It appeared that I had become seriously afflicted by G.A.S., Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or Gear Lust for short. It also seems true that once the illness takes hold, it can be delayed but not cured. It was time for a new camera.

I traveled all through southeast Asia and beyond with my little Canon Powershot 520 IS point and shoot that fit so nicely into purse or pocket and had a ball with it. This was when I first started to write to my friends and family via my blog, illustrating my tales with images from this camera (or vice versa, illustrating the images with words).

Then I moved back to Canada and to a new camera, the Canon SX50 IS, and a slightly bigger purse. I have loved this camera and still do. It has served me very well. Still fixed lens, it has a very long zoom, good focus and shoots Raw for those who care, which now includes me. It has many features of a DSLR and is known as a “bridge camera”, meaning Canon has expectations that some will make the leap from it to a full interchangeable lens camera. That would be me.

I spent a very long time researching and learning about my options. The camera world is a nightmare of choices – DSLR v mirrorless, Canon v Nikon v Sony v you name it. This sensor size, that processor, this focus system, that movie capability. Throw in reviews of everything and every Tom, Dick and Harry’s opinion loudly proclaimed on a gazillion websites and You Tube channels and the choices are overwhelming.

Finally, it all becomes too much and it feels like too much time wasted. I’m very protective of my time and this was becoming crazy. So…time to pull the trigger (or more to the point, click the shutter) and get out that credit card and place the order.

I had settled on a Canon DSLR and when the box arrived it sat on the counter for awhile as I eyed it warily. I was not excited. Finally I set it up, and for 3 days wandered around getting a feel for it, how it rested in my hand, how it felt to quickly pull it out of my bag, how it acted as my companion on a walk through the trails around the Little Qualicum Falls.

I HATED it.

My camera history. Notice a trend? This shot was taken with my 4th camera, the iPhone, which I almost never use.

Thankfully I bought it through Amazon – no fuss, no muss, within 30 days you just box it and ship it back. They even pay the postage.

So back to the drawing board and the incessant online noise to figure out what’s next. But at least the choice was narrowed down now I knew what I didn’t want.

In the end I chose a mirrorless, a brand new release that I had to wait for, and now, after a few weeks of living with it, I know for sure that it’s NOT going back. In fact, you’d have to physically pry it out of my hands by force for me to part with it.

Will all this make me a better photographer? Will my pictures be better? Will my blog get better? No not necessarily. Taking more pictures and writing more stories is the way through to those particular goals. But a Brand New Toy is the path to Brand New Fun. And no, I will not be posting a gear review to add to the tens of thousands already out there. Now I can turn off all that intertube noise and get on with taking pictures. Until the next outbreak of gear lust, which I trust will not be for many years to come.

Soon the two of us, my camera and I – well Howard too – are off to the Southern Hemisphere for a welcome dose of springtime. Now, to figure out how to use it…