4 ms·

A while ago I read a comment that was really eye opener: most big YouTube photography channels out there are mostly about gear, not about "taking pictures". It

A while ago I read a comment that was really eye opener: most big YouTube photography channels out there are mostly about gear, not about "taking pictures". It shows how much money the industry moves (or how prevalent GAS is).

randy909 5y ago
Same situation with my hobby, making electronic music. While there are a ton of amazing tutorials for how to write music there are way more gear review videos with orders of magnitude more views. Its fun to shop for new toys, learning new things is work.
- cratermoon 5y ago
  The forums for guitar players are often dominated by gear discussions unless carefully moderated. The good forums make efforts to sequester all the GAS discussions to their own corner.
jcun4128 5y ago
> GAS Haha... I was getting sucked into this, still am in a way. I spent about a year (2019) with a now cheap Sony Nex-5n with an 18-55 kit lens... but wanted to upgrade, more MP, higher video quality... got an A7II (24MP, 1080P) and then an A7RIII (42MP, 4K) ... I bought a 12-24mm F4 G lens at $1.3K __USED__ which to me is insane and that's not even that much in this space. It's just my car is $2K... I still can't comprehend it... I've been poor most of my life till recently, I still am poor but yeah... just interesting climbing the levels... Since the last month or two purchased 6 other lenses recently all under $1K but yeah... it's like "I need that 55mm" or "I need "12mm" just funny... then you think, this money is just sitting on your shelf not invested... idk. I am self aware though, FIRE and make more money in general, try to avoid the above.
- cratermoon 5y ago
  The most I've ever spent on a camera was just under $2K, in July of 2019, for a 35mm manual rangefinder, without a light meter, built in 1953.
  - astrange 5y ago
    Sony's $2k cameras are extremely worth it, and they can mount rangefinder lenses, which saves you buying their (also good) FE-mount lenses.
- Wowfunhappy 5y ago
  Wait, you got a car for $2,000?
  - pierrec 5y ago
    Seems right for a used Civic in good working condition. And it will get you wherever the beautiful shots are without giving trouble.
    - Wowfunhappy 5y ago
      Huh. I’ve never owned a car or tried to buy one—I live in NYC and I never got around to getting a driver’s license. I was just under the impression cars cost many times that much at minimum.
      - Zak 5y ago
        The price floor for a barely-usable car in a US state that doesn't require an inspection to register it is probably around $500, but that can fluctuate as low as $0 (I literally watched a friend give a beat up, but driveable old van to a random construction worker in the apartment complex they were moving out of). $2000 could easily get a 15 year old Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla or similar compact car with a reputation for longevity, without major issues. Shopping in that price range can, however be risky if you're not mechanically inclined enough to inspect the condition of the car and don't have the aid of someone who is.
        jcun4128 5y ago
        A lot of people did recommend Honda Civics, I considered it but they also apparently are at a higher risk of getting stolen too... so I didn't get one.
  - jcun4128 5y ago
    Yeah a used one from the lot, it was a mistake, lots of money to fix it... another stupid moment. Not saying you can't get a good car for that price but yeah.
- jk7tarYZAQNpTQa 5y ago
  On contrast, I've been into photography for more than 20 years, and I currently own a Nikon D60 that was gifted to me 2 or 3 years ago (and that would cost less than $200 if I would have bought it instead). I can afford an A7IV or whatever is the latest gear, I just don't want to.
  - jcun4128 5y ago
    Yeah the Nex-5n with the kit lens was $140 and it was fun to shoot around with. That's what I shoot for primarily other than creating YouTube content is to go outside/be in the park, mostly doing macro since the place I live at sucks landscape wise. But yeah I shoot to have my own wallpaper and that's gotta be 4K res at least. All my stuff is used, the latest Sony Alpha 1 is $6.5K ha a bit out of my budget. Anyway the talk of money is bad/pointless, I saw one cinema lens that was $100K like wth... levels in life.
Zak 5y ago
Most big YouTube photography channels have video descriptions absolutely stuffed with affiliate links. They have a strong incentive to both attract viewers who are already interested in buying gear, and to convince viewers who aren't sure they want more gear that they really do want more gear. Most people putting out high-production-value videos regularly aren't doing it for fun or to make the world a better place; they're closely watching how much money they make from it.

