It just occurred to me that you could collect every camera of the Post-COVID film renaissance! All you need is a Pentax 17 and a pile of cash at the ready, since there's only been the one so far.
Might end up being a small collection, who knows. But apparently the Pentax 17 sold out in two days in Japan and Ricoh stopped taking orders because it foresees having trouble ramping up production. Reminds me of the Fuji X100 launch thirteen years ago. And that turned out to be the harbinger of great and significant things to come. So who knows.
Confession time, and this ain't pretty
My problem these days is that I'm having trouble stirring up enthusiasm for any camera. I'm not going to go back to film, but I can't get excited about any digital camera except the good ones, but I'm not going to pay umpteen thousand for a digital camera that shoots color when I conceive of my "real" work as being in black-and-white. When I find a camera I like, I'm not wild about the lenses for it (oh, am I looking at you, A6600), and when I find lenses that look good, I'm not wild about the cameras they fit on, or...it's always something. There's always something there that seems to douse my jones like a bucket of seawater on the smouldering coals of a spent bonfire at the beach.
In some ways this is like the anti-2013...in that year so long ago, I got so over-excited about the succession of glorious new cameras tumbling out of the horn of plenty that I felt I had to buy three brand-new cameras in close succession, none of which I actually needed, just because they were all just...so...damn...cool. And beautiful. Too beautiful and cool to resist. Not that it matters, but the three were the Panasomic GX7 (August 2013), the Olympus OM-D E-M1 (Sept. '13), and the Fujifilm X-T1 (Jan. 2014). All three were all-new designs, never before seen, and I had to have 'em. I was tetched in the head. Fatally attracted. Now it's the opposite. I'm like, Dude, I got my axe. That's all I need.
Anybody else having that problem these days? It's probably just me.
Mike
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Featured Comments from:
Anthony Gravett: "I understand the lure of cameras that are both innovative and beautiful, but somehow my aging brain has instead stripped things down to a proficient camera that has a 'beautiful' lens system. It’s a cliché to talk about how glass is of ‘prime’ importance (sorry!), but when you have great glass, things are simpler. What I’ve ended up with is a Panasonic G9 Mk. II and three Leica/Lumix lenses that cover all my professional and personal needs. The Panny is no beauty—unless you can see the beauty in a somewhat oversized brick, very solid and with lots of black metal—but it also has 25 megapixels of Micro 4/3 goodness, a fast processor, a fine autofocus system, and decent ergonomics. Gone is the elegance of those petite Olympus Micro 4/3 offerings from the past (like your E-M1), but I can pick this thing up and get what I need out of it, including very workable black-and-white shots. I understand that a dedicated grayscale sensor will do much more, but the latitude on this Panny is good, and DxO PhotoLab does almost everything I need to coax raw into a fine photo. It’s far from state-of-the-art, technically, but I could afford it (I bought refurbished from MPB), and my investment in lenses will outlast me, for sure.
"Hope you find something that similarly tempers that aesthetic lure of the machine, versus the contentment of settling on a beautiful compromise!"
Richard Tugwell: "Unlike yourself, I rekindled an enthusiasm for camera gear by going back to film. I can even specifically narrow it down to the feeling I get when I lift something like an OM-1 or -2 to my eye and marvel at the delight of the viewfinder compared to digital equivalents. For practical purposes I still turn to my Fuji kit, but 'practical purposes' and 'enthusiasms' are two separate things."
louis mccullagh: "Who cares which camera/lens has taken an image? Who can name the camera/lens/process used for the top 1,000 images of all time? It really irritates me when I say I am a photographer, and, instead of asking about my images, I get asked which camera I use! My sole interest in a camera is now built-in stabilisation (I love night shots) and the quality of the high ISO images (to get more depth at low shutter speeds). The camera is a tool and is important as all tools are, but it really should end there. "
Ian Parr: "There's nothing wrong with not having GAS. Enjoy your remission while it lasts."
Jeff1000: "If I understood the thrust of your premise, I, also, seem to roll in the grass of contentment. I have cameras and lenses I really enjoy using, the Nikon Z system, and even though I don’t have the latest versions, I don’t find myself wanting. The upshot of this, to me, is that I spend minuscule amounts of mental energy, these days, contemplating photo gear. As someone who, historically, has been weighted toward the gear end of the spectrum of photography, this in a sense has been liberating, like a stallion released from the corral."
