Think Twice Before You Purchase More Photography Gear

Jul 15, 2023

A lot of interesting photography equipment is released almost every week. This could be an upgrade to something you currently are using or something new that you've never considered buying before. However, think twice about spending your hard-earned money on new photography equipment.

There isn't enough money in the world to buy all the photography equipment flooding the market, either recently released or on the brink of release. While you don't need everything that’s available, there are always interesting items that might catch your attention.

As of the time of writing, Atomos has unveiled a new Ninja external recorder that promises a lot of enhancements over its predecessor. I came across an interesting smartphone case and tripod created by Peak Design. Zhiyun has introduced a 200 Watt LED light that’s extremely portable and could be quite interesting for filmmakers on location. Shimoda has launched a second iteration of the Explorer backpack, and SmallRig offers a small yet powerful V-mount battery. And the list goes on and on.

It doesn’t end there. New cameras are released on a regular basis, offering more functionality, improved ergonomics, and higher resolutions. New lenses are as well, some of which are truly unique, offering possibilities that weren’t accessible before. These recent additions promise superior pictures, more stunning results, and, on some occasions, will be the answer to made up problems you never knew existed in the first place.

It’s tempting to spend your hard-earned money on new equipment, either as an upgrade or as a new piece of gear to play around with. You have to ask yourself if it’s worth it. Does it have any benefit for your photography or not? Perhaps you need to think about it a second time, or even a third time.

It’s difficult to resist the call of new equipment. Truthfully, the experience of unboxing new gear can be exceptionally gratifying. This could be as simple as a new light stand or as exhilarating as a new lens or camera. The prospect of using it can give a lot of satisfaction. However, following the initial excitement, will the usage be extensive, or will it inevitably be destined to collect dust on a shelf?

For a new camera, the answer is straightforward. Naturally, it will be used a lot. Yet, ask yourself whether you'll make use of all the new functions and possibilities it offers. Does it offer a real benefit for your photography, or is it just nice to have available?

For other pieces of equipment, the answer to that question might not be as straightforward. Will that new tripod see frequent usage? Is the new microphone truly the answer to a better sound? Does the new V-mount battery have any real benefits if you already possess one that meets your current requirements? Is the new LED light superior to its predecessor?

It would be a real waste of money if that new piece of equipment is used less and less after the initial excitement, until it is just occupying space on the shelf or in a drawer. Eventually, you might opt to sell it, often at a considerably lower price, since the secondhand market might not be eager to invest heavily in an older model.

While it's virtually impossible to evade the trap of acquiring unnecessary gear entirely, you can try to minimize this tendency by asking yourself a few critical questions. It's not about assessing whether you require something to facilitate your photography; rather, it's about the necessity of items you've encountered or read about.

In the context of a camera, lens or any other equipment upgrade, these questions might be useful as well:

You might find these questions a bit silly, perhaps. However, providing earnest answers can lead you to the realization that the new gear is nonessential for your photography or that the enhancement doesn't sufficiently justify its cost.

Moreover, if you bought an expensive piece of equipment last year and you don't use it enough, its value is considerably diminished, regardless of whether you used it only once or extensively. The secondhand market is a testament to how numerous photographers acquire new gear without much contemplation. This explains why descriptions often include phrases like "almost new" or "used only once." In essence, acquiring equipment is never an investment; it's simply a tool.

This doesn't imply that there is no equipment that proves to be exceptionally valuable for your photography. But it’s wise to refrain yourself from spending your money on items that don't genuinely fulfil a requirement.

Avoid becoming fixated on gear, wanting to have the latest or the best available. This is called the Gear Acquisition Syndrome (GAS), as you might know. While new equipment could indeed be helpful, ultimately, the amount of equipment you own won’t determine the quality of your photography.

Have you bought equipment that in the end you didn’t use that much, or perhaps you regretted the acquisition? If so, kindly share your experiences in the comments section below.

