Gas Bag

I usually have the best antidote for... GAS- lack of funding, plain and simple. On the rare occasions when I do have a few loose dollars, the mind starts to wonder. I sometimes ward off this inclination by purchasing a relatively cheap camera bag- certainly, I'm worthy of at least one cheap camera bag- (yeah, I've now got a few). But not fully sated, the feeling can come back even stronger, more all consuming...

Lately, I've been fixated on four possibilities- in price ranges from feasible to fanciful. Let's start at the top and and work our way down: 1) The Leica Q- a work of art capable of producing high quality images for a premium high quality price! I almost pulled the trigger on one in LN Cond for $2900, complete w/box and accessories (incl the cute little Leica handle)- usually a $4,500 package used! Still a pricey morsel, particularly when I would then finally feel obligated to purchase adult photo editing software (as opposed to my outdated, prepubescent Elements 9) to do it justice- and an equally obligatory quality monitor... all for a nominal increase in image quality, and less DOF (creamy, buttery bokeh be damned). Did I mention my desktop's well over five years?

 

 

Well, if the Q is unobtanium- how 'bout meandering down a wee bit to: 2) the digital Leica CL. Cute as a button (like a pre-M analog Leica) and another premium product capable of quality results- but one in decent condition with an 18mm (28mm e) lens goes for... 3 grand! And just how much better is that Leica pancake than Fujinon's mediocre 18mm pancake anyway? Better be a lot, but definitely not as good as the Q's 28- Shoot, might as well go back to the Q for a coupla hundred more...  

 

 

 

Now we descend to more reality based daydreams. 3) I've loved the Fujifilm X-E3 since it was introduced- cute little sucker. I located one for $560 on Amazon, Used- appeared as if never touched! Great every day camera, only one problem... If I did get it, what lens would I use? It's literally made for the 27mm or 18mm Fujinon pancakes (40 and 28mm e, respectively). I've used a FF 40mm for waist up, vertical portraits; have had the 27mm for like 3 years now- supposedly great lens (and I believe it), but have yet to use it! And the 18mm is Fujifilm's most mediocre (ie- worse) lens to date. Sharp in center, soft everywhere else with chromatic aberration up the yazoo throughout- hell, I got a superb everyday performer in the GR with its much superior 18mm. So why pay for something that'll get me inferior results- no matter how much the looker!  Better to save the dough for...

 

4) The 18mm f1.4 Fujinon, one handsome lens that probably rivals the Q's 1.7 in optical performance- it's also fairly chunky in, size weight... and price. And handsome for its size as it may be, I just don't fancy big optics- impractical for daily carry, they can get top heavy when ya can least afford it. But no doubt about its performance; I'm no fan of the Fujinon's 14mm 2.8 (21mm e) physicality- oh, but the results! If I do find myself with a particular project in mind in the near future that requires a solid 18mm (and an EVF), I may just gulp and lay out the grand I don't have. 

In the meantime- I've got a new bag!