SteveW: "I was an old dawg Nikon guy (film cameras in 1970s and '80s)...and with digital went through the D40, D5100, D7100, D7500 and D750 with way too many lenses. Chronic GAS and no discipline (but really fun though). I eventually sold it all about four years ago and bought a Fuji X-T4, and churned again through too many lenses (all the Fujicrons, a couple of zooms, the 33mm ƒ/1.4). Now all I have is the X-T4 and the 30mm ƒ/2.8 Macro. One camera and one lens. But anymore I just use my iPhone 15 Pro Max. The waves have crashed for me; I don't think I'll be buying anymore gear."
Peter Wright: "No it's not just you Mike. I have a Leica CL which is now five years old, and I'm just fine with it. (I also have a Leica Q2M which I think is the final point of evolution of the camera as a species. It is virtually perfect in every way. But even so, I don't use it much.) My next camera will be the iPhone 16 max or whatever it's getting called, and I'm now making a serious effort to learn Apple Photos and how to use my old iPhone X as a camera in preparation. I'm convinced that almost all my needs as well as any lingering artistic aspirations, will be more than met by the improved iPhone arriving shortly. But dedicated digital (or film for that matter) cameras? No. I can't see another of those ever coming home. Sad I suppose."
I absolutely agree. I used to buy cameras for their tactile feel, and I would get super excited by something with a new "feel".
Though I dunno if my take even matters anymore. I'm at the point where I kind of just want my cellphone to be better (better being arbitrarily defined in comparison what it already is today).
I guess I fall into the trope of "the best camera is the one you carry with you", though man, I do wish my phone had an actual dial for aperture control and a manual focus ring.
Posted by: Aakin | Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 11:05 PM
Don't forget the Kodak Ektar H35 half-frame camera!
(or the M38, or the F9).
Posted by: David Dyer-Bennet | Thursday, 11 July 2024 at 11:57 PM
Why should you be worried about a lack of camera lust? Isn't it about the photographs, not the tools?
Posted by: Bill Tyler | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 12:28 AM
Don’t know how you define “Post-COVID,” but Leica did re-release a somewhat updated M6 in October, 2022.
Posted by: Jeff | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 12:30 AM
I feel the same, except that you've found your axe and I don't. I'm in the process of reevaluating my gear and looking for my next camera and lenses, but I can't call it GAS. I know what I'm done with and why, and I know what I'd want. All the pieces are out there, but not in the same mount. So it's a matter of choosing where I'm going to let it fall short.
And also, none of that excites me very much any longer. Which is not necessarily a bad thing : I see a possibility of being content with what I have for a long time, gear wise, and being able to focus on the pictures without getting distracted by the next shiny toy.
But at the moment I fear that, as soon as I've made up my mind and purchases, some manufacturer will just put out the piece that was missing and I'll be like "damn !"
Posted by: vinck | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 01:46 AM
Only problem with having everything you need in the digital age is having to replace it on down the line. Getting a used GR in Exc Cond is not easy, a new one... Good Luck; same with my used Q! I took one nasty tumble last weekend with the latter and thought both of us goners. Somehow, we escaped virtually unscathed but the very thought of having to replace the Q hurt a whole lot more than the bare concrete. The GR is expensive enough, the Q...
Posted by: Stan B. | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 02:04 AM
I’m in a somewhat similar boat. I also got a Fuji X-T1, then the 2, the 3 and the 4, which I’ve been happily shooting with since it came out. I have not seen any new features on any new cameras I’m particularly interested in. Unlike my first SLR, the almost entirely mechanical Minolta srT-101, the mostly electronic Fuji will start acting wonky within a few years. I dread having to buy an X-T5. What am I going to do with 40MB files besides upgrade my hard drives and computer? Unlike you, I prefer the flip out and turn around screen on the X-T4, which has been reverted on the X-T5. It would be lovely if cameras lasted decades like they once did and models didn’t get changed almost as often as underwear.
[If it's any consolation, my X-T1 is still going strong and doesn't even show much wear. Of course it got heavy use for a few years and not as much since, but, all the same, it turns 10 this year and doesn't seem fazed. --Mike]
Posted by: Adam Isler | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 02:30 AM
"I'm like, Dude, I got my axe. That's all I need."
You say that like it's a bad thing.
Go out and use it. Then you can write about photography!
Posted by: Dave_lumb | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 03:31 AM
I like a
Leica…
The Q2 in fact, it does everything that my limited skills can ask of it. It is a lot better than I am, and the missing ingredient cannot be bought or found in any camera…
That ingredient is composition, visualisation, and photographers spend their lives trying to improve on that.
Posted by: Stephen J | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 03:56 AM
I hear that, sir.
