The very, VERY best and finest STUFF!

I guess thats the difference between me and most of the posters represented here. I love none of my equipment, in any sense of the word. If I dropped my camera off a mountain tomorrow, I would be upset about the lost opportunities and the cost of replacement.

 

The ads are correct "image is everything". Euipment is nothing but a tool. Some of the most powerful images I ever saw were Fredrick Sommer's "photograms" where he would take an 8X10 sheet of glass and grow crystals on it, smoke it up (and othe stuff) and then put it in his enlarger and print it. (no camera)

 

Hopefully, by the time they bury me, my equipment will have been passed on to someone who can use it. If I am to be defined by equipment, then I've probably managed to really screw up my life.

for me it's definitely my Nikkor 450M which i use with my 8x10-- what a big, heavy, beautiful, fat, incredibly CLEAR piece of glass!!! it's like a huge round polished diamond, the eye of my soul.

 

~cj (Seattle)

 

and, by the way: new website launch!! see below, and happy holidays:

 

www.chrisjordanphoto.com

I agree with George Stocking. I would just add that the "very best stuff" in my photographic gear are my eyes. Without those, well, I guess all the other neat gear I think I need would be useless.

Nathan, I have to agree with your choice of film as primary in the promise of images to come, but I would add paper, and even chemistry. In fact my Christmas wish list is always composed of the same four items: film (this year 8x10), developer for the film, Paper and developer for the paper. I DO love my equipment, I feel unworthy of my Deardorff, and my RB67 feels like a commrade in arms, but nothing compares to a box of unopened film/paper for promise. As far as photographic wishes go, I wish that I had been able to photograph all of the people dear to me who have slipped away in one way or another over the years. The other side of promise is the regret of lost opportunities. I hope that all of you here find whatever you need to make the images that will remain treasures for years, and generations to come. Happy holidays.-jdf

To re-coin a cliche, The <em><strong>Right</em></strong> Stuff. The right stuff being the means, the health, the will, and the desire to drag all the paraphenalia, (or none of the paraphenalia:) to some far place where I can <em>see</em> what beauty and magic and mystery there is in the world. Sometimes the journey is no further than the ground glass of my mind. Sometimes the photographic epiphany comes from just turning one of my many cameras in my hands and simply imagining the magnificence of what it sees. Often its wishing I had the skills to truly let the instrument capture what it sees. I hope that when I go, finally, that the equipment, common tho it may be, takes someone else on a journey like I've been blessed to have travelled. But then, I'm not planning on leaving :).

Yay! A Holiday Troll!

 

Fortunately, it's saved by all the great non-stuff-related responses by members such as Alan, Emile, and George (among others).

 

I am proud to say that there are no photography-related items on my holiday list this year. If I were to make a real "wish" list it would include: more inspiration, more talent, and more people to enjoy it with.

 

Finally, to answer the question directly, I think my most cherished piece of equipment is my Minolta Autocord, which represents my departure from regular 35mm photography to something bigger and, hopefully, better. If it has to be large format, I'd say my 90mm Super Angulon f/8.

What I would really like to have is a bottle of good light, a big box of time and some wonderful place to use both of them.

Folks,

 

Wonderful answers all, and to all the LF folks, happy holidays.

 

The best "stuff" is a mind to see the beauty of the world around us every day, and health to haul the cameras around so others can see what we see. Photography is about seeing, not cameras. Let us not forget the well being of those who are near to us. I spent many days with my sister who had a terminal illness when I would rather have had her enjoying life, and me out in the woods with a camera not worrying about her.

 

As far as gear goes, I have a soft spot for that first pro camera, a Nikon F2AS. All of us remember that first really good camera when we were young(er). I bought it in 1978 for $450 from 42nd Street Photo, and in 2001 it went to Europe with me as a travel camera with the superb 35-200 mm f/3.5-4.5 AIS. I want to return with MF and LF gear for a boatyard in Provence that a friend asked me to photograph, but there will always be a place for the F2AS. It's never failed once in any respect in all those years. I also took a Leica M6 w/4 lenses, but the 25-year old Nikon is still the "winner". Gotta be careful about 35mm Nikon lenses these days though.

 

Thanks!

 

Steve

It's sort of interesting, but the photographer's reputation as being more gear-centric than other art or creative outlets is, IMHO, undeserved.

 

I have a pretty wide range of interests, and nearly all of them have endless discussions and debates about their tools. Here are some examples:

 

Woodworkers discuss the aspects of various tools as in "Is the Forrest Woodworker II saw blade really better than a Freud?" and "Which portable planner gives me less snipe, the Delta or the Makita?" or even "Is the Lie-nielson plane really worth the extra money?".

 

Now, you might thing woodworking is, like photography, is pretty technical and tool dependant, but even writers spend much time discussing the various attributes of word processors and before that, typewriters.

 

I think musicians out do photographers. Even though they say it's not the instrument but the musician (sound familiar?), they spend many, many, hours obsessing over equipment. Guitarist seem especially vulnerable to this, but drummers, keyboardists, and even classical musicians partake. I'm a pretty poor drummer myself, and the debates over bass drum pedals is exceeded only by the discussions on cymbals. And I don't know any guitarist that owns less than 5 guitars.

 

I've seen it mentioned in photo groups that discussing equipment is like painters discussing paint brushes and you don't hear that do you? Well, actually, yes, they do discuss brushes and the good and bad of various brands. But man, they really get into the various brands and types of paints. Or paper...oh, the paper.

 

Computer programmers nearly come to blows over the subject of text editors: Emacs or Vi?

 

I can go on...auto mechanics will debate Snap-On verses Craftsman verses exotic European brands. Even in model trains discussions will abound about Athearn locomotives verses the new imports like Kato or Life Like.

 

Anyway, back to the subject, I have a strange fetish for tripods. I must have a dozen of 'em and they all pretty much work the same. But I keep having to buy new ones. Very odd. There should be a support group...

They're just commodities. But, I do have a Rolleiflex 2.8E with a Xenotar lens and a Maxwell focusing screen. I'd hate to see it buried; I think I'll just leave it to Eugene. Also a nifty little dental mirror for checking out the f-stop and shutter speed on a large format lens when the camera is in a precarious position. I learned that idea here. Lenses are magic and I banged up my g-claron, so I may as well take it with me. I like my Alladin thermos and my prescription magnifiers. A box of film and some developer; I don't know if B&H will ship to where I'm going.

Tom, Rumour has it B&H <em>is</em> where you're going:) Have a good holiday season y'all!

Lots of film and free processing.....

More time to run "willy nilly" as Fred Picker used to say, around the countryside "cruisin fer snaps". As I hit the age of 50 tommorow I am reminded that I am now in the last 1/3 of my life. time gets more and more precious. Time to do photography if you love photography is probably the best and most precious gift of all.

 

Kevin

uh,

 

prolly my first love... an old hi-matic minolta i got for 9th grade graduation...

 

athearn is good though, once you add a thrust washer between the worm and the square bronze bearing to pick up the slack.

 

dash 9 in pumpkin,

 

me