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Gear Acquisition Syndrome

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Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#11

Post by throwanem »

rqtwteye wrote: post #2

It's a big problem for photographers too. Especially with the rapid progress of mirrorless cameras there is always the next camera or lens you need to get. I have bought lenses and never used them. I have also spent more time on looking for accessories for my 3D printer than actually using it. Not sure how to combat GAS. I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one…

I avoid GAS pretty easily by the application of a simple method I've developed over years as a hobbyist photographer: Be Aware of Non-Optimality. That is, in bearing in mind there is no benefit to the expenditure of resources to obtain equipment that by itself will not meaningfully improve my practice - and too, that having gear I do not use will make me regret its purchase, further diverging from an optimal state - I find myself no longer with the urge to replace a perfectly serviceable DSLR with a mirrorless that may be newer, but is not really all that much better at capturing the exposures I care to make.

I'm probably not explaining it as well as I might, but I am happy nonetheless to say I've found my GAS very reliably cured by BeAN-O.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#13

Post by TrackerFF »

Me being a guitarist, I probably spent a solid 10 years buying and selling guitars. Thousands, literally. Some weeks I'd get a guitar in the mail, check it out for an hour, then list it, and sell it the same day. I have a friend that goes through the same deal with pedals.

Luckily I started experiencing some serious "burnout" - where I could no longer feel any dopamine rush from getting new gear. In the end I had two good guitars that I played on for 5 years, and nothing else - I had little desire to buy something else, but it might also have been due to me becoming more interested in other things.

Now that I'm building a small home recording studio, I'm starting to feel the burn again. And I guess I've had some small relapse with the guitars, as I currently have 20 excellent guitars in my house...I could, and should, sell everything but a few.

The worst thing is that you stop progressing as a musician, because all the buying and selling steals your time and focus.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#14

Post by porphyra »

rqtwteye wrote: post #2

It's a big problem for photographers too. Especially with the rapid progress of mirrorless cameras there is always the next camera or lens you need to get. I have bought lenses and never used them. I have also spent more time on looking for accessories for my 3D printer than actually using it. Not sure how to combat GAS. I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one…

Yeah lmao I spent tens of thousands of dollars on my medium format Fujifilm GFX system. It just needs a couple more lenses then it will be perfected and I won't have to buy another piece of gear ever again!

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#15

Post by hereonout2 »

rqtwteye wrote: post #2

It's a big problem for photographers too. Especially with the rapid progress of mirrorless cameras there is always the next camera or lens you need to get. I have bought lenses and never used them. I have also spent more time on looking for accessories for my 3D printer than actually using it. Not sure how to combat GAS. I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one…

> I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one's hobbies

I identify with this. Have full time job, some disposable income, a few hobbies but no real time for them.

This has led to a lot of gear acquisition, buying tools or equipment that are beyond my level of expertise and I don't have time to make the most of.

I guess there's worse things to burn money on but does feel like if I had more time to actually do hobbies I'd discover I can get by with far fewer gadgets.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#16

Post by etrautmann »

throwanem wrote: post #11
rqtwteye wrote: post #2

It's a big problem for photographers too. Especially with the rapid progress of mirrorless cameras there is always the next camera or lens you need to get. I have bought lenses and never used them. I have also spent more time on looking for accessories for my 3D printer than actually using it. Not sure how to combat GAS. I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one…

I avoid GAS pretty easily by the application of a simple method I've developed over years as a hobbyist photographer: Be Aware of Non-Optimality. That is, in bearing in mind there is no benefit to the expenditure of resources to obtain equipment that by itself will not meaningfully improve my practice - and too, that having gear I do not use will make me regret its purchase, further diverging from an optimal state -…

the opposite is also true however. I've been attempting to combat GAS by avoiding a home data server. In reality, I've been needing a NAS for a number of years and have changed my photography practice due to limitations and challenges with dealing with extra data. I just solved this and it's been liberating.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#17

Post by klodolph »

rqtwteye wrote: post #2

It's a big problem for photographers too. Especially with the rapid progress of mirrorless cameras there is always the next camera or lens you need to get. I have bought lenses and never used them. I have also spent more time on looking for accessories for my 3D printer than actually using it. Not sure how to combat GAS. I feel for people with a full time job it somehow compensates for the lack of time working on one…

Amateur photographers often cover a lot more types of photography than pros, which makes GAS even worse.

A pro might specialize in sports photography and buy some nice long lenses with fast autofocus. Or they might specialize in portraiture and get a nice wide-open 90mm equivalent. Or architectural photography, and get a tilt-shift lens.

For some reason, a lot of amateur photographers will dabble in many different types of photography, each with their own demands on equipment.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#18

Post by rcarmo »

The GAS is real. I'm surrounded by music gadgets that I seldom have time (and these days, the proper state of mind) to enjoy, and I keep looking (and building) more.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#19

Post by rcarmo »

Swizec wrote: post #8

There are 3 hobbies: 1. Doing the thing 2. Talking about the thing 3. Nerding about the gear for the thing Every activity has a mix of all 3 types of folk. It’s ok to be in it for the gear if that gets your juices flowing. Sellers love you.

3D printing is a mix of 1. and 3., but recursive.

Re: Gear Acquisition Syndrome

#20

Post by kimbernator »

I think every hobby that involves equipment has some version of this. I feel like we've been conditioned to believe that consumption of a product is equivalent to participation in that hobby, mostly because the biggest "reward" we get from it is often the appearance of having varied interests and appearing to the layman like you know what you're doing because you have the "nice" stuff.

Broad strokes, if you don't enjoy doing something with shitty gear you probably won't enjoy it with nice gear, either. And if you do enjoy it with shitty gear, you should spend enough time with said shitty gear to understand why you would need something nicer and be thoughtful about your upgrades.

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