I'm finally at the stage where I can buy any camera I want, just for the heck of it. And any lenses to go with it.
My wife even gave me a preemptive green light to get them (whatever 'them' equates to being).
I just don't see them bringing any extra joy to my life. My two modest Lumix G85s with a stable of top shelf lenses come out when they're needed. Never once let me down.
The other day we went in to buy a new Miata (maybe). I was actually relieved when my wife couldn't fit in comfortably. She's has long legs and brains. And I just couldn't stand the thought of having fun in a car I couldn't share with her.
Come to think of it, creating photographs is a very solitary experience. I wonder if it draws in introverts on the whole?
Posted by: Kye Wood | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 06:39 AM
I have been struggling to find again all, or even a part, of my previous enthusiasm for photography. Every new camera is THE magic bullet, but thankfully I have mostly restrained myself.
Most recently it was the Fuji X100whatever. I preordered minutes after I saw the announcements and was just sent an email by the vendor saying delivery is estimated in December.
The dogs chewed through the power cable for the fridge where I kept my film stock about three years ago, and I haven’t even opened the fridge since then.
My fancy (refurbished) film developer has never been used and now has abandoned wasp nests on it.
I dunno man, when you find the magic bullet, please lemme know. Hopefully, it isn’t an actual bullet.
Posted by: Nikhil Ramkarran | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 07:21 AM
Just think of all the money you are saving by not having enthusiasm for new camera gear. (That you don't need anyways.)
Even though lots of my photo buddies are all 'you must buy a mirrorless and the new lenses, they're awesome' I'm having no trouble staying with current gear. In fact, if the current 6Dmk2 died, I'd probably buy another.
Posted by: Keith | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 07:28 AM
Gear-wise, we're a bit like spoiled kids on Christmas morning, already bored with the new toys. That's kind of normal though, in the sense that a lot of people experience this. It's almost as if playing with the "new" camera is more fun than actually taking the photos. I put "new" in quotes because this applies to buying used cameras too.
A small example. I like shooting B&W with my Olympus mirrorless because I like having the monochrome image in the viewfinder. But I still have an itch to use a Pentax K-III Monochrome, even though I happen to own a working Spotmatic that will give me essentially the same experience. It feels a bit like someone has programmed me to feel this way, and I may have done it to myself.
Posted by: Robert Roaldi | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 07:33 AM
The last digital I bought was the Monochrom. 2013. Two or three film cameras since.
Posted by: Richard G | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 07:57 AM
I reckon we're mostly talking from production global brands here and aren't counting the reusable disposable toy cameras like the Retos and Kodak Ektar H35s but, I think probably the Alfie TYCH+ is also notable as a post-COVID half frame entrant. It seems like a real camera, though a boutique one. It's on my list to get, anyway, but that price tag is pretty high for something where the fastest lens option is f/8 so the Pentax won out first.
https://alfiecameras.com
Posted by: Zed | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 09:23 AM
Maybe it's not a problem at all. Maybe you've just found the combination that works for you--your Sigma and your phone--and there's no need to even consider something else. I went through a bunch of different cameras and multiple systems when I decided to "upgrade" from Micro 4/3 (maybe a mistake in itself) and wound up with the combination of a Canon G5X II to carry all the time and an X-T5 with lenses for intentional projects. For my purposes, there's no need to look any further at this point, even if something comes along with better specifications.
Posted by: Charlie Ewers | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 09:37 AM
I certainly could not have said it any better than you just did. Having never been a 'professional" as my primary vocation for the past 77 years of my ife, I have always had a passion for photography. I caught "the bug" in the 1960's when I was in the military. It never stopped growing until recently, and not just because of my age!
I became a victim of the "there's always something better than what I have" addiction, I found myself starting to collect certain types of equipment. Rarely getting rid of what I had, but always looking around the next corner for the perfect system that met all my desires...not needs...as I was not shooting for $$, just pleasure, my collection grew to the point where I had to "thin the herd" and now I am finally down to the dregs of the barrel.
Forward 50 years and now I have solidly settled in on a specific type of digital system and a few "old time film friends" I can not seem to abandon.
Nothing on the market gives me the urge to move up on or add to my stable, be it so much smaller than in the past.
I am still very reluctant to embrace the cell phone-camera tsunami. I realize that that is the future of image creation, especially now when it is coupled with post processing and the rapid advance of the AI monster. I totally agreed with your article about AI from a few days ago. My fears and frustrations to a "T".
Please keep up the most enjoyable work you do for your audience. I am a huge fan!
