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I just bought a new camera backpack.

Phew! It feels like a big deal to admit that - I’m not prepared to admit how many camera backpacks I have in total yet (keep reading, maybe I’ll build up the courage to admit that before the end of this post). I have all sorts of reasons justifications excuses for needing another backpack like I need something to fit my new lens or gear, or this one will work much better for my back (I have lower back issues), or surely this one will be better for accessing gear while I’m out on a photoshoot, or…..or……yes the reasoning goes on and on.

In the photography world (and I’m sure other worlds) we talk about GAS (Gear Acquisition Syndrome) (not what you were expecting right?) which is when you convince yourself that you NEED some piece of equipment in order to advance your craft or to be a better photographer. It is so tempting when there are new features and models coming out almost daily it seems.

I am part of a couple of photography groups online and the number of times that people post questions about new gear - asking for advice or whether you have the piece of equipment and whether it is good, worth the price or some other query is frequent. It is especially prevalent with new photographers, however it seems to afflict all of us at some point in time (please think of me holding up my hand right now in silent admission).

When is it tools and when is it GAS?

When I started out in photography I bought a Nikon d5600 crop sensor camera complete with 18-55mm kit lens (for those non photographers out there - this is a good basic entry level camera which can take different lenses).

I was so excited to be able to capture images and not be restricted to the limitations of my phone camera (remember this was 8 years ago and I was using an iPhone6 at the time).

I was able to capture some amazing images with that kit lens/camera combination and I’m still proud of those images today.

As I started learning more skills and unlocked the features of my camera, I found myself hitting a wall and getting frustrated when the images no longer turned out the way I thought they should.

Despite continuing to practice and learn, I thought that my gear was the source of my limitations and the call of shiny new cameras was very loud.

Be wary when you hear yourself say (even that little voice inside yourself) that your photography (or other skill) will be awesome when I get this gear or if only I had……

Some sound advice

Luckily I received and listened to some very good advice which was to sit down and list all of the times when I wasn’t able to achieve the images I wanted to and try to identify any associated gear limitations. I was told to be very specific and not generalize when capturing these limitations.

Once I had completed the list I kept track for several months the number of times that I ran into that issue while using my camera. I found that this really helped me to be more grounded and pragmatic about my needs versus my wants and not be overly influenced or lured by the slick advertisements and gear reviews that I saw.

Honestly, I don’t check out gear reviews or follow photographers who post gear reviews. I only seek out this information if I’ve made the decision to upgrade or acquire a piece of gear. I think that this helps me to not be sucked into the GAS vortex.

Some of the things that I thought I really needed turned out to be less frequent requirements than I thought, but there were other things such as low light photography and fast action subjects that my camera and lenses were limited in being able to capture consistently. Excessive digital noise due to “high” to my camera ISO (this was also before the amazing denoise software was readily available) and severely underexposed images due to limitations in the aperture of my lens were a frequent issue as I photograph primarily in the early morning and late evening to capture birds and animals during their most active times.

I used this information to guide me on timing for needing new equipment and also to determine which features were really important. In this way I tried to balance equipment upgrades with not getting GAS.

The very first online photography course I took was Auto to Awesome and Audrey Ann has a terrific blog and podcast with a lot of great resources - many of them free. One of her blog posts is a great overview of cameras to consider if you’re just starting out. (beginner camera recommendations) and I can’t recommend her course enough for new photographers.

Surely backpacks are exempt!

Somehow this has not worked out the same when it comes to camera backpacks. I think that I have a secret obsession for containers (I’m sure this says something about me although I’m not sure what that is), but I’ve always loved boxes, containers or bags. When Kory and I got married in 2015 we had our wedding at Emerald Lake Lodge a most picturesque venue nestled in the mountains near Field, British Columbia.

We invited guests to stay the night before the wedding and we had a campfire with songs and s’mores (for those who don’t know about s’mores you are missing out on a fundamental Canadian treat). We (ok confession time - I asked for this one) had wooden boxes made to house the s’mores ingredients, song sheets and a backstory on s’mores (we had international guests who had never heard of this delicacy). The boxes were a hit and I still have and use mine for storing photography accessory bits and bobs.

I view backpacks in the same light - a necessary obsession that just makes me feel good when I go out on a photoshoot - is that wrong?

