Most of us have been there. Constantly fretting over new gear, whether you should transfer systems or indulge and have multiple formats. Sometimes it can eat at your brain so much you spend multiple hours on the internet reading comparison sites and watching YouTube reviews, and you stop focusing on what is important; becoming a better photographer.

My mind is deep in gear obsessive mode. One day I want to go to Fuji, then Olympus and then I want to buy a 24-70 for my Nikon D600. I can pretty much break even if I switch systems, because I can sell my current set up to fund a new one. Buying a 24-70 is going to put a big hole in my pocket, and I think of what else I could do with that money, i.e. fund trips and projects.

My current set up.

My current set up is a Nikon D600, a 50mm 1.8 and an 18-35 ED. Both the lenses I have are great for what they do. The 18-35 is as optically good as anything I have seen and is great for landscapes. The 50mm is a steal for what it costs and produces wonderful images and portraits.

I have two issues with what I currently have. The first being that I love street photography, and lugging around the clunky D600 whilst trying to be a ninja is not an easy thing to do. I feel as soon as I bring the camera to my eye, the people in the frame turn instantly as if to say “who is that guy with that big camera and why is it pointing at me?”. On a side note, and at the risk of crashing my cave man alpha stuff in just once sentence, I am not the biggest or strongest guy and carrying heavy gear can become a pain in the backside after a few hours.

The second problem I have is the lack of telephotoness (yes that is a word, well it is now.) that I have in my current set up. Whilst 70mm is still in the mid-range, that extra 20mm would be great and also give me more flexibility with the zoom compared to my 50mm. Now I know there are alternatives out there, but none seem to come close to the 24-70 and I would prefer to pay a little extra cash for the superior lens quality. It is an investment and over the years I intend to use it, including what I hope to gain from it, it is a worthwhile one.

Why I want to go to Fuji or Olympus.

Fuji and Olympus make wonderful cameras. Seriously, just on the basis of the build I get all excited. I had them in my hand and it felt like little angels from the sky were having a party on my palms; heaven.

They produce wonderful images, and are so light – they are perfect for me. The draw backs are, I am just not used to mirrorless, electronic view finder? Battery life of 350 shots!? I also have an irrational bias that whilst they would be perfect for street and documentary, I seem to be convinced they can’t stand up to the test when doing event photography. Can someone please (and I mean pleaseeeee) prove me wrong on this?

So that is where I am, lost in the photographic gear jungle just waiting to reach the ocean of tranquillity and content. Will time heal it or will I indulge to cure the curse? I will have to let you know.

How do you all handle your GOD (Gear Obsession Disorder)? Do you wait for it to pass or indulge each time? Comment below or on the listed social media problems.

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