randy909 5y ago

Same situation with my hobby, making electronic music. While there are a ton of amazing tutorials for how to write music there are way more gear review videos with orders of magnitude more views. Its fun to shop for new toys, learning new things is work.

cratermoon 5y ago
The forums for guitar players are often dominated by gear discussions unless carefully moderated. The good forums make efforts to sequester all the GAS discussions to their own corner.

jcun4128 5y ago

> GAS Haha... I was getting sucked into this, still am in a way. I spent about a year (2019) with a now cheap Sony Nex-5n with an 18-55 kit lens... but wanted to upgrade, more MP, higher video quality... got an A7II (24MP, 1080P) and then an A7RIII (42MP, 4K) ... I bought a 12-24mm F4 G lens at $1.3K __USED__ which to me is insane and that's not even that much in this space. It's just my car is $2K... I still can't comprehend it... I've been poor most of my life till recently, I still am poor but yeah... just interesting climbing the levels... Since the last month or two purchased 6 other lenses recently all under $1K but yeah... it's like "I need that 55mm" or "I need "12mm" just funny... then you think, this money is just sitting on your shelf not invested... idk. I am self aware though, FIRE and make more money in general, try to avoid the above.

cratermoon 5y ago
The most I've ever spent on a camera was just under $2K, in July of 2019, for a 35mm manual rangefinder, without a light meter, built in 1953.
- astrange 5y ago
  Sony's $2k cameras are extremely worth it, and they can mount rangefinder lenses, which saves you buying their (also good) FE-mount lenses.
Wowfunhappy 5y ago
Wait, you got a car for $2,000?
- pierrec 5y ago
  Seems right for a used Civic in good working condition. And it will get you wherever the beautiful shots are without giving trouble.
  - Wowfunhappy 5y ago
    Huh. I’ve never owned a car or tried to buy one—I live in NYC and I never got around to getting a driver’s license. I was just under the impression cars cost many times that much at minimum.
    - Zak 5y ago
      The price floor for a barely-usable car in a US state that doesn't require an inspection to register it is probably around $500, but that can fluctuate as low as $0 (I literally watched a friend give a beat up, but driveable old van to a random construction worker in the apartment complex they were moving out of). $2000 could easily get a 15 year old Honda Civic, Toyota Corolla or similar compact car with a reputation for longevity, without major issues. Shopping in that price range can, however be risky if you're not mechanically inclined enough to inspect the condition of the car and don't have the aid of someone who is.
      - jcun4128 5y ago
        A lot of people did recommend Honda Civics, I considered it but they also apparently are at a higher risk of getting stolen too... so I didn't get one.
- jcun4128 5y ago
  Yeah a used one from the lot, it was a mistake, lots of money to fix it... another stupid moment. Not saying you can't get a good car for that price but yeah.
jk7tarYZAQNpTQa 5y ago
On contrast, I've been into photography for more than 20 years, and I currently own a Nikon D60 that was gifted to me 2 or 3 years ago (and that would cost less than $200 if I would have bought it instead). I can afford an A7IV or whatever is the latest gear, I just don't want to.
- jcun4128 5y ago
  Yeah the Nex-5n with the kit lens was $140 and it was fun to shoot around with. That's what I shoot for primarily other than creating YouTube content is to go outside/be in the park, mostly doing macro since the place I live at sucks landscape wise. But yeah I shoot to have my own wallpaper and that's gotta be 4K res at least. All my stuff is used, the latest Sony Alpha 1 is $6.5K ha a bit out of my budget. Anyway the talk of money is bad/pointless, I saw one cinema lens that was $100K like wth... levels in life.

Zak 5y ago

Most big YouTube photography channels have video descriptions absolutely stuffed with affiliate links. They have a strong incentive to both attract viewers who are already interested in buying gear, and to convince viewers who aren't sure they want more gear that they really do want more gear. Most people putting out high-production-value videos regularly aren't doing it for fun or to make the world a better place; they're closely watching how much money they make from it.