Posted by: Michael | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 09:40 AM
Many of us are a little more thing oriented than art production oriented. I know I am. The internet sells us cameras. It's easy to compare cameras, their specs, test results, user experiences with them. Not many people are selling and promoting and comparing the art the cameras and their users produce. In places where we do look at our art, like Flickr or Instagram, it's mostly a lonely flick, flick, flick, click, scroll, move on, so a super individual, consumption-oriented, one bite at a time way to experience art. Maybe you should call a big TOP zoom meeting, where we just can talk and compare images we love, or have created... screen share!
Posted by: John Krumm | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 09:53 AM
I was first in line at the biggest camera store in Orlando to buy the first Fuji X100 upon release. The reality didn't live up to the promise, but that was a camera that got me excited for maybe the last time.
I miss the pre-digital era where you bought a camera, used it to failure and then you could go back and buy that same camera. I did this with my Nikon F3. Today, finding that perfect camera (for you) means that there is virtually no chance that you will be able to replace it if it dies or is lost to theft.
My work around is to buy multiples while that camera is still available. I have 3 Fujifilm X-T3 cameras because it is pretty much all I need and at my age, I should be dead before the last one dies.
Your point about not having lenses that match your satisfaction with a body is why I went to Fujifilm from Nikon. I have a D300s, but Nikon failed to offer a range of DX glass to make it work. I used my full frame Nikkor 24mm f1.8 lens on the D300s and I have a huge, heavy outfit to get a 35mm-ish kit. My full frame D700 with 35mm f/2 AF Nikkor is actually a smaller package, so why even bother with the DX Nikon?
I really don't know what could make me look at any newer cameras. I'm not impressed by megapixels, don't shoot video, and don't care for big, heavy kits. I imagine that I've bought my last camera, well three of them.
Posted by: Albert Smith | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 10:28 AM
More interested these days in printing what I have than in adding more stuff to the image file silos. One exception: if I can somehow someday afford a gently used Leica Q Monochrom.
Posted by: MikeR | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 10:33 AM
You seemed excited by your converted Sigma fp, and the images from it, posted on Flickr, are beautiful. Did something change, that made you sour on the fp?
[I haven't soured on the FP-m at all. I love it. The problem was me...I had a pretty serious bout with heart disease last year that put the kibosh on a lot of my activities. I'm doing *much* better now, but still not out of the woods entirely. --Mike]
Posted by: David P. Madison | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 11:04 AM
Mike,
I am absolutely having the same problem getting excited about any digital camera, and while I have been shooting film, still am not really onboard with the patience it requires to wait for negatives and scans back.
But I have been appreciating the hardware - a Rolleiflex 2.8f for the color portrait work for “reverseselfie.com” and a Minolta X-700 with 45mm f/2 for “acuitycolorgrain”……. The Rolleiflex is a beautifully engineered and designed piece of machinery and the Minolta so pleasant to use, until of course the electronics go on the fritz. And I paid £199 for the camera and lens in like new condition, so can’t complain!
Best Regards,
ACG
Posted by: aaron c greenman | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 11:21 AM
I am fine continuing to explore with Tri-X or Panatomic-X in my Hasselblad camera. But I sometimes switch to a Rolleiflex.
The only sort-of new camera that interests me is the Sigma fp, which Kirk Tuck described with enthusiasm. His former blog was a great resource about slightly non-mainstream cameras.
Posted by: Kodachromeguy | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 12:07 PM
Its probably not your intention but you'll probably hear from a lot of people like me that haven't bought a new camera in many years. I'm still shooting with my D7000 which I bought 13 years ago (replaced my FE2 which I sold with lenses). I've upgraded from the 18-55 kit lens I bought with it (2018) but not the 55-200 which accounts for only 8% of my photos, sold the 35mm (hardly ever used it but it was a "must buy" according to pundits), added the 12-24 (used 2013) and upgraded filters to go with them all. My latest acquisitions have been a manfrotto ball head (2014) for my old (used) Bogen tripod, a travel tripod and backpack (2019), a used RRS L-bracket (2023) plus some other minor bits and pieces along the way. Am I excited about new cameras? Well, I look at them. I'm currently eyeing a Z6III but of course I'd have to buy the lenses to go with it which would cost about $6000 with the body. Maybe I could sell my D7000 and lenses to KEH for $500 which only pays for half of one of the new lenses. But would my photography improve? Probably not since I don't think my hardware is the limiting factor and that's a key consideration; but, it would no doubt inspire a flurry of photographic enthusiasm which I admit is quite low these days. Or I could just start taking more pictures with the D7000. It's a no-brainer, I think. Honestly, how many of us are really limited by our older cameras? If you really need some higher spec then go for it. But, the ability to recognize there is a picture there to be taken, composition, technique, subject matter, and post-processing (so many ways to correct faults) are way more important for most people in my opinion. "Investing" in a workshop with a talented pro would probably produce more benefits than a new camera.
