Watches and cameras?

Watches and cameras hit a similar spot for me. Both are things of the past that have all but lost their reason to exist because they've been superseded by a more convenient solution. They whole idea to design a product to do only one thing feels so different to what people want now.

My relationship to cameras is like the one to watches, I appreciate (too many) different models for their small nuances and slightly different look and feel. I like my crappy digicams as much as my Leicas, the same with watches.

Do you have something similar like watches and cameras for me? Watches and knives? Watches and cars? Watches and guitars? Watches and...?

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Attached to your phone much?  A watch might solve your addiction.

Wait, I have a watch addiction...

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For me cameras are different from watches. Watches are in fact convenient for me as I generally find looking at my wrist to be more convenient than getting out my phone or whatever. However, this only applies to having a watch in general, yet I like having multiple different ones. Also my phone is superior in the quality of showing time as it is always accurate. 

With cameras it's kind of the opposite. It's straight up less convenient than using my phone. However, there are still limits to what phone cameras can do due to their physical size, so dedicated cameras can provide advantages in quality and features. It's not a particularly big advantage anymore as phone cameras are getting really good, but it is there. With cameras, I also don't have the thing that I do with watches where I would want to own many. 

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Oooh yeah, many intersections merging into my eccentric interests.

My arch has been a bit different these past years and one cool intersection I had revolved around a designer I’m a big fan of, Giorgetto Giugiaro.

I have a Seiko designed by him, a Nikon F3 also penned by him and a bucket load of 1/64 scale of his best car designs.

While I only collect watches and 1/64’s, it’s inevitable to relate towards these objects with the same enthusiasm.

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Typewriters, fountain pens, and manual transmissions. The typewriters admittedly don't see all that much use (but they really are handier for many things). Oh, BTW, that singer guy that makes money by color-matching G-Shocks appears in a documentary entitled California Typewriter and makes a wonderful case for why he writes on one. Oh screw it, you don't have to sit through the rest of it (some of the other people are even weirder).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ej338wC02O

As for cameras, I just never really used them growing up. I now have a 30's Kodak Six-20 on my coffee table that I jammed up and can't get the film out of. I somehow overwound the thing or the modified spool of 120 film inside messed something up. The internet seems to have nobody who has had or solved this problem. So it's a very similar experience to vintage watches, in that I'll be finding and funding a repairman at some point.

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Been a photographer for the better part of two decades now and I'm the same when it comes to cameras. I'm a Fujifilm user, so I'm loving the X100F/V in the photo. I've been using the X100T for years. :)

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Watches. German Cars. Fender Guitars for me. 

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kentuckyman30

Been a photographer for the better part of two decades now and I'm the same when it comes to cameras. I'm a Fujifilm user, so I'm loving the X100F/V in the photo. I've been using the X100T for years. :)

I've got the Fuji X100 F. I love it. 

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for me watch and camera doesnt have the same relationship. as a amateur diy photographer im just using my fujifilm x70 to do the job, i dont know the specs, looks, etc if it takes the pict nicely then its okay. but for watches it is far something deeper relationship, im using it and enjoyed it in my hand

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…and golf. All because I really don’t enjoy having too much money in my bank account….

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Watches and cars!

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We share the same passions, bud. Watches and cameras. Over the last decade, I chose to get good quality mobile phones with excellent cameras. But, while maximizing their use, I always pined for a DSLR. Until... my lady just gave me a new Canon DSLR for Christmas. Now I plan to go back to my long-time hobby.  

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Watches, cars and boots/footwear for me. I have my boot and car collections exactly where I want them (air cooled 911/modern 911, gyw boots from viberg, C&J, Alden, etc). For both, it took plenty of trial and error. It's a lot easier to move on from a pair of boots than to sell a car, thats for sure. Still working on my watch collection but I think I'm getting there!

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Watches and what? I haver no idea what you are talking about, I swear all this audio equipment isn't mine!

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OK, you got me here, that's only a small part of the headphone collection that start with a set of  vintage Sennheiser HD424 shown here with the audio setup in the study and ends with the massive audiophile worthy setup in the living room. I pretty much have audio equipment and speakers all over the house.

I also love fountain pens, I don't really collect them but somehow ended with 6-7 of them spread between home, my bag and the office. My favorite is the Kaweco brass sport.

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And driving cars with manual transmission. I can't stand driving an automatic because it literally drives me crazy.

Oh I also forgot double edge razors. I collected quite a few of them before settling on the Rockwell s6.

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I am deep into the micro 4/3 system and have the Panasonic G9, GX9, Olympus Pen-F, EM1 Mk II, and many prime and zoom lenses. My current favorite combo is the G9 with the Panasonic Leica 50-200mm zoom. Panasonic has teamed up with Leica for many of their lens designs and Olympus also has excellent optical designs so the quality of the optics in the system is superb. I mainly take concert photos.

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Neither watches nor cameras have been ”superseded”.  That is a false assumption.

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Definitely into cameras - which is to say I need cheaper hobbies. Been shooting on an A7III for awhile now but always get the itch to try something new. My wife put the kibosh on early for the Q2 - but still so tempting. Also, like many others wanted to try to snag the Fuji X100V… and again like them, stuck staring at “Back Ordered”. Hoping they release the successor next year, and I’ll definitely be first the preorder! 👍

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s_naimpally

I am deep into the micro 4/3 system and have the Panasonic G9, GX9, Olympus Pen-F, EM1 Mk II, and many prime and zoom lenses. My current favorite combo is the G9 with the Panasonic Leica 50-200mm zoom. Panasonic has teamed up with Leica for many of their lens designs and Olympus also has excellent optical designs so the quality of the optics in the system is superb. I mainly take concert photos.

