Is there a 12 step program for camera addicts?

Bringing a little seriousness to the thread, I think you make some good points and observations BBW. It's not so much that there are financial issues or its causing relationship stress, but I'm not one to be particularly wasteful or a hoarder in any other areas of my life. I don't even drink or smoke, and in fact have no vices other than loving cameras and watches. It still bothers me that I have so many cameras and use just 3, depending on the situation, with any regularity.

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Or you could sell it all and buy a digital Leica M and one Leica lens and be done. That no money left to even think about another purchase.

But it then again, ..... now you're in a different "league" of lust.

Can you be my 12 step mentor please?

Fortunately or unfortunately my problem with excessive gear isn't based solely on financial constraints... I'm afraid buying into Leica probably wouldn't stop the gear lust as you say, just alter the threshold :)

Hmmm. Where there's a will there is a way. Less nights out and from 2 down to 1 holiday a year... Now I can afford Leica! A couple of extra hours work a week... Now I can afford Leica.

BTW... Nice portfolio / website.
 
Thank you for nice complement!

What really helped me Darren in my quest to solve my camera envy and trying to figure out lens focal lengths to have or not have was a month long exercise here on Serious Compacts a couple years ago where all of us participants had to make a photo a day with the same focal length for a month and post your photos and why.

After posting my previous response above I read Amin's link and didn't realize that Mike over there at TOP technically made my same suggestion. As I too have mainly one lens (35mm) attached to my camera 99% of the time and always have the kit with me.

I do have a 50 and 90 but these are for special cases mostly portraiture.
 
OK... Crunch time. Not as many as I have seen some people with at one time. Though for me, this is ridiculous.

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This one stays... This one goes... Arghhh.

The GX1 and EPL2 have got to go (along with the Oly 14-42). With the RX100, get rid of the X20. Also, one of the Sony NEXs have to go (if that's an a6000 in the rear, then that one stays)

Keepers: Fuji Instax, XPro1, Nikon 1, RX100, Fuji X100, Sony a6000, and maybe the EP5.

I would seriously consider also losing the EP5 (and the m43 lenses), X100.

Keep the DSLR only if you need PDAF with DOF or PDAF in low light.

Feel free to ignore any and all advice.
 
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Amateur. Come back when your problem gets really bad. ;)

Seriously, my purchase activity has slowed down a lot this year. All the way down to zero, actually. Yup, it's the longest span of time in the last 5 years without a camera purchase. I think there are a couple of reasons:

My purchasing over the last 5 years has been driven by solving problems-I need better low light performance, I need better AF, I need faster FPS, I need better video, etc... Now, for my needs at least, most of my photography problems are solved. Sure, going from a Nikon V1 to V3 will give me an incremental improvement, as will going from a Panasonic GH2 to GH4, but the improvements are nice, not necessary.

I noticed, over the last couple of years, that the "thrill of the new camera" decreased with each purchase. I think that's related to the first point; the improvements from one generation to the next is farther and farther in the margins of what I need. Each generation is less "wow, that's something that will impact a lot of my photography" and more "oh, that's a nice improvement that I'll need once in a while."

I realized how much of a time suck it is to keep up with the latest and greatest, poring over reviews, etc...

I realized that all that time spent didn't actually produce anything of real value. The knowledge did not make me a better photographer.

I joined a group of fellow photographers to regularly critique each others' work. One of the only rules of the group is "no camera talk." While we break that rule once in a while, we talk only in terms of the gear as tools, as means, not ends.

So at the end of the day, I've saved a boatload of money and time, some of which has been redirected to other activities-photo/video projects, New Camera News, etc...

I'm happier for sure.
 
and in fact have no vices other than loving cameras and watches.p

hmmm, interesting. I am afflicted with the same item lust.
Lately its been Japanese watches getting my attention.

When I was heavily involved in another sports pursuit that me and my dad did together, we found that once we actively started using our gear every weekend, (sometimes twice on weekends) we stopped buying.

On another note I was going to bring up in a separate thread about the cameras you keep, that specifically don't get used. I have a number of retirees in my house!
 
OK... So the initial hard decision is made... I'll be saying goodbye to the following:

Bodies

Sony RX100 *sigh, my only tiny compact
Fuji X20 *Loved that lens
Panasonic GX1 *No real negatives at all for me, just didn't connect
Nikon V1 *Sigh. Just loved this. Difficult to let go. Could have been a system I stayed with.
Nex 3n *I'm keeing the 5r in it's place until I have something to replace the 55-210 with.
E-PL2 *One of my original workhorse cameras.
Nikon D5100 *Nice IQ, just not needed and have no attachment to it.

Lenses

Nikon 18-200 II
Nikon 35 1.8G *My first prime, and a nice one at that
Panasonic 45-200
Nikon CX 18.5 *This is one very nice lens
Nikon CX 10-30
m.Zuiko 14-42 iir
Panasonic 20
*Could regret letting this one go

Just looking at everything, and how new and unused most everything looks, looks like they were soooo under utilized.