Moving from DSLR to Mirrorless

When I finally made the move from DSLR (digital single lens reflex) camera to a mirrorless system I went through a similar process. For those unfamiliar with the inner workings of cameras, the traditional system has a mechanical system with a mirror in front of the camera sensor (the part that gathers the light and image information to make a photo) that directs light from your lens to the eye piece - when you look through the eyepiece you are seeing the scene you want to photograph. When you press the shutter button that mirror flips up out of the way revealing the sensor and the light coming through the lens impinges on the sensor which gathers the information to form the image. The clicking sound you hear when you take a photo is that physical mirror flipping up and down as the shutter is opened and closed.

A mirrorless camera system is exactly that - the mirror from the DSLR system has been removed and rather than seeing the scene reflected from the lens through the mirror into the eyepiece, the scene is viewed through an electronic viewfinder (i.e., you’re seeing an electronic image of the scene and not the actual scene).

There are several interesting results of these changes such as the fact that mirrorless cameras don’t need to make any noise to function - the sound of a shutter clicking is an electronic noise generated in mirrorless cameras as some photographers like to know when they’ve taken an image.

Being able to silence the camera sounds is especially beneficial when photographing wildlife, weddings or any other situation where sound is intrusive.

Another benefit is that what you see in the EVF (electronic viewfinder) is the same as the exposure the camera will take, so you can see whether you’re under or overexposed before taking the image. Some people really like this while others find it annoying to not be able to see the actual scene.

I had to go through a similar exercise of listing all of the benefits and limitations of each system before deciding to make the move. Ultimately, my decision was based upon where R&D dollars are being spent by the camera manufacturers and the advanced bird and animal tracking systems in the mirrorless systems. Weight of equipment was also a factor that came into my decision making as mirrorless cameras and lenses are trending towards being more lightweight.

Do I take better images with my new camera gear?

I would say that each time I’ve upgraded my camera or lenses/gear there has been an initial step backwards as I learn the new features of the equipment and how best to employ them in my photography workflow. It’s a steep learning curve and sometimes means that I miss a shot that I likely would have captured with my previous set up. (see my photo galleries here)

Once I get comfortable with my new system then I have found that my decision was a good one and worthwhile as the functionality allows me to utilize my skills more effectively and efficiently.

However the question do I take better images with the new gear is a good one. I would say that the only way I’m able to take better images is when my previous gear had a technical limitation that held back my skills. What I mean is that I had the skills such as being able to effectively pan and capture birds in flight or animals in motion, but my camera viewfinder would blackout when I took an image making it challenging to stay on the bird during the sequence I was shooting.

With my new mirrorless system there is virtually no blackout and I’m able to stay on the bird or animal. In addition the tracking system on the new mirrorless is very effective at staying with the bird even if I don’t quite keep up with its flight pattern.

Some may argue that I’m using technology to compensate for lack of skill and they would be correct to some extent, however I know that I have spent countless hours practicing my bird in flight skills and without those skills I wouldn’t be able to use the available technology very effectively.

It’s sort of like driving a standard transmission versus an automatic transmission vehicle, or one with antilock braking system (ABS) versus one without ABS. I can drive a standard transmission vehicle and one without ABS, however having those technologies available can make for a more comfortable and sometimes safer drive.

As a result I don’t see there needing to be a choice between traditional DSLR, mirrorless or even film cameras - I see each as having a place depending upon what you’re looking to create.

So where does this leave me

In the end, I have chosen to try and avoid GAS as it ultimately feels wasteful to have a stockpile of excess equipment or things that I don’t use. I try not to judge people who appear to have GAS and remain focused on my photography journey as this is what brings me most joy and fulfillment. Oh and confession time - I have a total of 10 backpacks, three shoulder bags and one waist bag at the writing of this post. I’ve committed to selling three of the backpacks (Peak Design and Think Tank) and two shoulder bags (Tenba), so reach out to me if you’re looking for one!

I know this is personal, but do you suffer from GAS? If not how do you manage to balance what you need from what looks cool and shiny and advanced? Are you just a much more disciplined person than I am? I would love to hear your thoughts and any tips you might have - or funny stories that would help me to feel more comfortable with my backpack obsession.

I hope you’ll come back soon, share a cuppa, relax and enjoy more of my musings.