Recommendation for 12 step program for lens addiction

[Classpro]

Ladies and gentlemen: I am a lens-a-holic. And I need help.

A few months ago I bought a mirrorless camera, and have become addicted to buying manual focus lenses. My family keeps asking me "what do you need all those lenses for." I don't really have an answer. They are beautiful. They are all different. They take great pictures. They make me feel good. I like to touch them, to rotate their rings, to watch their apertures open and close. To see the world through a different frame. I use words like "bokah" and "flair," and get blank looks from the person I'm talking to. I spend hours on ebay looking at blurry photos trying to figure out what each lens really is. I read the reviews, watch the youtube videos, dream about the elusive perfect shot.

Is there any cure? I feel I'm on a downward slide. Will I end up prostituting myself by taking portraits of tourists in public places for handouts to feed my lens addiction? Do you have any advice?

[Lloydy]

Buy more lenses, it's inevitable.

[SkvLTD]

And take what I say with a grain of salt, but there are only so many truly unique ones and those are the ones to focus on to avoid having like 50x 50mm/f2-2.8s sitting around that all produce about the same image.

I too want to dwell into getting some more, but not anything worse/equal to what I already own and couple pieces are hard to beat. Only if some lens offers a look truly unique from modern selection/majority of vintage ones, would I consider getting it. Slightly longer-term effect of value as well. Yea, old Asahi 50/1.4s are great, but market is polluted with them and they're next to worthless these days.

Another factor is growing into a lens- learning how to utilize what it offers fully. That's time well-spent instead of hoarding tons of them just to have them sit there on a shelf.

[RSalles]

The day you'll be cured is the day you give up considering it as a disease.

Knowledge is everything. I had to arrive at my 100 lens number to arrive at this statement. Then, I felt stupid. Then I came to start changing 5 lenses for 1 I thought it was "too much expensive" to be considered. A "GOOD", real damn thing GOOD glass is never expensive: it's just a matter of personal purchase limits toward the lens acquisition which makes you think so. The other day I saw a 9k LF lens and thought: I can wait 9 years to buy it... But - you know - life is so short...

Renato

[RSalles]

Ah, forgot to mention:
What do you find more stupid, buying a 1k MF lens, or paying 450 USD for shipping an enlarger that costs 95 USD?
Hard to tell, - sad but true - I am that guy,

Cheers,

Renato

[calvin83]

You cannot cure from the addiction but replace it with something else.

[dan_]

[visualopsins]

Welcome Classpro.

Pick your addiction:

1. 12 step program
2. Lens acquisition syndrome

A no brainer...

[Classpro]

Part of the attraction for me is finding a great bargain lens. Some of my favorite lenses have been really cheap. For some people buying a few really high quality expensive lenses is the way to go. I like finding a bargain. I like reading about the neglected jewels too. I don't think I'd have the same fun buying expensive name brand glass. Yes, I have several 50mm lenses, but they have different character and I enjoy comparing them and noticing their differences. I just got a rather expensive lens (50mm Minolta MC Rokkor PG 1.4) that I'm looking forward to trying and comparing it with several slower 50s that I have.

[Marek]

[JJB]

I had an initial burst of buying that was frankly, embarrassing. Do I really need ten different 50-55mm lenses? Or eight different 135s?

When asked - why so many lenses, I respond, "do you fault an artist for the number of paintbrushes or tubes of paint he has?" That generally makes the point and keeps the critics at bay.

To keep myself in check, I try to remind myself that it's the photographer that makes the lens, not the other way around.

[edri]

Until last summer I had a single 50mm lens a 50/1.4AF which I rarely use. For several years I was pleased with my lenses and not crossed my mind to buy more. Along with the other it was stolen. I did not want to replace it with the exact same type of lens, so after a few months I have five 50mm lenses or close (4 MF+1AF). I ordered the sixth (MF of course) and I refrained to buy the 7th, today
By the summer I had a single 135mm lens. That was not stolen. So now I have only four 135mm lenses.
I like what is written at the start of this topic. It is like a mirror in which I see myself from time to time

[Classpro]

i only have one 135mm, a lovely Pangor 2.8 that was a cheap but beautiful lens. Of course it's close to 200mm on my crop sensor camera, but I enjoyed using it today.

I think pacing my future purchases so that I enjoy using a new lens when it comes in would be a good idea. I have not used several of my lenses yet.

I really admire the craftsmanship. The light weight autofocus that came with my camera feels like a kid's toy next to these pieces of industrial art.

[cyrano]

All I can add is just try letting some go. It's more hard than you may imagine. I've got 8 old Fuji mount MF lenses that have never seen a digital camera yet. One day I tell myself, one day.

[PWhite214]

Step one: Admit there is a problem.
Step two: Get a part time job to pay for more glass.

Phil

[nikono]

More lenses are to create Best Friendship Forever among cameras.

[Lee|Ratters]

A few years ago I slimmed my [Canon] lenses down. Sold stuff I didn't hardly use as I didn't want it just sitting around & had a 17-40L, 50/1.4 & 135L

I then [in a house move] found my old Yashica 35mm SLR which I ran some film through, enjoyed the thought process, didn't like the waiting, enjoyed the manual focus side of things....... I already had a matte screen in the 5D2 so bought a C/Y > EOS adapter & I now own more [twice as many??] manual lenses than I do EOS.

Most of my manual glass is C/Y fitment so obviously I can use them on both digital & film. That's my excuse anyway......

I advise people to just pick carefully. It is easy to have many lenses of the same/similar focal length & although I wish I had the budget of some people I can see why they pick only a handful of top quality lenses.

I have a Yashica 28ML, several 50ML's, 75-200MC plus a Tokina 28-70mm [from my Yashica FX-3 brand new purchase back in the 90's] and in M42 a Helios 44-2 & Helios 135/2.8

[philslizzy]

[Snowcat]

First of all, addiction with lenses is not THAT bad thing. There are much worse cases you know...

Second, you can gain money from that addiction. Get deeper and closer to the lenses and you can repair them, change mounts, service them for other people for money. Thus you'll become a lens guru of some sort, why not?

Third, sell what you will not ever use because you already have something better. This is a partial measure though... I sold 3 lenses some time ago and then I've got 4 new instead of them.

[m_ali98]

[dee]

For me , it's just being able to afford / use those 50mm lenses which were out of reach at the time .
I even have a DSLR dedicated to Rokkors - mainly 'cos the adapter is wedged on the Leica Digilux 3 and £100 is too much to fix it LOL.
The Pentax K10D also accepts some K mount lenses .

[Mir]

[ZoneV]

[1kgcoffee]

It's cheaper than heroin, and lenses tend to hold their value. Why stop? Just use them.

[Big Dawg]

I was afflicted at one time. I sold most of these off and my nearly 100 cameras. I actually had 3 times that number of lens before I sold them. For a while I had a Zeiss addiction that really cost a lot. The second photo is what I have left of the lens.