Gear acquisition syndrome.

A seemingly uncontrollable urge or desire to buy more and more camera equipment as a means to fulfill one’s “needs”.

Which leads to spending money on things we never use, stressing out over the “best” equipment, and less actual photography overall.

Photographers left and right struggle with GAS.

A shiny new camera comes out over here.

An older vintage quirky camera shows up over here.

And we need it.

Because getting that camera or lens is what’s going to get us the photos we want, give us the photography experience we want, and allow us to become the photographer we want.

BS.

There’s nothing that new camera will allow you to do that you can’t already do with what you have.

There’s no new camera gear that will make you a better photographer.

And there’s no more photography experience you’ll get from a camera than actually going outside to take photos.

And of course one can argue that the right gear makes for a better experience and better photos.

And certain tech advances can definitely make your life easier if you’re a vlogger.

I’m not talking about that.

I’m talking about photography specifically.

And the emotional psychological component of always wanting what you don’t have.

That’s what we’re going to break down today.

Gear acquisition syndrome and how to stop it.

Step One. Learn the Hard Way.

In the past I used to have my own problems with gear acquisition syndrome.

Maybe not to the extent of some people, because I tend to be very frugal, but I’d always have a reason to want something.

Even though I had cameras like the x100v, which I considered the perfect camera for me, and never needed anything else, I kept thinking to myself:

“I wonder what my photos would look like if I had this lens?”

Or

“How would things change if I shot with this focal length or body?”

And I’m not gonna lie, I still have those thoughts every now and then.

But they’re not to the extent that it bothers me much anymore.

So how did I get over this?

The first step was unfortunately, to learn the hard way.

I was lucky enough to find “that camera” early on in my journey, but not smart enough to stop there.

I ran through and bought many different lenses and bodies, sold and resold gear, until I eventually built the kit I have now.

And that was a long long process in itself.

One that I eventually got tired of.

It was a waste of time, energy, and money going back an forth trying to find the “perfect fit”.

And eventually I realized I didn’t need anything else.

I already had everything I needed and I just needed to focus on photography.

So a practical first step you can do is to look, grab, and hold each of the pieces of camera gear you currently have.

Wipe off some of the dust that’s sitting on each of your lenses and ask yourself:

“Do I really even need this?”

“Do I actually even use this?”

And you don’t have to be overly sentimental about it - it’s just an exercise.

Go through each of your gear and really question the purpose and use of each piece of equipment.

And then reflect on the gear you’re thinking about buying and ask yourself the same questions.

“Do I really need this?”

“What am I gonna use this for?”

“What can I actually do with this that I can’t already do now?”

One by one, you’ll have your answer.

Step Two. Let Go of Dust Collectors.

As you accumulate gear, certain pieces of equipment you don’t use will start collecting dust.

I’ll be honest, the Fujifilm X-Pro1 is one of those cameras for me.

I do like and enjoy it but I’ll always finding myself grabbing the x100vi or the X-Pro3 over this.

Which…kinda makes sense.

And so what I really should do is let that camera go.

Because I really don’t use it as much as I should be.

And in theory, it’s better off in someone else’s hands who’ll make more use of it.

But its hard.

Because I’ll always find some reason or justification for keeping it.

Like “Oh, maybe I need to mix it up sometime and practice with a different body.”

Or “I can do an updated review on the camera later and compare it to all these new cameras.”

So I totally get it.

You probably also have some gear that you don’t use or need, and you know it, but can’t let go of it.

I think for certain special cameras, that’s okay.

Ones that hold deep sentimental value or you probably can’t sell for much.

But that doesn’t apply for everything.

And some stuff we just need to let go.

So if we want to get over our GAS, we gotta start by letting go.

I would begin with actually irrelevant gear you don’t care about.

Those ones are much easier to let go of.

For example, in the past year I’ve sold many pieces of equipment I knew I didn’t need.

Things like the TT Artisan 27mm to the XF 16-55mm.

I had other lenses that basically did the same things and didn’t find myself missing them.

Start with the easy ones and slowly progress into the bigger ones.

