The concept started taking growth in my head when I was interacting in gear forums and with my gearist friends. I myself have been practising this technique until I realized it felt wrong; to force and hammer an technical ideology in the mind of a person before and after one has made its mind.

We are different human beings with different brains sometimes having similar interests but rarely taking the same exact route to get our questions answered. There are more and more functional camera systems than before and the line of which one is best has been blurred to a point where it's a question that can only be answered by well told tales of real life usage rather than technical articles that compare marginal difference in between numbers and generations.

Nikon dSLR cameras on clearance sale at Lozeau

Last year, we witnessed the biggest exodus of dslr users down to mirrorless yet. The way it was advertised made it looked like mirrorless camera users became part of the cool club and dslr users were suddenly obsolete deadbeat dinosaurs. The technical shift turned some new users into bullies, looking down at users of old technology. I think this definitely felt like technical bullying as if mirrorless users were an insecure race lost in a sea of the generation of social approval trying to shout loud in order to change public perception.

My Olympus OMD EM10 mirrorless camera kit.

I myself fell victim of it. When it was the time to rebuild my fullframe camera system, I considered choices that the Internet consensus didn't believe on. My gearist friends at the time also found my decisions a little bit on the unreasonable side. Yet from my experience, perspective and uses, such equipment would fit perfectly. On top of that it isn't for the world to decide where I put my hard earned money in. But then the world didn't seem to shut up a few weeks after.

Nikon D750 + AF-S 58mm f/1.4G lens + 2 other lenses

I have been intensely practising photography for seven years now. I believe I have a better idea of what works for me and what doesn't, with a good conversation to support my decisions. Don't get mistaken though, what works for me isn't the definite answer to what will work for you. I'm always willing to retry the revised version of things I decided aren't for me. Sometimes I get asked if some gear is good without even explaining more on how they plan to use it. How can I even answer that?

It came to my conclusion that since we are encouraged today to act on approval, those of us who act on our own hunches without approval can easily be seen as crazy/stupid people. I embrace that fully since at the end of the day those true to themselves are generally happier on the long term rather than short social approved behaviour.

So on the subject of either you should upgrade, change, switch, jump, add, sell or not, it all has to do with what works for you when you actually put that to work. If it does, then add it to the wishlist you are about to buy. If not, giving it a pass isn't too bad, there will be others to love it. Less things to think about more brainpower to think about content in images. :)

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On gear and technical pressure