Nando Harmsen is a Dutch photographer that is specialized in wedding and landscape photography. With his roots in the analog photo age he gained an extensive knowledge about photography techniques and equipment, and shares this through his personal blog and many workshops.

Very good advice, and while it all has been said before, I'm glad that you keep reminding us about wasting money in new gear without any perceptible benefit coming from the expenditures. I have bought too much gear to list here, from long-neglected studio gear to Leica lenses that sit in a bag begging for some attention. Add Nikons, Canons, Fujifilms, etc. to the mix and it all has added up through the past 30 years. Now I travel with just a pair of Ricoh GR's and a smartphone with a small pocket flash, and the added access, less weight, and smaller photo footprint are giving me some of my favorite photographs in years. Capa would be proud about how close I've been getting to the action.

Just another benefit of eschewing mirrorless cameras. I know that sounds snarky, but hear me out. I love chocolate candy and when I lived in the United States, could never resist buying one or three candy bars at convenience stores, grocery stores, Walmart, .... Now I live in a rural part of Japan. I've finally kicked the habit because there are rarely candy bars to be found, I never liked those brands before and they've mostly started reverting to raw sugar! I could never change my nature, but the change in environment removed the necessity to do so. Clinging to my religion and DSLRs (sorry, I couldn't resist) has cured my G.A.S. in a way self-control never could! Oh... I still buy new stuff, but it's usually used stuff I couldn't afford when it was new and there are years of reviews to consult when choosing. Another side benefit is when I buy a used lens, it's more likely than before to have belonged to someone moving to mirrorless and therefore sold due to lack of use rather than a hidden defect.

I've used Nikon for decades and my GAS problem is that (lens to lens), the Z- mount lenses are simply better and sharper than my older F-mount lenses. If an image is not technically up to standards, it's solely my fault and I can't blame it on anything else.

Sure, they're better, but to what end? No photo looks half as good on a monitor as in print. The difference between the sharpness of a kit lens compared to a $2500 lens doesn't show up on a print, only at 100-percent or larger on your monitor. Of course other qualities can make a difference, but even then mostly in a comparison. Don't get me wrong, I like good lenses and would probably buy a few of the newer lenses if they were available in F mount, but like chocolate, I don't need 'em.

Oh I feel very differently. I really love the look of photos on a large, quality monitor. I have my images printed large, at 36 by 24 inches or 48 by 32 inches. But they look so much better on a monitor with the light coming from within instead of the light shining onto them.

And I beg to differ about lens sharpness not showing up on a print. If you would photograph birds and mammals, and scrutinize the feather and hair detail on a 48" by 32" print, I assure you that you will be able to appreciate the difference in resolving ability of the better glass. I see more of the fine feather filaments and more of the individual hairs than I did back when when I used lower quality lenses.

YMMV ;-)

It all comes down to budget. If you want a lens or three that you don't really need but have the budget for, by all means, get them! After all, the camera companies need your purchases to stay viable.

I have bought equipment I thought would be useful only to find it stuck in a draw the next year. But there is another reason to think twice these days. There are times when you buy equipment that you find very useful and it has a real place in your workflow, only to have the company folder after a couple of years. Effectively bricking your device in the process.

Why do you need the manufacturer of your gear to stay in business? Do things go wrong with the gear, that cause you to need to send it back to them? I shoot a ton with a lot of different gear and I have not sent anything back to a manufacturer since 2016. Couldn't care less if any of the makers of my gear go bankrupt because I already have the gear I need from them!

