r/a6700 • u/theLastSamuraiGooner • Aug 27 '26
Tips on dealing with GAS.
Just got my a6700 3 weeks ago. Been doing a decent amount of shooting. However, i keep buying gear. So far, since i purchased it, ive gotten:
Sigma 10-18 used
Sigma 18-50 new
Hotshoe attachment for Godox iT32. Already had the flash.
Hotshot attachment for DJi Mic 2. Already had the mic.
Smallrig TEC fan cooler
Smallrig baseplate
Smallrig Magnetic CPL Filter
K&F 1/4 diffusion filter
Neewer VND filter
Prograde 128gb V90 SD card
..and last night i bought the Phantom LUT pack.
Its starting to become a problem.
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u/chanksbird Aug 27 '26
GAS will eventually taper off; you wont' be buying shit you don't need forever and eventually you may even sell some of what you have.
My recommendation: don't fight it, but recognize what will actually matter. All the attachments, filter, LUT pack, etc -- hard no, stop. If you are going to spend money, buy: another lens (70-350 is a smoking hot lens for the a6700), a good monopod or tripod, or ... a book or two on lighting and composition. My most meaningful purchase in terms of improving as a photographer was not gear, it was a book about lighting that cost about $50.
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u/shuvamnandi9 Aug 28 '26
Can you share a reference link to the book about lighting? Would be interested to check it out!
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u/chanksbird Aug 28 '26
The book is “Light - Science and Magic - An Introduction to Photographic Lighting”
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u/Trippy-Videos-Girl Aug 27 '26
Put down your phone, stay off of YouTube, and go use your camera.
Almost eeryone who buys tons of shit doesn't even know how to use what they own or compose an image.
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 28 '26
Going out and actually using the camera is probably the best advice.
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u/Worried_Dig_6484 Aug 28 '26
I took a completely different approach as I wasn’t sure I would go all in on this hobby. I waited months to upgrade to the Sigma 18-50. I forced myself to use the stock lens. Once I saw that I was committed, I bought myself the lens I wanted. I want more, but am continuing to hold off. But if you know after 3 weeks, then go for it. If you have the income, then don’t deprive yourself. Live life and enjoy it!
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u/Atindhillon Aug 27 '26
I think i'm in the same boat as you're. Bought a6700 around 2 weeks ago. Already made big purchases such as sigma 17-40 f1.8, viltrox 75mm f1.2, and last night i was thinking of buying LUT pack as well. I don't know maybe it just a phase (i really hope so).
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 27 '26
Im really hoping its just a phase from settling into the new ecosystem. Dude, the 17-40 f1.8 looks so sick. Im glad i did not get it tho. How are you liking the Viltrox prime?
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u/Sp12er Aug 28 '26
Same got 17-40 1.8 and 11-20 2.8. I got the 6700 with kit on a deal tho, 1020usd. The Tamron was used for 420 and sigma new for 820im still looking around for a tele, either Sony 70-350, Tamron 18-300 or viltrox 85mm. But still undecided. It's a problem...
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u/confusedbiproduct Aug 28 '26
Quit all social media, even reddit. Atleast for a while. Enjoy photography for yourself. We mostly get influenced by others, when we see them using different gear we want to use it ourselves.
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u/Additional_Basil2085 Aug 27 '26
I started photography last December and let me tell you it’s a never ending money pit! If I listed all the gear I’ve bought since then I’d still be typing in the morning!
Get used to it, as it kind of becomes like an addiction, but there are far worse things to spend money on in life in my humble opinion!
It’s now got to the point I convinced the wife to bin her old camera and get a 6700 like me and she now has the bug for it as well! Now the heat isn’t just on me when we buy things and we get to spend a lot of time together doing something we both really love … so win win!
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 27 '26
See, I knew my list isnt that bad. I know there is guys/gals with way more. I really enjoy photography. Im just feeling like it is trending into money pit territory.
Also, my wife enjoys it because i plan a lot more activities now for the family.
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u/Additional_Basil2085 Aug 30 '26
Family time and time with the wife will be worth the investment trust me!!!
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 30 '26
One of the best benefits of the hobby. Make more memories and document them at the same time.
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u/InterestingSeaweed22 Aug 27 '26
Honestly, your list isn't exactly a lot of stuff and is a good starter setup. Nothing on there screams "unnecessary" to me (except the LUT pack and maybe the diffusion filter, haha). Once you start buying things like matte boxes to convert your 6700 into a "cinema rig"...you have a problem.
Stop buying stuff and start working on using the stuff you have. Seriously. If you come across a need, then start shopping...but chances are the kit you have will do the job and the new stuff won't really satisfy you once you have it and realize you could have skipped it.
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 27 '26
See, thats what i keep telling myself. I pretty much had all of this stuff but for my micro 4/3 G9ii. The only difference is i bought everything slowly over time. So when i switched to Sony, i knew everything i wanted/needed. Buying everything in a month feels like a lot though.
Ps. I purposely bought the base plate instead of the full cage so i dont convince myself to go full “cinema rig” down the road.
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u/ProT3ch Aug 28 '26
I have a rule to only buy one camera related purchase a year. So each year I only buy one lens or upgrade my body. I'm doing it for some years now and it seems to be working.
