Gear doesn't matter, does it?

...a multiple camera affair.

Hello everyone,

welcome to my first real newsletter and thank you for being here.

Why I have chosen “reciprocity failure” for all my upcoming publications will be subject for a future episode, in which I am going to talk about reciprocity, long exposures at night and the connection between social media and the Schwarzschildeffekt - so, reciprocity failure it is.

If this email gets to you by surprise, then probably because you subscribed to my newsletter a while ago on my website. If you’re here via Substack, please feel free to check out my homepage here. Older blog entries are available in English and I promise that I am also going to update my portfolio any time soon and make it my personal Instagram. Like so many others I am tired of Meta, not only because Zuckerberg’s head smells like Trump*s ass. Enough of that, let’s go ahead and get back to topic.

I am totally of the opinion that camera gear does not matter. Ultimately the result is what counts. However, and as always, there are two sides of the coin. Let me explain to you:

When I look at a photograph, be it digitally on a screen or analog in a magazine, photo book or an advertisement, my brain decides within a fraction of a second, if I like what I see or not. It’s a bit similar to these dating platforms, where you swipe to one side if you dislike someone or swipe or to the other, if you like what you see. I have barely used these kind of apps and I am really proud to truthfully claim, that I have met my wife in a pretty analog way (and then tracked her down on Facebook because I was too shy to ask for her number). If you wanna know more about that, I might create a new substack “Love letters from Hansi”. Just kidding.

Seriously: If I like a photo I take a second look. And a third. Why do I like what I see? Composition? Light? Colours? Is there a story implemented? Maybe a side story like in one of these street photos where there is so much going on that you cannot get over it. What about layers? Texture? Reflection, abstraction? Does this photo inspire me to try something new? What makes this photo special?

Of course all these things happen subconsciously but they happen in all of us. It’s interesting once you are a little bit aware of this.

After a photo has gone through all these instances inside my weirdly wired brain I might think about the photographer who took the photo. What were her or his intentions? Were there any at all? Can I recognise just by the look of the photo, who took it? Where has it been taken? Is there a specific handwriting, a photographic language?

Then and no earlier, when all these things have been processed, I might ask myself about the equipment or gear that has been used to produce this image. In an ideal Instagram world, I would then have checked the hashtag section, as if it was all truth what’s in there. But since I already decided to like the photo, it totally doesn’t matter anymore, if it’s digital, analog, shot on a Leica or an iPhone.

However gear matters for my own photography. I am not a camera collector by any means, on the other hand I am not exactly a - what you call - one camera, one lens guy. I do have certain gear for certain moments, there’s also a very emotional aspect to it.

So in the following I am going to give you an overview about my emotional status and why I have different cameras for different moods - unfortunately I have more moods than cameras/money for cameras. This is not a comprehensive list, no flex, no nothing, I just talk about the cameras, that make me happy, in no particular order.

I have a point and shoot camera. I let this camera slide into my pocket, whenever I am not sure if I want to photograph at all or if I have enough dedicated time to do so. In fact if we as a family go somewhere by car, I always have it with me sitting on my lap. I have had several models over the years and of course the one’s with a built in Zeiss lens, like the Contax or Yashica T’s and Olympus Mju’s, deliver incredibly sharp images, but I also have/had other models that catch the vibe and do the job.

Since the concept of a point and shoot camera is to - drum roll - point at something and shoot, using these kind of cameras is very intuitive and the results usually look very alive. a bit like movie stills. Here’s a few pictures from a family road trip from Berlin to Disneyland in Paris all shot on a Contax T2:

all Portra4oo except the last two being Santacolor100

Another camera that really makes me happy is the mighty Pentax 67. The camera’s mirror slaps harder than Will Smith at the Oscar awards and makes everyone around you think, that they are f*cking with a pro photographer. I quit my gym membership after I got that camera, as it is so damn heavy. I mean…look at it, you can literally feel my arm trembling:

I only got this camera because of one lens and that is the Takumar 105/2.4. The level of background separation achievable with this massive piece of glass is second to none. It is not just the separation itself, it is the - I call it - 3d pop. I was crazy enough to lug around not only the point and shoot cam through Disneyland, I also had my hand around that wooden grip for quite some time and took these photographs:

Kodak Gold

Ektar 100

Portra 800

Ektar 100

I wouldn't recommend the Pentax 67 as the perfect camera for a family vacation - in fact it can be a reason for divorce. We are still together though… That beast belongs on a tripod connected to a shutter release cable. However if you don’t open the aperture too much and don’t go slower than 1/125th of a second you can get reasonably sharp results. At least that’s what I figured out.

I usually bring this camera when I am taking photographs for my project. A few times per year I drive around through the lovely state of Brandenburg in the eastern part of Germany to document the obvious and hidden beauty. The decay, the abandonment, the nature, the silence. That is where this camera really shines:

Kodak TMAX 100

So the Pentax 67 is my go to camera for projects. My me-time camera. My reminder to take care of myself every once in a while-camera. But what about my favourite camera, my soulmate buddy?

Let’s move on and talk about the elephant in the room. I am a Leica guy. Take it or leave it, I don’t care. I am neither obsessed nor a fanboy and I am 100% aware that any other camera brand could do the job the same way and most likely better. But somehow and quite early in my photographic path, I became financially very irresponsible and got me a Leica, after having had a glass of red wine (too much), watching a YouTube video of Joel Meyerowitz wandering the streets of New York City, one eye on the viewfinder, the other observing the surrounding people, who might eventually walk into the frame, and do miraculously something super interesting. I totally thought, that I could be like him, if I only get this camera. I completely blended out the fact that I am extremely shy when it comes to getting closer to people and…I do not live in New York City.

However, the minimalism of a Leica M cameras really helped me focusing on compositions instead of settings. It took me a while to get used to it, but up to this day, the photos that I love the most have been taken with a Leica. No matter if it’s holiday, work or the delivery room. Everywhere:

Summilux 35

Portra 800, Summicron 35 lV

Summilux 24

JCH Streetpan400, Summilux 35

Kodak Gold 200, Summicorn 35 lV

Cinestill800T, Zeiss Biogon 35/2.8

Summilux 24

Ilford HP5, Summicron35 lV

Kodak T-Max400, Summilux 35

Kodak Gold, Zeiss Biogon 35

Summilux 50

Oh, so you’re still here? Thank you for staying with me. Apparently all good things come to an end but what is the answer to the question if gear matters? Ultimately yes. You have to have a tool, which you like to use. If that’s your smartphone, your eye tracking, dual autofocus flagship camera or your dad’s old Zeiss Ikon. That’s all fine, as long as it makes YOU happy.

What rocks your boat? I am curious to know.

Your gear buddy,

Hanno