhere and its just too heavy for the Pen F. If someone asked, I’d sell the 40-150/2.8 & 1.4TC for similar reasons. I’ve sold a few more lenses that people have been looking for and I’ve admitted are too underused to keep.

But eliminating a whole system?

The m43 is probably most likely, with the Pen F being the only body I’ve kept.

I’ve probably missed the opportunity to sell my A-mount system; there’d be a buyer out there for the A99ii for another diehard with too much A-mount glass, but that buyer wouldn’t need all my lenses. The cash I’d gain probably isn’t enough to counter my loss of enjoyment.

Although my E- and L-mount systems are both APS-C, they work very differently, so I they’ll both stay for now.

And always this is not the time to consider divesting from systems. We are currently allowed one hour of physical exercise away from the home per day, and not more than 5km from home. I’ve maybe taken less than a thousand photographs in the last twelve months, first due to an injury, and then COVID.

I’ll wait until we reach a new normal before I make any radical decisions - although talk to me if you need any A-mount or m43 lenses.
 
I sometimes feel like I should consolidate my gear, but it has’t really happened yet. I still have:
  • A-mount - A99ii with its collection of native zooms and primes from 16mm to 500mm
  • E-mount - A6600 with its collection of native zooms and primes from 10mm to 600mm
  • L-mount - Leica CL with its collection of native zooms and primes from 11mm to 135mm
  • M-43 - Pen F with its collection of zooms and primes from 9mm to 300mm
  • Compact - Leica D-Lux
  • And a few adapters to use lenses on the wrong systems
If you subjected me to waterboarding, I would admit that I don’t need all of it.

I have already admitted that some can go - I recently sold my Oly 7-14/2.8 because the wides are well covered elsewhere and its just too heavy for the Pen F. If someone asked, I’d sell the 40-150/2.8 & 1.4TC for similar reasons. I’ve sold a few more lenses that people have been looking for and I’ve admitted are too underused to keep.

But eliminating a whole system?

The m43 is probably most likely, with the Pen F being the only body I’ve kept.

I’ve probably missed the opportunity to sell my A-mount system; there’d be a buyer out there for the A99ii for another diehard with too much A-mount glass, but that buyer wouldn’t need all my lenses. The cash I’d gain probably isn’t enough to counter my loss of enjoyment.

Although my E- and L-mount systems are both APS-C, they work very differently, so I they’ll both stay for now.

And always this is not the time to consider divesting from systems. We are currently allowed one hour of physical exercise away from the home per day, and not more than 5km from home. I’ve maybe taken less than a thousand photographs in the last twelve months, first due to an injury, and then COVID.

I’ll wait until we reach a new normal before I make any radical decisions - although talk to me if you need any A-mount or m43 lenses.

You have an awesome kit! I'd just shoot with it and enjoy it! As confining as 1 hour of outdoor exercise is, it's better than the thousands of new daily infections that are happening just in my US city alone! I have to presume at this point everyone is infected where I live. 😧
 
Of course, over-consolidation is a thing (well, it is now!). I sold a Fuji XT1 along with all my Fuji gear to buy a rangefinder and a Nikkor 20mm F1.8G, as I had a Zeiss Biogon 21mm F2.8 and wanted avoid duplication. Wouldn't be surprised if I get those 2 items again.
 
You have an awesome kit! I'd just shoot with it and enjoy it! As confining as 1 hour of outdoor exercise is, it's better than the thousands of new daily infections that are happening just in my US city alone! I have to presume at this point everyone is infected where I live. 😧
We have a few people starting to feel hope here - today we had “only” 303 new cases today (and four deaths) in our city of 5M. That’s down from last week, but as there were only ten new cases today in the rest of Australia, we are still considered to be the pariah state. But then I see how much worse it could be ...

Fingers crossed that one day we’ll find a new post-pandemic normal in which we can make good use of our kits, consolidated or not.
 
Of course, over-consolidation is a thing (well, it is now!). I sold a Fuji XT1 along with all my Fuji gear to buy a rangefinder and a Nikkor 20mm F1.8G, as I had a Zeiss Biogon 21mm F2.8 and wanted avoid duplication. Wouldn't be surprised if I get those 2 items again.
I've done that, buying an X-T1 more than once, same with the 23mm F2, the 18mm F2, the XF 18-55, the OMD E-M5 Mk I, and the O 17/1.8. All of those are gone (again), and I'm working very hard to shift my focus away from gear, to just the act of using what I have, which is a very small collection.
 
Back
Top