Lobotomy Lab: Collecting Crisis
Lobotomy Lab: offering piercing insights into photography
As someone who has long considered myself a camera collector… and may have held a hoard for a time. I think there is a big difference between the two behaviors that is worth noting and considering. At one point I bought most film cameras I cam across. I built up quite the hoard over a few years. Rarely of novel features were some of the biggest draws in my mind. Of the many I bought some never saw any use and most saw about 2 rolls before being consigned to a display shelf. With knowledge gained over time… or more realistically the need godown size for a move, I ended lip selling off a great number of those cameras, but fear not most were replayed over a span of about 3 years. But the new collection was more concentrated. Nikon Range finders with any lens in the Nikon S mount were my new focus.
While this concentration may seem like a hoard with a underlaying neurotic tendency, but I think it is a much more refined collection. Now the vast majority my cameras and lenses are cross compatible. This makes putting together a kit for an event or trip much easier and often saves space. The cameras all have the same film loading and removal process with similar controls. This makes shooting feel very natural. Despite the seeming limits or an obscure discontinued set of gear, I have every lens I realistically need and have found the cameras to be very reliable and user friendly, I do have some deviation in the from of the Mamiya 7 with one lens, and an FM2 with 3 F mount lenses and a Alpa 6a with a 50mm lens just because I like the look. There is no Leica lust in my heart.
Even with this limited set I often think I could part with the FM2, Alpa and even some elements my Nikon Rangefinder collection. Some times even toying with the idea of an essential kit that cab be fit into a midsized camera bag. If I have a camera, I want use it. If I have multiple cameras and lenses I want to use them all to some extent, I will have a favorite no doubt but If I don't use something I don't need it.
One of the truths of collecting you eventually discover it that those obscure cameras are generally obscure for a reason, usually a lack of quality. Those Unique quirks were unique to a specific maker, because the standard approach was vastly more effective. Those small manufactures with a rare set of cameras ore lenses generally failed because became rare because no-one wanted to buy their weird gear. A few examples that come to mind are early fuji 35mm cameras. For some reason Fuji went with a bottom mounted film advance lever… it does not take a lot of thought or explain to understand why this was a terrible idea. It was hard to reach and use the film advance lever, one of the most used feature on a film camera. Fuji was smart enough to realize this was the worst possible way to design a camera and quickly moved on to the common, boring but super effective top mounted film advance lever. you now right where your thumb is placed on the camera.
Most people like to live a life of variety, to keep as many options as possible open. While appealingI do think at the end of the day we all have to make choices. Money and space is all too often limited and time is the most precious and fleeting resource of them all. Do we really need to squander more resources on more gear we don't need, things that will never be used, objects placed on a shelf to try and prove something to someone who probably does not care? Sometime fewer options lead to faster action, and action leads to progress.