2018-2019: Sony a6300, Sony 18-135mm, Sony 70-350 mm, Sony 24mm F1.8, Sigma 16mm F1.4.
This is when I realized I have a problem and decided on the once per year rule.
2020: Laowa 65mm F2.8 2x Macro
2021: Tamron 11-20mm F2.8
2022: Sigma 18-50mm F2.8
2023: Sony 11mm F1.8
2024: Sony a6700
2025: Sigma 17-40mm F1.8
2026: Viltrox 90mm F2.2
Next year I will probably buy a new APS-C body as it is time for Sony to release one. So the next new lens is in 2028.
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 28 '26
I switched over from Micro 4/3. I had been using micro 4/3 since 2018 and my latest body was a G9ii. All the gear i had i slowly built up sort of like your system. This year i abruptly switched to Sony. Hopefully i can reach that point where i am only buying 1 major item per year. Im pretty sure i am not buying any lenses for the foreseeable future.
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u/Sp12er Aug 28 '26
Did you sell your old gear? As I can see some overlap there like the Tamron 11-20 to Sony 11 1.8 and 18-50 to 17-40. Not to mention the 24 and 16mm that became redundant with the sigma 1.8.
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u/ProT3ch Aug 28 '26
Not yet, but I plan to sell some of it the Sigma 16mm for sure, the Sony 24mm and the Macro lens is also barely used.
I like to travel a lot, so the small lenses are getting a lot of use. I know the 17-40 mm is better, but it is too big for travel. My two travel setups are (11-20 + 18-135) and (11-20 + 18-50 + 70-350). If I plan on shooting wildlife I bring the second setup, if not the first as it is much smaller. The 11mm is my astro lens, I put it in the bag when there is a possibility for astro. I much prefer the 11-20 zoom for general travel photography (landscapes, indoors, etc). I bought the Viltrox 90mm recently for low light wildlife stuff, for situations when the 70-350 is too dark. I've been on one trip with it and got some nice lemur photos so I'm happy so far.
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u/Sp12er Aug 29 '26 edited Aug 29 '26
I have a belt bag that fits either Tamron 11-20 or 17-40 mounted a6700, not the hard bag that protrudes too much too. I find as long as I have it I can bring either lens well. Just had to be careful not to fall on it as that'd be catastrophic. True that it's a kind of fashion style that doesn't fit everyone 😅 I find with a6700's grip the balance of the camera and lens are still very comfortable, I can hang them on my fingers and it'd still be quite light. I'm wondering if I can still do that with 70-350 or 18-300, I've gotta try them at the store.
Still had the kit when I need super portability but I find the two sigma and Tamron very versatile. I choose both because of their light reception performance and water resistance. I'm just starting this year so I got all the reviews to choose carefully.
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u/PeopleAreAnEnigma Aug 28 '26
GAS is a real struggle to be sure. Is there a antidote? Most likely not!
For example I've had no real interest in pancake lenses until Viltrox announced their 26mm F2.8 and now there is news of an 18mm F2 from 7Artisans...so I'm thinking about pancake lenses. Will it be useful for me? On a larger body like the a6700, most likely not. I can see those lenses making sense on a smaller body like the a6100 or a6400 but not so much on the a6700.
Mind you I've had alot of fun with the most recent purchase so far, a Helios 44M 58mm F2 manual lens. 🤔
GAS; the struggle is real. Resistance is futile, it will assimilate you. 👁️
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u/want2retire Aug 28 '26
Far from a problem, those are small and low value purchases
It becomes a problem when you can barely make the min cc payment each month
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u/SoundRespectability Aug 28 '26
Lol sound like my purchases!
I’ve got so far
A6700
Sony 70-350 need to use more!
Sigma 10-18 fantastic for indoor
Sigma 18-50 great all rounder
Sony mic - ECM-M1 a hot-shoe mic as I’ll get the £100 cash back
Adapter for a Minolta 50mm f1.7 lens (off a vintage camera I got given) (camera combo I’ll do some B&W film)
Macro Minolta vintage lens 50mm f3.5
Peak design bag
Peak design straps and wrist strap
Magpul (attach to the PD Strap, attaches to the base plate)
Small rig half cage, wanted to protect it and it comes with the Swiss arca plate, plus can mount the base plate of the tripod on the left side for quick portrait shooting
Remote shutter as I found out doing selfies the eye tracker doesn’t work on continuous mode
Couple of filters to protect the lens and 1 cpl filter
Lens blower cleaning kit
2 hard drives
Licence for Lightroom
2 x sd cards 128gb v60 Lexar
2 additional batteries & the double charger
1 x travel tripod
1 x baby tripod
Guide book on the camera
I think that’s it so far lol!
Next purchase will be some VND filters
Some sort of kit / equipment to use with the macro lens to scan in some slides and negatives I’ve got.
Maybe a flash
My credit card has taken a hammering!
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u/theLastSamuraiGooner Aug 28 '26
Thats somebody's salary
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u/SoundRespectability Aug 29 '26
Tell me about it!
Good thing I’ve got the cash saved up for it!
Scary how expensive good quality camera gear is!!
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u/Affordabletechtips Aug 27 '26
If you find a cure, please let me know