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If you decide to become minimalist photographer...

sagar

Member
Some food for thought. Imagine you are thinking about your camera bag on new year eve and decide to become minimalist photographer, meaning you are going to have only ONE Camera and not more than THREE lenses for entire year.

If you are a pro, forget that for a moment ;) and think you just shoot for the sake of photography.

Which camera/lenses from your bag you would keep, selling everything else. Remember, you can't buy a new gear/lenses and can keep only one camera with max 3 lenses.

Let's see your creative imgaination :toocool:
 

M5-Guy

New member
I'd Keep my M5 with CV 28/1.9 ASPH, and ZM 50/1.5 C-Sonnar.
I have no other lenses that fit my M5,

so, I guess I am selling my 2 Pentax film bodies with a 28/2 Vivatar, Pentax M 40mm f/2.8 Pancake and selling my Panasonic G1 with 20/1.7
 

mathomas

Active member
That's a toughie. I might choose to be really minimalist, and just use my Fuji GW690III (fixed lens medium format rangefinder). It would force me to concentrate on nothing but film, and as a side effect I'd get the super quality of MF.

That would be very tough, but it would be an interesting way to go.
 

Terry

New member
Yup a toughie...

Well not exactly one camera but I would keep my tech camera with one lens (35mm) and then either m4/3 or NEX with one fast versatile prime (like the 20MM) and one zoom (like the 14-140).

If you insisted I go to one camera and just a three lenses then it would probably just like above with a fast portrait length/macro lens (45macro but would like a little faster).
 

Guy Mancuso

Administrator, Instructor
Well in my Sony kit there is only 3 24-70, 135 and 200
In my Phase kit there are 4 a 28,55,80 and 150. I would have to sit on the 80 if that was the case and if i had to go to one system it be the Phase. Actually in reality I already have a minimalist setup at least compared to some gear sluts around here. Names withheld to protect the accused. LOL
 

Lisa

New member
Easy for me. If you don't count IR, I only use one camera with one lens - all the time. (For IR, I need a second dedicated body, but I still use the same one lens!) It's a Nikon D300 with the 18-200 DX VR lens. It's enough for me.

Lisa
 
A

AlRohrer

Guest
Canon 5D MkII, 35 f/2, 85 f/1.8, and 200 f/2.8L. Light, compact, reasonably inexpensive, and produce excellent images. Before adding another lens, I'd opt for a second 5D MkII.
Al Rohrer
 

MGrayson

Subscriber and Workshop Member
New system for me is M9 with 21, 35, and 50. I will carry it everywhere and use it constantly. As long as my wife is willing to use the Canon with 70-200/2.8L to get the kids sledding, that counts as one minimalist camera, right?

(we need an emoticon for "Oy!" )

Matt
 

Jorgen Udvang

Subscriber Member
Surprisingly easy (maybe because my brain isn't able to understand the consequences of such a dramatic move this early in the morning :eek: ):
GH1 with Panasonic 7-14 f/4, OM Zuiko 50mm f/2.0 and Zeiss CY 85mm f/1.4.

However, if I was going to choose among lenses not received yet, the Zeiss would probably have to go (very nice lens, but heavy and too much CA), replaced by the Voigtländer 25mm f/0.95 (I'm on the waiting list).

Hopefully, selling the rest of my gear would make me an instant millionaire, which would again help paying for the tranquilizers needed after the loss of all the lovely glass :ROTFL:
 

Steen

Senior Subscriber Member
If you decide to become minimalist photographer ...


My setup would be my good old, trusty year 2007 Nikon D300 and some primes.

• Nikon D300 (discontinued - and cheap, used)
• AI-S Nikkor 2/28mm (manual focus, discontinued ages ago - and cheap, used of course)
• AF-S Nikkor 1.4/50mm G (autofocus - very cheap, even new)
• AF-S Nikkor AF-S 1.4/85mm G (autofocus - expensive)

My main point being that I enjoy photography much more when using fair priced quality tools, instead of luxury items that tend to make me feel bad.

(However, in a not too distant future, like 2012 ;), I may allow myself a bigger and brighter viewfinder, i.e. an FX sensor based camera.
The viewfinder means a lot, I think.)
 

