A little humor (Page 3): GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome: Makes people keep wanting to buy (acquire) more items for their hobby. GAS Guilt Committee

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

johnm1369 wrote:

OK, I am showing my lack of photography knowledge. But, can somebody tell me what 'Gas guilt committee' means?

GAS - Gear Acquisition Syndrome: Makes people keep wanting to buy (acquire) more items for their hobby.

GAS Guilt Committee - the group that tries to make those with GAS think twice.

r1ch Loc: Colorado

johnm1369 wrote:

OK, I am showing my lack of photography knowledge. But, can somebody tell me what 'Gas guilt committee' means?

G.A.S = Gear Acquisition Syndrome.

The guilt committee runs around and tells people who buy gear they should just use what they have. If you guy gear, you somehow have a the Gear Acquisition Syndorme and you are buying gear you don't need. Saying things like, that gear is not going to make you a better photographer, use what you have, and try to put you on a guilt if you buy new gear. That the new mirrorless have features you won't use and the DSLRs are all you need and if you decide to upgrade, you will be wasting your money, you wont' be getting better pictures.

It kinda started out like a joke a while back, but lately people regurgitate what they hear and use it as a weapon trying to putting people on a guilt trip and control how people spend their money.

Harry0 Loc: Gardena, Cal

r1ch wrote:

So I have a different perspective. While everyone say, use what you got. I don't buy into it.

If you are a big company, do you send your workers out with a hammer? No you send them with a nail gun and compresser.
You may teach them with a hammer or you hand them over to a mentor that might teach them how to use a hammer, but eventually they get a nail gun. This makes them more efficient and faster.

So gear are tools. I have no problem buying whatever gear I need, want, and can afford.

Is this foolish? No. It is only foolish if you buy the gear/tool and do not use it. Or you buy the gear when you should have spent it on food for your family or the house payment. Buying gear I cannot afford is foolish .

If you are smart, you buy used and if you only use the gear once, then sell it before it becomes obsolete and worthless and don't lose a lot of money selling it, then again, I do not think this is foolish.

I have every piece of gear I could want, but not necessarily the latest and greatest. And if I am not using it, I force myself to use it by creating self imposed constraints. If I don't use it at all. I sell it. It the value has gone way down, then I keep it.

There is an old saying, the best camera is the one you have with you. So now I take my old worthless unused camera and lenses and pack them in the car and in the truck without worry if someone steals them because they are not worth much anyway, but it because the camera that is with me and they are better than the cell phone because of the lenses. I always look on craigslist for used gear and garage sales. I want a Canon 100mm 2.8 L macro with IS. But I have the non L version and the camera has Ibis. I will not spend the money for a new lens so it is unlikely I will be getting the L version. I find lenses hold their value longer and don't become obsolete as fast.

If I want new gear and can afford it. I buy it. But I mostly buy used gear and it is great. Sometimes that means I have to wait until the price comes down. That requires patience.

Do I have new gear? Yep, Canon R5 is the latest new gear. So gear up if you can afford it and if you are going to use it I say.

If you think new gear will make you a better photographer, no, but if it makes you get out there and take pictures, yes, that will make you a better photographer, whether it is new gear, used gear, or your old gear. Just make sure you use it.

So I have a different perspective. While everyone ... (show quote)

Ya Ya Ya.
Didn't you "get" the cartoon? How many Hoggers have GAS?
Getting new gear, yet also asking basic questions about what they already do have.
I got my D200 when the 1st owner figured out it was the same as his newish smaller lighter D80.
We've seen them. At the event- nice clothes! Doesn't know what the buttons do on their new gear.
HUUGE amounts of free info- learn the craft, learn the gear, and practice. Bah! Humbug
If you can't explain to them decades of wisdom and expertise in 25 words or less YOU are the dummy!
People are still on a bell curve. At least half are at or below average. We need to just accept that
A $$$ PC won't make you a better typist. A $$$ camera won't make you a pro photog.
My buddy STILL has his 6mp Canon- because it(he!) STILL takes great pic. He has the eye.
And I still have that D200.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

Harry0 wrote:

Ya Ya Ya. br Didn't you "get" the cartoo... (show quote)

I'm still using my T1i.

stanikon Loc: Deep in the Heart of Texas

r1ch wrote:

If they had no experience at all? The one who read the manual.

Well, maybe. Gear manuals are only useful up to a point; they tell you the technical and mechanical details but that's about it. It's just like the owner's manual for a car. It tells you what makes it go and how the gizmos work but doesn't even come close to telling you how to drive.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

johnm1369 wrote:

A light hearted cartoon. I believe this to be true.

Looks like UHH exactly.

r1ch Loc: Colorado

Harry0 wrote:

Ya Ya Ya. br Didn't you "get" the cartoo... (show quote)

I still have my D200 as well, and I know what all the buttons do. But that does not give me the right to judge people who want to spend money on new gear as some sort of psychological whack job or someone with an addiction or gambling problem. They are just consumers. Manufacturers feed them a line that the newest and latest will make it easier, and it does, but that does not mean they will get great pictures.