The lack of camera stores today helps keep the GAS in check. Back in '10 ish I was in one and got my first tripod for my T2i the store was going out of business and got for 1/4 its price, maybe the store person like my images. It was aluminum and heavy somewhat but sturdy. The key was it's center pole would come up go to the side allowing for straight up or down shots. I used with my A7S for three years but I went A7RM2 in '17 it had IBIS but not the reason, I got the MP bug for a trip Az and the Grand Canyon and Antelope Canyon etc. On a day tour of Antelope Canyon with 10 people I got out of the truck and had forgotten the plate for the tripod. Everyone had sticks but I was in hand hold mode and experimentation mode. We came to the first stop and all got sticks out and ready for the long exposure. I took a single shot and it was bright and colorful, so I tried the basic bracketing of 3 at +/- 2EV with a tight camera strap and all three shots were perfect looking on the camera's screen. So I went all about laying looking up and down low at others feet, I was there and said to myself I can do another tour tomorrow but I got to see everything so I would be prepared. I also was using the new 12-24mm lens. I was just clicking away. At the end while going back everyone was asking what I was doing trying to make them nervous with all the clicking, I did not think about that! That night I worked some images out in the lobby of the hotel and members of the tour saw my images. First was how wide is your lens then asked how did I get it so bright! Next night a night tour but I had the plate this time. The guide had LED lantern set at daylight. With light it was better than a day tour. I just did single on sticks but the tripod allowed shots upward and I got stars through openings. But still did some bracketing for the center shot would be a single image. The nice thing was there was none below 1 sec. so processing did not need denoise SW. This was the time I learned no tripods needed anymore BUT I liked astro milky ways so I still collected.The Key here is that reviews of the A7RM2 had nothing about bracketing results handheld or the Bright Monitoring for framing in the dark or the ISO range or even auto ISO and no Milky Way results. This also was the time I put my A7S and A7RM2 astro results and learned that both would have the almost same results, just the Rii had to have a faster SS like the difference of a f/4 and f/2.8 the f/2.8 needs faster SS also. Lastly I have a closet full of light weight sticks, GAS!!!The last image was a Bracketed 5 at +/- 2EV on sticks in aperture mode due to being lit. Remember you pay for the different modes as well as the two Auto modes, using Manual does not make you a super photographer. Even my 70's Ftb had a light meter and you adjusted the Aperture to meet the needle, it got rid of the handheld light meter. Just have fun wherever and whatever!

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I think I have the opposite problem ... I think way too much and put off purchases of gear for way too long. Will not buy anything until I find the absolute best possible deal on it, and spend long hours perusing the classifies and Craigslist and MPB and KEH websites. And despite so much time "shopping" for gear, rarely ever buy anything, even if I desperately need it to get shots that I want to get.

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You're being prudent. That works until you've found out you're going on a shoot of a lifetime, then it's 'damn the torpedoes!' or the budgets, whichever comes first. :-)

haha!

I went on what was truly the "trip of a lifetime", to Barrow, Alaska, in June of 2018. It was a photography trip specifically for waterfowl and shorebirds.

What did I buy in preparation for this trip? A pair of chest waders for about $100, a couple extra memory cards that were Deal of the Day specials on B&H, and a couple extra camera batteries - used, of course.

I have not found that buying used gear at bargain prices means that I get gear that is any less capable or reliable than buying at higher prices.

Same with cars. I buy Toyota Corollas used off of Craigslist at way below the going market value. Yet the 4 Toyotas I have bought this way have served me very well for hundreds of thousands of miles and never a breakdown and hardly ever any repairs over a combined total of 17 years and over a half million miles.

Bargain prices need not mean gear that is in any way compromised, from a quality or reliability standpoint.

I like to buy used but don't think I'd buy used batteries. It's probably fine, but I wouldn't trust them and they'd stay at home. How could you know their condition before buying?

Well I can't KNOW their condition before buying. But it is extremely likely that there's a lot of life left in a battery because they last so darn long. I have batteries that I got for my Canon 50D in 2010 and have used a LOT, like well over 500 cycles, and they still work fine to this day and hold a good charge. Ditto for my 5D batteries from 2008 and my 1D Mark 4 batteries from 2010. I actually think I would have a really hard time finding an old camera battery that didn't still work great and hold a charge, based on all my experiences with used batteries over years and years.