Posted on October 31, 2011
by Robert Agli 
0 Equipment Rationale and Selective Hearing
My wife tells my friends that the bumper sticker that reads “He who dies with the most toys wins” is inappropriate for me. She insists that if it were my bumper sticker it should read “He who dies with the best toys wins”. Okay, I admit to chasing the holy grail of technology but I keep the frequency and number of purchases within reason. All my purchases are tempered by reciting the mantra “does it solve a problem, will it generate revenue and do I need it now?” I waited 7 years to buy a new computer. Does that sound like an avowed equipment junky? Here is another surprise. Contrary to popular belief I only have 8 lenses and for those that absolutely will go nuts if they don’t know what they are here is the list. 14-24mm f/2.8, 24-70mm f/2.8, 50mm f/1.4, 105mm f/2.8 Macro VR, 105mm DC, 70-200mm f/2.8 VR, 200-400mm f/4, 24mm f/3.5 tilt/shift and a 1.4X and a 1.7mm teleconverter but I don’t count them as lenses. All my glass is exclusively Nikon and you will note that they are pretty much the norm for most serious photographers. I now have 3 carbon fiber tripods with ball heads or gimball mounts. However, I do admit that all my equipment represents absolute state of the art, leading edge technology.
Do you need expensive state of the art equipment to capture great images? Absolutely not! So why spend the extra money? For me the answer is simple. It gives me peace of mind and it makes the job easier. Equipment failure is not a worry and I know that I am getting absolutely the finest capture possible. If the shot doesn’t work, it sure wasn’t the fault of the equipment. These issues are not a big deal if you are shooting a few snapshots on an afternoon hike. It is a far bigger deal if it is someone’s 50th wedding anniversary or if it is some high profile business person who has just allocated 30 minutes for a photo shoot on the manufacturing floor. In photography there are already enough variables that can go wrong. I don’t need to handicap myself with inadequate equipment.
During my equipment presentations I make a big deal about high-end tripods. Yes, the tripod, ball head and sundry other pieces costs about $1200 and that is more than most people invest in their entire photo arsenal. But remember, I hate tripods. Therefore, if I have to carry it around I want it to be lightweight, adjust quickly, securely and be absolutely stable. Nothing less will do but that’s just me. There is a whole world out there buying lesser equipment that they find perfectly satisfactory and they take great pictures.
Somehow my message gets filtered from the ear to the brain that you need to buy the same tripod, etc. that I have. Nope! The real message is that this is the equipment I use and these are the reasons why. What you choose to buy is up to you. Your decision should be based on your needs. If you only drag your camera out on special occasions or vacations it’s not a very rational purchase to pay big bucks for high-end gear. But if you only drag your camera out for special occasions what are you doing reading this blog? Maybe that’s a topic for another time.