AI is promising and it promises it will make decisions and make it easier for us.

Just because your friend uses a 6mp camera or you have an old D200 gives you the right to demean people who decide to buy new gear or new software an press the AI button and get better pictures they could get with a 6mp cameras. It is their money. I call it jealousy.

Because some people cannot become a pro photographer. They are a brilliant scientist or a doctor or blue collar worker that has the money to buy expensive gear if they want. That gives jealous people the right to demean them?

Sounds like class envy to me.

The $$$ makes it possible that I can talk to the computer and it does speech to text so it may not make me a better typist, it makes me so I don't have to be a typist at all and I can focus on what I am doing like writing a book, or creating educational materials. Auto mode on a camera makes it so I don't have to learn the exposure triangle because it does it all for me, then raw lets me fix the mistakes the camera makes and I can recover highlights or remove noise with AI so I don't have to learn photoshop.

Lets say there is some magical "eye" or some genetic memory or trait that is handed down that allows some people to have this magical "eye" and they become a pro photographer with 25 years experience and they are very good but photography pays so little for them they cannot afford nice gear and are envious of those who chose a different career and can buy any gear they want because it is a drop in the buck for them. That is where derogatory terms come from, the have nots who cry class envy.

That is why I don't think this subject is very funny.

As for knowing every button on the camera. I don't know every feature on my car, or every feature in the software I buy. And certainly not every feature or app on my cell phone. I don't have to, it works for me and I don't want to know everthing.

If the person does not know every camera feature, that does not mean they have GAS. I think it is a stupid term anyway. Who has the right to tell people they can't buy new gear, or that they have to learn every feature or they have GAS. Stupid, jealousy.

And if they come here say, How do you change to electronic shutter mode. You can either not answer them. You can do what that Canon guy does RTFM followed by a snide remark and instead of helping is a jerk. Or you could help them if you know. Or you can say they have GAS to their face or behind their back. Really, people are so jealous.

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

r1ch wrote:

I still have my D200 as well, and I know what all the buttons do. But that does not give me the right to judge people who want to spend money on new gear as some sort of psychological whack job or someone with an addiction or gambling problem. They are just consumers. Manufacturers feed them a line that the newest and latest will make it easier, and it does, but that does not mean they will get great pictures.

AI is promising and it promises it will make decisions and make it easier for us.

Just because your friend uses a 6mp camera or you have an old D200 gives you the right to demean people who decide to buy new gear or new software an press the AI button and get better pictures they could get with a 6mp cameras. It is their money. I call it jealousy.

Because some people cannot become a pro photographer. They are a brilliant scientist or a doctor or blue collar worker that has the money to buy expensive gear if they want. That gives jealous people the right to demean them?

Sounds like class envy to me.

The $$$ makes it possible that I can talk to the computer and it does speech to text so it may not make me a better typist, it makes me so I don't have to be a typist at all and I can focus on what I am doing like writing a book, or creating educational materials. Auto mode on a camera makes it so I don't have to learn the exposure triangle because it does it all for me, then raw lets me fix the mistakes the camera makes and I can recover highlights or remove noise with AI so I don't have to learn photoshop.

Lets say there is some magical "eye" or some genetic memory or trait that is handed down that allows some people to have this magical "eye" and they become a pro photographer with 25 years experience and they are very good but photography pays so little for them they cannot afford nice gear and are envious of those who chose a different career and can buy any gear they want because it is a drop in the buck for them. That is where derogatory terms come from, the have nots who cry class envy.

That is why I don't think this subject is very funny.

As for knowing every button on the camera. I don't know every feature on my car, or every feature in the software I buy. And certainly not every feature or app on my cell phone. I don't have to, it works for me and I don't want to know everthing.

If the person does not know every camera feature, that does not mean they have GAS. I think it is a stupid term anyway. Who has the right to tell people they can't buy new gear, or that they have to learn every feature or they have GAS. Stupid, jealousy.

And if they come here say, How do you change to electronic shutter mode. You can either not answer them. You can do what that Canon guy does RTFM followed by a snide remark and instead of helping is a jerk. Or you could help them if you know. Or you can say they have GAS to their face or behind their back. Really, people are so jealous.

I still have my D200 as well, and I know what all ... (show quote)

Wow, bitter humorless person you are.

Longshadow Loc: Audubon, PA, United States

r1ch wrote:

Isn't that the way it works though. People on this board are rewarded when they stereo type and demean people who buy new gear and everyone goes along with the bashing. I point it out how petty and nasty that is and I am now the bitter humorless guy. LOL

A lot of people are sheep. I think that is how Hitler came into power. This group of people have GAS, lets kill them all off.

Blowing things out of proportion a wee bit?

Architect1776 Loc: In my mind

r1ch wrote:

Isn't that the way it works though. People on this board are rewarded when they stereo type and demean people who buy new gear and everyone goes along with the bashing. I point it out how petty and nasty that is and I am now the bitter humorless guy. LOL

A lot of people are sheep. I think that is how Hitler came into power. This group of people have GAS, lets kill them all off.

Re-read what was written by you.
I thought the humor posted is hilarious.