GAS: Gear Akquisition Syndrome
Noun : gear acquisition syndrome (uncountable)
A tendency to purchase more equipment than justified by usage and/or price.
I must admit, I have suffered from it, and so have many more. I thought I had left my time of buying and spending money on gear i don’t need behind...many years ago.
I shoot Nikon...a lot. Well, I used to. Now I like to play with Leica more than anything else. But my first big Nikon purchase was a Nikon D2H. As I wasn’t really rich I could only afford 3rd party lenses such as Sigma. No doubt, good enough to do the job, but I amassed such a collection of them that I started struggling with the weight. There was a 150-500mm zoom, a wide angle, a macro, a fisheye...and...and...and.
When I then wanted a Pro Film Body I connected with a professional photographer who offered his Nikon F5 on Ebay. We met up and got talking. This guy eventually advised me to trade all my lenses in for two pro zooms. It was a Nikon 24-70mm F2.8 and a 70-200mm F2.8. He suggested that would cover me for all my future needs.
So that is what I did.
I never looked back...for years.
Since then I treated myself to a Leica camera and a couple of lenses. They are mostly Zeiss.
I was happy and also successful with my image taking...ready for any event, assignment or project.
But now Voigtländer has has released a new lump of glass for Leica. Oh my god! I feel ill. I can feel that virus...that GAS. It’s spreading. It’s taking hold of me!
That 75mm F1.5 with its supreme manufacturing quality and absolutely sweet colour rendition and super soft bokeh is a piece of kit I must try...must play with...must have!
So, you see...all you wives and partners and parents and cohabitants of photographers...its a sickness, a disease, a condition which we cannot help! We succumb to this evil situation where school uniforms for the kids are secondary, where the planned vacation will have to be postponed until next year...where WE MUST JUST HAVE!
Joking aside:
It’s a lovely lens. Voigtländer has come a long way during the last 10 years and it is worth a look.
I will have to ask myself though:
Will owning this lens improve the quality of my images? Will I be more successful using this lens? Will one be able to tell the difference?
I guess I know the answer. But I will at least have a go with it and see if it can replace my Leica 90mm F2. At least I will not fork out another grand by trading in.
