Why I'm Simplifying My Photography Gear
Less Gear, More Photography
Every once in a while, I switch some of my photography gear around. I’ve done it a couple of times in the last few years, and I just did it again. But this time, the goal was a little different.
In the past, shedding weight has been a nice side benefit of my gear reshuffling. This time, it was the main point.
As I’ve gotten older, I’ve grown tired of lugging a big bag full of heavy stuff around. Sure, I do it without complaint (well, mostly LOL), but I’ve also been looking for ways to travel lighter and make things easier on myself.
I find that when I have less stuff, I’m happier. It’s easier to decide what to bring when I go shoot or plan a trip, and I spend less time thinking about gear in general.
I used to think I “needed” tons of gear, but frankly, I can only use one camera and lens at a time, right? And when I think back over the last 15 years of being seriously into photography, I can’t recall a single moment when I missed a shot because I didn’t have some specific piece of gear. Not one.
I also used to think I needed top-of-the-line lenses to get the absolute best image quality, every single time I went out to shoot. But there are so many excellent manufacturers making great lenses these days that I honestly don't think you can go wrong, most of the time at least.
I’ve used lenses from all sorts of companies, and I’ve never once felt that something was subpar or performed poorly. Maybe I’m just not technically inclined enough to pixel peep and obsess over the tiny differences between one lens and another, but honestly, the images all look pretty darn good to me.
And that brings me to my latest gear reshuffling.
The camera bodies
Last year, I picked up the Sony A7CR, their compact full-frame camera with a 61MP sensor, and I absolutely love it. It quickly became my main camera.
However, I still had my older A7R3, which is an awesome camera, but it has the larger full frame body style. So I decided to trade it in and picked up the A7Cii instead. It's essentially the same compact body style as the A7CR, but with a 33MP sensor instead of 61MP.
The A7Cii is now my second camera, and I used it quite a bit on my recent trip to Colorado. Both of my cameras are now based on Sony's smaller full-frame form factor, which is exactly what I wanted. They also use the same batteries, so they make a perfect pair.
That's a win in my book.
The lenses
I also traded in quite a few lenses.
Years ago, I picked up both the Sony 24mm f/1.4 GM and the 35mm f/1.4 GM, and they are amazing lenses. But they're also relatively big and heavy, and frankly, I just wasn't using them enough to justify keeping them.
So they went, along with my Sony 14mm f/1.8 GM, which was a tougher decision. That's another fantastic lens, but ultimately it wasn't getting enough use either.
I also parted with my Tamron 28-75mm f/2.8 zoom. It's a versatile lens, but I rarely reached for it anymore. And lastly, my Sony 50mm f/1.8 had been collecting dust for quite a while, so it went too.
To be clear, every one of these was a good lens. I have no complaints about their quality or performance. They just weren't getting used enough, and I was tired of having so much stuff sitting around.
I'm a minimalist at heart, and I was feeling the weight of owning more gear than I really needed. So I simplified, and I feel better for it.
Fewer choices to make when I head out to shoot, less decision fatigue, and a lighter bag. What's not to like?
My current gear lineup
With all that said, here's what my camera gear looks like now.
Sony camera bodies:
Sony A7CR – 61MP main camera body
Sony A7Cii – 33MP second camera body
Lenses:
Viltrox 26mm f/2.8 EVO pancake lens
And that's it. I dropped five lenses in total and have only added one recently, the little Viltrox pancake lens.
I still have plenty of focal length coverage for the landscapes, cityscapes, and occasional street photography that I enjoy. And more importantly, everything is relatively compact and easy to carry. (Ok, well the Tamron 70-300 is a little long but not too much. I took it to Colorado and used it a LOT.)
Will I buy more gear? Probably. LOL
To be completely honest, I've already been looking at a couple of other lenses that I may end up buying.
One in particular is the Samyang 35mm f/1.8, which, oddly enough, I owned about six years ago. I sold it when I upgraded to the Sony 35mm GM that I just traded in.
I really like the 35mm focal length for street photography, and the Sony GM is a world-class lens. But it's also rather large and heavy, and since I mostly use a 35mm prime for casual street shooting, I don't feel like I need such an expensive, high-end lens for something I primarily do for fun.
The Samyang is just $349, and it's considerably smaller and lighter. That fits my travel-light mentality quite well, so I wouldn't be surprised if I picked one up before the end of the year.
And yes, I'm fully aware of the irony of writing a post about getting rid of gear while talking about buying more. LOL
Keeping it simple
I'm sure I'll make other gear purchases down the road, and my collection may grow a little again. And knowing me, I'll probably thin the herd at some point after that.
But that's fine. I'm not trying to own the absolute minimum amount of gear, or prove that I can get by with just one camera and one lens. I'm simply trying to own what I actually use and enjoy, without carrying around a bunch of stuff that I don't need (or leave it sitting on a shelf, staring at me).
The older I get, the more I appreciate keeping things simple. Less weight, fewer decisions, and more freedom to just get out and take photos.
Because ultimately, that's what all this gear is supposed to help me do in the first place.
And if a smaller, lighter kit makes me more likely to grab my camera and head out the door, then I'd say this latest reshuffling was well worth it.