Once I get the Oly 12-40 I will be happy to let go the Sigma E mount 19, Sigma E mount 60 & Sony 16-50.
I can sell the NEX 5r & 55-210 once I decide on a replacement for the Sony 55-210. Preferably for M43 (Thinking the Oly 40-150 2.8 when released... I can wait and see), though the Fuji XF 55-200 looks great also.

That will leave me with just the E-P5, X-Pro1 & X100s. Makes me feel better just thinking about that.

Now to price everything reasonably and work out how best to sell it. I've an older 24" iMac and iPhone 4s that I'll sell while I'm motivated as well.
 
I noticed, over the last couple of years, that the "thrill of the new camera" decreased with each purchase. I think that's related to the first point; the improvements from one generation to the next is farther and farther in the margins of what I need. Each generation is less "wow, that's something that will impact a lot of my photography" and more "oh, that's a nice improvement that I'll need once in a while."

John made a great point here. If you aren't absolutely excited about shooting with a certain piece of gear, if you buy it and it takes a few days to even open the box because, eh, just another camera, if you haven't used something for a long, long time and it's not due to a too hectic life or disability, or if you're just not seeing any real improvement in the quality of your photos-- then that is a good indication that it's time to unload.

You've already decided on this, Darren, and it looks like you've made a preliminary (because everyone gets cold feet and changes their mind) decision on what to part with. And it sounds like you have a few pieces you want to obtain to make up for the loss, just don't let yourself become the recycler either. Selling doesn't mean the compensation obtained is to be used on more gear. Choose only what you need.

And good luck!
 
After looking at your "group" photo again, I have to ask, how in the world do you decide which camera to take out for the day?

That was all part of the distraction. When I do have the time, I'm still very excited about photography. And I feel the distraction if far less important in my hobby than it once felt. Perhaps it was not knowing exactly what suited me, and to some degree, simply because I like the equipment. Being self employed for a long time now and sometimes being time poor because of that work, occasionally distracts me in wrong directions as well.

I do realize that no camera has given me such a feeling of joy or contentment as taking a picture that I just want to view over and over. Perhaps I want that chase now, more so anyway than the chase or excitement of a new camera.

I can be as stubborn as heck. I'm feeling really stubborn about clearing the decks right now, and I think I have to take advantage of that stubbornness while I can see the value and sensibility in it.

I think I have a pretty clear idea of what I'd like to see in my kit now. I'm pretty happy with Fuji and M43. I know them fairly well now, they are comfortable, and although there are so many fantastic systems out there, not even Leica is going to give me what I really want from this hobby. Sometimes all it takes is the camera in my phone.

Now if you were to ask me how do I decide what watch I'm going to wear for the day, well that's a mystery to me.
 
Maybe its addiction, maybe the camera industry is to blame as there is not one single camera out there coming close to what I want. Which is:
Compact, light weight, great UI, manual controls, integrated VF, premium build, wide to moderately long and fast zoom with nice oof rendering, excellent MF implementation, fast and accurate AF, FF or Foveon IQ, about 24MP resolution, DNG files. As long as this camera does not exist, I`m afraid the buy, try an sell beast might be difficult to tame.;)
 
To all my fellow addicts, if you're looking to transfer your addictive personalities onto another pursuit, try flight simming. As a hobby it's detailed and involved enough to hold my attention for extended periods of time. Of course one must be interested in planes and aviation in general. It is only over the last couple of years that computers and software add-ons have taken a quantum leap, to the extent that pro schools are now switching over to home PCs running simulation software. It's that good nowadays. Anyways, it helped me hugely in taking my mind off buying more cameras.

If anyone's interested, this video is a good example of where simming (short for flight simulation) is currently. The video is by Froogle who is currently my go-to guy for all things sim. Of course one does not really start with the big jets -

 
Okay so on a serious note,
the reason why I parted with all my Micro Four Thirds Gear is because the bond that I have with my Nikon Dƒ is like no other camera! I've come to discover that for me, all things are irrelevant (to include size & weight) if I can't bond with the camera and lens. :)

The acquisition of the RX10 and Nikon 1 AW 1 are 2 specialty cameras that don't intrude/cross with Df territory....:)
 
I just went through a cleanup of the camera drawer.

Sold off:
My Nikon DX lenses and flash, I wasn't going to get a new DSLR anyway, so they were just taking up space.
My Sigma DP2s, a bit torn over selling it. It's a wonderful little camera and it's delivered some great shots, but I wasn't using it anymore.
My Fuji X100. Never connected with it, but even though I lost a bit on selling it I know that if I hadn't bought it I would still be wondering and tempted to. So no regrets in buying it, but I won't miss it.

I'm left with my Sony RX100m2 and my DP1 and DP3 Merriils (and an old DP1 which I'm trying to convince my wife doesn't count).

I guess the main issue will be not buying new stuff, the three cameras should cover all my needs, but.. :blush: Something new will be announced and my brain will go: "Shiny! We wants it.. the precious.."
 
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