Ben Rubinstein

Active member
Given that I only own 2 cameras and 3 lenses it wouldn't be that difficult. However, as a pro, I couldn't begin to consider having only one body, madness not to have backup even for personal work.

You could have a 1Ds mkIII with a 16-35L, 50L and 70-200 f2.8 L II. I'd hardly call it minimalist however!

Neither would it be intelligent to knock off my 8mm fisheye if it happens to be my main tool for virtual tour 360 degree photography.

I think minimalist is a mindset not a count of equipment. It's using the correct tool for the correct job. If you have several uses or jobs for you equipment then each time you may need to take a different set of tools. Minimalist is not taking all of them each time.

If your goal is to learn how to photograph better with a single camera and lens then you choose to only photograph with that, the concept of limiting your choice just for the sake of limitation seems to be upside down to me. You choose what you want to achieve not that you let your minimalism choose the type of photography you can achieve.
 

Lars

Active member
Minimalist, I thought that would be ONE lens only. :bugeyes:

Now, for the luxury outfit of three lenses (that I already own).

I only use three lenses on my 8x10, all of which are stellar, so I'm not going to go into LF in this thread. On my D700:

Sigma 50/1.4 - more than any other lens I have used, this one creates beautiful art.
AF-Nikkor 80-200/2.8D - for the utility it brings. There are newer, better versions than this vintage 1997 workhorse, but it's the one I own.

The wide end is trickier - I'll have to go with Nikon 20/2.8D.
 
S

Shelby Lewis

Guest
I shoot weddings with ONLY a canon 5Dii plus a 35, 50, and 85 (and backups that don't get used). Works for me... you pick how fast the lenses are according to your needs/budget. My (outdated) website is almost exclusively filled with shots from those focal lengths.

If I had it to do again, I might go 24mm, 50mm, 135mm... but I see the world just fine with the 3 lenses I own.

Zooms? Don't go there. :D

The great thing about primes is that (for me, mind you) I know immediately what each focal length will "see" before I put it on the camera. Helps in event work immeasurably. You get a good workout zooming with your feet all the time too. :D
 

wjlapier

Member
Minimizing my gear was sort of a new years plan :) Sold a few things already and more to go!

I've actually considered putting away D700/F6 and associated lenses for a while.

Down to Leica M3/6/7, GF1/H2, Mamiya 7II.

I guess Leica M7 and 35 cron v4, GF1 and 20/1.7, and the Mamiya ( I'm a noob Mamiya user ;) ) How's that for minimalist :cool:
 

Godfrey

Well-known member
Some food for thought. Imagine you are thinking about your camera bag on new year eve and decide to become minimalist photographer, meaning you are going to have only ONE Camera and not more than THREE lenses for entire year.
I could pare my kit down to the Olympus E-5 + 11-22mm f/2.8-3.5 and 50mm f/2 Macro, plus the EC-14 1.4x teleconverter. That's a good deal of flexibility, probably more than I really need. I only own four lenses and a teleconverter anyway.


Of course, if I really want to go very very minimalist and have a very light bag, I'll just wait for the Fuji X100. ;-)
 

Leigh

New member
...only ONE Camera and not more than THREE lenses for entire year.
Not an easy choice, but...

My Nikon D300S with Nikon 10-24mm, Tamron 18-270mm, and Nikon 105mm Micro.

If I can't capture it with those, I need help. :eek: But I probably need help anyway. :toocool:

- Leigh
 
In the 35mm/DSLR world I always joked that my perfect three lens kit is a 20, 85 and 400 based on ten years of exif data, but I don't really call that minimalist. With film when I needed to travel light it was a Canonet QL17 or a Fuji GSW690III. When I was shooting with Canon, a 10D with a 17-40 and 85 packed in a Kinesis topload latched on the front of my Camelbak and a small tripod was a typical hiking/snoeshoing setup. I have visions of doing the same thing with a tech camera and MFDB one day.
 

sagar

Member
Thank you all for sharing your minimal kit ;)

What I find interesting is not a single person considered m4/3
 
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