I like to keep abreast of what’s current in photography. That’s one reason I read websites such as The Phoblographer. Not only do I get to view vicariously the latest in equipment, but I also get to see excellent photographer by photographers young and old. The design of the site is also very easy on my eyes as well. So there’s a lot to keep my interest and to keep me coming back repeatedly.

But that doesn’t mean I find everything to my satisfaction. The Phoblographer will on a regular basis write-up articles with the phrase “cheap photo” in the title. The article is about equipment from various manufacturers that has been discounted, usually around $100 to $200, sometimes more, sometimes less. The problem is that a camera that is seriously expensive that’s $200 off is still seriously expensive. An excellent example of this is the Olympus OM-D E-M1. Today, on their website, they’ve announced that the camera is $200 off its regular selling price of $1,099, or $899. It’s a great camera and I’m an Olympus user myself. But $899 isn’t, practically speaking, any less expensive than $1,o99.

I’ve always compared prices of items to one another in order to determine if it’s practical or not. For example, for what I’d spend on the E-M1 on sale, I just spent on a pair of new cherry vanities with tops and sinks. I’m at that point in my life that, after having lived in my first and only house since 1985, I feel it’s time to fix the place up and replace all the really worn items, such as the bathroom vanities and sinks. And there are (lots of) other projects around the house needing to be fixed/replaced. This isn’t my wife speaking through me, this is me looking around and realizing I need to paint, wallpaper, and in general make the house look a lot better after having lived here over 30 years. And the original kitchen cabinets are something atrocious that absolutely needs to be replaced…

The price of current equipment is off the charts. So high that it’s insane to keep buying more, even more insane just to keep replacing for marginal improvements. I’ve known this for quite some time, and tried to use that to motivate me to purchase on the trailing edge of the tech, picking up heavily discounted gear. But I can’t even justify that any more. Recently I’ve used my camera gear less and less, partially because of my work, and partially because I’ve lost the desire. I now carry just one camera and one lens, the E-M10 and the 12-40mm PRO. That’s all I truly need, if even that much. So I carry around just that camera, and keep my money in my pocket to put towards something more practical, like the house. And when that’s done, then on to something else equally practical. Just no more camera gear.