And the good news here is that letting go of camera gear creates more breathing room and a clearer space on what you actually need.

You sell the first one and the second one becomes easier to let go of.

If you are having trouble with a particular piece of gear, ask yourself:

“How much have I actually used this in the past month?”

If the answer is none, you probably don’t need it.

Step Three. One In, One Out.

When you begin clearing your inventory you actually make room for new gear.

Because here’s the thing: beating gear acquisition syndrome doesn’t mean to stop buying gear entirely.

Because we like camera gear.

And I’m not here to tell you to stop liking what you like.

Rather it’s about moderation, keeping our wants under control, and not spending excessively on stuff we don’t need or use.

And to keep our focus on photography not gear because that’s what we’ve supposedly bought the gear for in the first place.

Which means buying and keeping only the stuff we need and use.

So this whole process is for us to filter in and filter out the gear we use and don’t use.

And the end goal is to build our own small ideal kit of gear we use everyday that covers all our needs.

If you’re having trouble understanding how much you need, keep this in mind:

For most photographers, all we need is 1 body, 1 prime, and 1 zoom.

That’s it.

Unless you’re an active professional photographer who takes photos for work, this will cover most of our bases.

And chances are, working photographers already know what gear they actually make use of and don’t make use of.

And there’s probably a combo of body and lens that covers 80% of their work - the other 20% is occasional use stuff.

So if you’re having trouble eliminating options, keep telling yourself “less is more”.

It’s a tough psychological barrier to get over because we humans are worriers.

We wonder, “Oh but what if I need this focal length for this.”

“Oh but what about this one, I wanna use this one later.”

But if you actually think back to it, when’s the last trip you took where you actually made use of all your gear?

When you went on vacation, brought 5 lenses and 2 bodies, and then really only used 1 body and 1 lens for the entire trip.

This happens all the time.

We think we need all this gear to cover all our bases and then realize it’s just more functionally better to have a simple minimal setup.

So get rid of stuff - you don’t need it.

Here’s useful framework that helps me keep my kit small and minimal:

“One in, one out”.

Meaning, if there’s any new piece of equipment I want, it comes at the expense of another lens or camera body in my lineup.

So if I want something new I have to let something go.

And this makes me think harder before buying a new piece of gear.

“Yeah this new lens is good, but is it better than this lens I already have?”

It’s like having limited inventory slots.

You’ve only got so much space in your house, camera bag, and mental photographer inventory, so you can’t have everything.

Reminding yourself “one in, one out” will help make your decision process much more refined.

It’ll also make sure you don’t overstock and keep acquiring new lenses and bodies you don’t even use.

I’ve found this to be the most practical way to get my GAS under control.

Because the price of new gear isn’t just the cost in dollars - it’s also another one of these lenses I like.

So lets sum this up real quick.

Gear acquisition syndrome sucks because it makes us appreciate what we have less and causes us to overspend on things we don’t need.

Plus it makes us focus less on photography and more on gear.

How do we overcome it?

Step one is to learn the hard way.

Buy and sell a bunch of gear and slowly realize by experience that the cycle never ends.

You’ll always want something new and you’ll begin to accumulate glorified dust collectors that you never use.

Then, go around and take a close look at each piece of gear you own.

Try to internalize your thoughts about that gear.

Think about how it felt when you first wanted that lens, what went through your mind as you got it, and how little you use it now.

Step two is to start letting go of the stuff you don’t need.

Start with the smaller, cheaper, third party lenses and move onto the bigger ones.

Once you get one out of the way, the others will come more easily.

And then you’ll be able to think more clearly about what you need and don’t need.

Step three is to live by the phrase “one in, one out”.

Meaning if you’re gonna buy something, you gotta let something go.

Otherwise you’re just accumulating more and more dust collectors.

And remember: “less is more”.

A minimal kit is more simple, easier to bring around, and less taxing on our creative brain.

Because instead of worrying about what gear we’re going to use, we’re focused on the photos we’re going to take.

Now. It’s not gonna be easy.

But if you can follow this you can get your gear acquisition syndrome under control, and focus more on photography.

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