Sometimes I hate seeing people chase down the latest gear and pricing.
My next purchase?
I can't say.
Whatever catches my fancy, actually.
I don't plan it per se, I go with my gut and desires.
My last purchase was a (used)Canon angle finder.
Before that, it was a (used)very compact flash unit.
Prior, it was a (used)Sears-branded 18-200mm lens.
Shortly before, it was a (used)Canon 5D Mk IV.
I may be looking at ND or CPL filters next.
Maybe an intervalometer, maybe batteries; I can't say.
Honestly, I don't plan my purchases.
I've got some nice-performing vintage lenses, a couple of modern,
and they give me the range I want. I'm an amateur.
Sure, I've spent a few thousand bucks on the gear I own, but it's been spread out
over the course of many years, and some of the 'cheap' vintage lenses I simply love to use
because I'm an old-skool guy who likes the weight and feel of them while they're in use.
I'm glad I can mount them to and use them with my EOS system, as they've been acquired
on the absolute cheap end of pricing.
I don't long for lighting gear as it's not how I shoot, I don't long for fast lenses as it's not how I shoot,
I'm not longing for a 'Bokeh-Monster' as it's not how I shoot, I'm not after the best ISO as it's not
how I shoot, I don't need the fastest-focus as it's not how I shoot, and I don't need high-FPS
as it's not how I shoot.
I've never planned any of what I have; I've simply gone after what interests me in how it
relates to my interests and desires. What interests me now might not interest me in a few months,
or I may look into something more in-depth in another month. And that can lead me to looking into
PhotoShop tutorials for another way to process my pics, and so forth.
It's never been a goal-driven succession for myself, but an evolution of what I'd like to achieve.
As a non-professional, I do understand why many of you continue to chase the latest technology
and advancements as professionals, but I've found some of the chasing after it to be rather exhausting
from my point of view. I'm perfectly content with my 5D IV, which I lusted for, and my vintage lenses
have allowed me to gain inexpensively what many of you have paid premium prices for, and these suit
my own pursuits of photography perfectly well.
So, putting it into a nutshell for clarity, from my own approach to the interest, I'd like to say I've done
quite a good job of acquiring what I desire on a fairly shoestring budget.
I've no interest in pursuing the latest-greatest $6000 lens, while I still have the capacity of most
professionals, with an effective range of 14mm up to 1000mm in my arsenal.
Again, no disrespect to the pros out there, but I've probably got a fraction of what you've
invested into your own gear, and it's because it suits me and my interests. My interests
or goals are not your own, and vice-versa.