I got started with m43. The panny G9 is a dream for ergonomics! I've had to move in to Sony due to the focus issues, but I loved that camera! 

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I agree that watches and Leicas can offer the same pleasures. It's the quality feel in the hand. The mechanical precision. The feeling of craftsmanship. 

If I did buy a Leica, it would be a film camera likely the m6. Talk about obsolete tech! 

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To me a camera helps me to be a producer of the final prints instead of a watch which is pure consuming from my part. a camera is more like a tool and a watch is more a painting. Ppl argue a watch can be a tool in certain scenarios but for me its an art piece to admire and enjoy since i dont use them in a toolish way. I do see the connection of mechanical film cameras like rolleiflex leica hassy nikon canon to the best watch makers, the attention to details, material (brass w black paint enamel), the fonts on the lens, the mechanica feel due to gears. 

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Thank you all for your replies! 🤝

Seems there are some more hobbies I could get into 😁

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Watches and building things. Stills , boats , cars

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I'm cameras too. And so much other stuff. Tools. Headphones. Video game racing wheels. Etc. 

But I'm very minimalistic. I just buy one and if I want an upgrade I sell the old one. 

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But i somewhat look at it differently. I don't think watches have been superceded - I think watches are tools for the right user who needs that tool. 

I think of myself as a professional watch user just like I am a professional camera user. I use both for work and a watch is a thousand times better than my phone at timing stuff. So much faster plus I still have both hands free for whatever I'm doing.

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ckim4watches

I got started with m43. The panny G9 is a dream for ergonomics! I've had to move in to Sony due to the focus issues, but I loved that camera! 

When they announced the G9, I was uninterested because I was focused on the compact size of the cameras but I was in the camera store when the Panasonic reps were there. As soon as I held the G9 in my hand, I knew I had to get one because of the ergonomics - it just fits like a glove. 

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I feel like I get rolled into the generic male archetype of "cars, watches, and cameras". I originally grew an appreciation for photography when I used a Canon "entry-level" camera T5i (I think that marketing is BS), and finally got my own camera (Canon 80D) to shoot with, now using a Canon R6. 

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I don't quite have the same relationships with my cameras, but I'm considering picking up a point-and-shoot to emulate a more rustic film look. I think the same thread runs through my hobbies--starting off with something new and eventually going more vintage. Pictures for flavor (not my cars). 

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Da_Dutch_Collection

Oooh yeah, many intersections merging into my eccentric interests.

My arch has been a bit different these past years and one cool intersection I had revolved around a designer I’m a big fan of, Giorgetto Giugiaro.

I have a Seiko designed by him, a Nikon F3 also penned by him and a bucket load of 1/64 scale of his best car designs.

While I only collect watches and 1/64’s, it’s inevitable to relate towards these objects with the same enthusiasm.

Ooh, any pictures of these 1/64 designs?

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My family was in the wholesale and retail music business with over a hundred stores in malls across the US. 
Average consumer was 20 and most stores were in military or college towns. 
Napster came along and it was over. 30 years of increased profits each year and it all literally dissolved to nothing in the next three years and then done. 
At least with watches and cameras there are distinct reasons they remain a viable choice. Music has some vinyl lovers but essentially all is digital now just like with tv and streaming video. 
You can’t defeat technology generally. 

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lens.of.ben

Ooh, any pictures of these 1/64 designs?

Here’s one of a Alfa Romeo Giulia Sprint GTV that he designed with 18 years old at Bertone. 

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My grandfather had one of these, he picked it up from the factory in Milan. Apparently that was more common practice back in those days.

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lens.of.ben

I feel like I get rolled into the generic male archetype of "cars, watches, and cameras". I originally grew an appreciation for photography when I used a Canon "entry-level" camera T5i (I think that marketing is BS), and finally got my own camera (Canon 80D) to shoot with, now using a Canon R6. 

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I don't quite have the same relationships with my cameras, but I'm considering picking up a point-and-shoot to emulate a more rustic film look. I think the same thread runs through my hobbies--starting off with something new and eventually going more vintage. Pictures for flavor (not my cars). 

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Speaking of point and shot, I can’t take that little Ricoh GRiiix out of my head. 

Close to 50mm at 2.8f and can actually fit into a back pocket.

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Da_Dutch_Collection

Speaking of point and shot, I can’t take that little Ricoh GRiiix out of my head. 

Close to 50mm at 2.8f and can actually fit into a back pocket.

I've heard a lot of good things about Ricoh's cameras, haven't kept up much with things outside of Canon but I've been looking at their G7X cameras, but the hype has been making those prices soar. That's a cool shot of the Alfa Romeo! Not sure if I'll get into die-cast photography but I still love seeing others' photos and collecting them too.

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For me there is no relationship between watches and cameras.

Watches are jewelry and pure luxury - their "tool" function ended decades ago.  Brand, design, vibe, feel are all important, function matters only so far as it supports the vibe Im after.  Wearing the watch is the most important thing, not the time it tells.

So I collect many brands, many genres, and pick the one Im wearing by feel.

Cameras are still just tools - brand, design, vibe, how they make me feel don't matter - what gets the job done best, reliably, cheaply.  The end photo is all that counts not the camera I carry.

My cameras are all Sony's as they have the most complete system and the lenses, accessories, picture profiles, developing presets are all interchangeable.  Each has a specific role and gets used for that and that only.