Posted by: James M Hildreth | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 12:32 PM
Another comment on X-T1 longevity; mine soldiered on in both it's original and IR converted form since new and is still banging away with it's new owner. A real delight of a camera, as much as I appreciated all the advances of it's younger offspring, a very intentional and durable critter.
Posted by: Rob L. | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 02:00 PM
I feel you. My G.A.S. for new cameras is not what it once was. The Nikon Zf got announced, and I handled one, and thought "hmm, nice, not for me." Even though it was theoretically within my gear budget (providing I sell off something like for like). I handled an absolutely cherry Konica Hexar RF in a shop with the original 50mm lens, and it felt great, and the price was even good, but I couldn't drum up any gear lust for it. The ONLY camera which has gotten me excited at all the past year would also be the perfect camera for you: the Pentax Monochrome. It's out there! It's waiting for you!
Stick some "Limited" Pentax glass on that thing and you'll be good to go for a long time.
Posted by: Andrew L | Friday, 12 July 2024 at 03:23 PM
I have only been intrigued by the Pentax Monochrome. Yet I could shoot with my borrowed M4 and 50mm Summicron with HP5 for 8 years just for the camera. That accounts for lab processing. Add an equivalent 50mm lens and I can go even longer. Since my shooting rate is low with film, perhaps I would be more inclined with a digital camera. I would then have to add a modern computer and appropriate software as well. I am not a fan of screen time so there is even less incentive to buy.
Posted by: Paul | Saturday, 13 July 2024 at 08:06 AM
The Japanese online magazine Photo Yodobashi just presented some images shot with the Pentax 17. Must be the worst we have seen since the introduction of the Lomo and Holga cameras, but this is what Gen Z likes. I wonder if in the long run they will have the patience and accuracy that is needed for the slow and intensive process of working with film.
I also just read that their latest hype is the use of cheap point and shoots of ten to fifteen years ago. They love their imperfection and simplicity, and the fact that they are not distracted by apps. Especially the use flash in all circumstances seems very popular.
As a result these cameras are getting much more expensive secondhand. New ones have been unavailable for a long time. Most manufacturers had already dismantled their production lines so it will take some time before they are back in production.
Posted by: s.wolters | Saturday, 13 July 2024 at 11:43 AM
Have you looked at the Pixii rangefinders?
Posted by: Charles | Saturday, 13 July 2024 at 05:06 PM
I'm content with what I have. With every new hobby, it's usually during the first 1-3 years that I experience something that might be considered GAS. It's the phase when my enthusiasm is strong and I'm eager to learn quickly but I don't know enough yet, so it's easy to find many products among what's available that I want to buy and try. When I got into cycling, I bought 5 bikes within the first 3 years. But it wasn't done because of a desire to collect; I still own and ride all 5 now 10 years later. Knowing what I know now, at least 3 of those purchases were beginner mistakes and if I were to do it over, I'd be happy with just 2.
I got into photography in 2000 and I haven't really wanted to acquire multiple cameras since film days. I switched to digital in 2007 with a D300. For me, Nikon and Canon were the only realistic options at that time but neither company produced anything that was physically and experientially appealing. Any DSLR on the market then was just an ugly box with a sensor and a lens mount—purely a tool I could never inspire sentimental attachment. Than changed when Fujifilm released the X-T1. It was the first digital camera that reminded me of how I felt back when I used mechanical film cameras. It was more than just a tool for the job.
Since then there hasn't been anything that seemed new, different, or innovative—at least not in any features that's useful or relevant to me in a game-changing way. I think the only thing I would get excited about is a mirrorless camera with a square sensor (24mm x 24mm or 36mm x 36mm) but that's not likely to happen.
Posted by: Keith S | Saturday, 13 July 2024 at 08:16 PM
Maybe we've "arrived" at our digital destination and feel a bit lost, now that obvious reasons for upgrading are fewer and farther apart? If I needed to replace my Sony A7R4 tomorrow, I might appreciate A7CR's smaller size, flippy screen, and AI smarts, but it's still the same excellent 61 mp sensor as before. I expect that it'll take 2-3 more camera generations until the numerous incremental improvements add up to major improvements for me.
Posted by: Jeff in Colorado | Sunday, 14 July 2024 at 11:27 PM