Am I nuts?

[MatthewCromer]

I was standing out in the horse pasture this evening, looking at the beautiful light.  And I was thinking about taking pictures.  Which would mean running out to my car and grabbing my Alpha 65 and a big clunky (but sharp!) lens.

And I thought to myself -- I don't want all this damn dSLR / dSLT sh** to drag around any more.  I just want a NEX7 and a couple tiny little lenses.

Talk me out of this!

[michael]

You too huh?

Michael

[John Camp]

"Nuts" might be too harsh; of course, you'd have to be the judge of that.

If you'd said you were two thirds of the way up Half Dome, dangling from a rope, trying to decide which of your three f2.8 zooms to use, and had that thought about a Nex 7 and two tiny lenses, I'd have said, "Not nuts."

But if it's a matter of walking over to a nearby vehicle to retrieve a camera, thereby having to carry an extra pound a hundred yards across a pasture...then maybe you're just having a spasm of Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Take a couple aspirins, lie down, you'll get over it.

[Colorado David]

I've learned to never ask a question, such as am I nuts, that can be answered yes.  Now then, I've carried full size video gear for miles through the bush.  Almost any kind of still gear is a joy to carry in comparison.

[BJL]

I just want a NEX7 and a couple tiny little lenses.

So, you want to use a NEX7 with Micro Four Thirds lenses?

[MatthewCromer]

So, you want to use a NEX7 with Micro Four Thirds lenses?

I was thinking the 16/2.8 with and without the wide angle adaptor, and the 18-55 (admittedly the last one isn't really "tiny").

[MatthewCromer]

"Nuts" might be too harsh; of course, you'd have to be the judge of that.

But if it's a matter of walking over to a nearby vehicle to retrieve a camera, thereby having to carry an extra pound a hundred yards across a pasture...then maybe you're just having a spasm of Gear Acquisition Syndrome. Take a couple aspirins, lie down, you'll get over it.

I was just regretting that I didn't have and carry my Alpha 65 and Minolta 28-135 with me.  It's too big to schlep around everywhere.

[shadowblade]

Not the NEX-7, but maybe the M10, especially if it has a high-megapixel sensor and live view. Throw in some Leica tilt-shift lenses, and it'd be even better...

[Rob C]

Not the NEX-7, but maybe the M10, especially if it has a high-megapixel sensor and live view. Throw in some Leica tilt-shift lenses, and it'd be even better...

Yep, and the more you throw in the closer you get to where you started.

It's relatively easy to discipline oneself to carrying a camera with a single lens fitted. It might seem that you are cutting off your nose etc. but not really: you concentrate the mind on what you can do and then realise, perhaps to your own dismay, that it's a lot more than you'd thought, and that perhaps you have spent more on additional lenses than you should have spent... in other words, short of a professional situation, you've been had, mainly by yourself.

Rob C

[shadowblade]

Yep, and the more you throw in the closer you get to where you started.

It's relatively easy to discipline oneself to carrying a camera with a single lens fitted. It might seem that you are cutting off your nose etc. but not really: you concentrate the mind on what you can do and then realise, perhaps to your own dismay, that it's a lot more than you'd thought, and that perhaps you have spent more on additional lenses than you should have spent... in other words, short of a professional situation, you've been had, mainly by yourself.

Rob C

Leica M-series with Tri-Elmar 16-18-21. Almost fits in a pocket, and you don't lose any image quality compared to a DSLR.

[RazorTM]

I thought that artists were supposed to suffer for the sake of art?

[KevinA]

I had 7 rolls of film kicking around that needed processing, so I dropped them in the post. I realised on return one roll I shot at the end of job in February. The job I did on the 1DsmksIII, it was a clear sunny winters day over London. I struggled with the light, the DR of the Canon was severely lacking, still I processed the best I could sent them off with an invoice and got paid.
Now the roll I shot that day what do I see when it's scanned, beautiful shadows, lovely highlights and a winters glow to the scene, looking back the digital is very poor, if 20 years ago someone made a film that worked like this no one would of bought it.
So for me I would like to say I'm done with all these DSLR's, I just want my Rolleiflex and a pocket full of Portra film.
Now I really am nuts.

Kevin.

[KevinA]

Not the NEX-7, but maybe the M10, especially if it has a high-megapixel sensor and live view. Throw in some Leica tilt-shift lenses, and it'd be even better...

Is that scheduled for Planet Earth?

[MarkL]

Crazy? No. Lazy? Probably

It all depends on how seriously you take your photography I guess. After getting up at 3am, driving and hiking for hours for just the chance of getting 'the shot' or location scouting, mood boards, building relationships, getting a team together, model casting walking to a car and walking back with a few kg of gear is nothing. Spending money is the easy bit.

[Chris Pollock]

I'm at the stage where I don't worry about carrying my gear around, I worry about fitting it within my baggage allowance when I go overseas.

[MatthewCromer]

Crazy? No. Lazy? Probably

It all depends on how seriously you take your photography I guess. After getting up at 3am, driving and hiking for hours for just the chance of getting 'the shot' or location scouting, mood boards, building relationships, getting a team together, model casting walking to a car and walking back with a few kg of gear is nothing. Spending money is the easy bit.

So Mark I can assume your camera and lenses are sitting in a bag hanging from your shoulder right now?   ;-)

[Ellis Vener]

I was standing out in the horse pasture this evening, looking at the beautiful light.  And I was thinking about taking pictures.  Which would mean running out to my car and grabbing my Alpha 65 and a big clunky (but sharp!) lens.

And I thought to myself -- I don't want all this damn dSLR / dSLT sh** to drag around any more.  I just want a NEX7 and a couple tiny little lenses.

Talk me out of this!

Horses for courses. One tool does not fit all. There's a time and a place for everything....And I'm sure there are a slew of other cliches that fit.

[Alan Smallbone]

I was standing out in the horse pasture this evening, looking at the beautiful light.  And I was thinking about taking pictures.  Which would mean running out to my car and grabbing my Alpha 65 and a big clunky (but sharp!) lens.

And I thought to myself -- I don't want all this damn dSLR / dSLT sh** to drag around any more.  I just want a NEX7 and a couple tiny little lenses.

Talk me out of this!

No not nuts, maybe aging, but at least that is my excuse. I got to the point where I was not shooting as much because I did not always want to drag a big bag or backpack around, I tried carrying less lenses but it was still a lot of weight. Then I found the X-Pro 1 and it has great image quality, great prime lenses and it is light and easy to carry, so now I have it with me almost all the time. Now I want to go out and see what I can find, then it makes getting the dslr out less of chore when I really want it there. So for me it was a nice addition.....

Alan

[Rob C]

I thought that artists were supposed to suffer for the sake of art?

Nah, they just suffer because they are (generally) lousy businessmen.

Rob C

[fredjeang]

Let's see if I read you well guys.

Lu-La, that has been the temple of the temples of the heaviest-exclusive-expensive photographic gear wants a nex7 format with tiny little lenses?

Yes, you're all nuts! (or you're getting older wich could also be associated to wiseness or... nutsness too)