More Megapixels, More Problems

More Megapixels, More Problems
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More
Megapixels,
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October 14, 2015 By Eric Kim
Stockholm, 2015. Film Leica shot

on Tri-X pushed to 1600
Dear friend,
It is 7:20am in New Orleans,
and I just downed a Miss
Tracys Addiction (Double
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ERIC KIM BLOG

Addiction Co!ee and Im
feeling good. Had a nice chat
with Dave, the barista here,
and ready to do some writing
to share with you some ideas.
Just as a random note, I was
thinking about this article
for the last day, and woke up
super-early for you (6:30am
after sleeping at 1am),
because I felt it could be of
use for you.
Im currently staying at an
Airbnb with my friend Todd
and Neil, and Chris (new
friend, who is also a
workshop participant at my
week-long street
photography workshop here
in New Orleans). All three of
them have the new Sony
A7RII (the 40+ megapixel
monster), with Neil and
Chris bringing both of them.
When the camera "rst got
announced, there was so
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like the dream camera: 40+
megapixels (almost a
medium-format digital
camera), full-frame, small
size, M-mount adapter,
high-ISO capabilities, faster
autofocus, and these other
features. I remember
thinking to myself, This
might be a better solution
than getting a digital Leica
M240. I lusted after the
camera for about a few days
and daydreamed about
getting one, and then I
thought to myself: No Eric,
what are you thinking. Dont
waste money on a camera
you dont need. Be happy
with your Ricoh GR, which
is much lighter and
convenient to use. So I
banished the thought from
my mind.
Anyways, Todd and Chris
have the Sony A7RII, and I
had no real desire to use the
camera. I thought to myself,
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have gotten pretty big 1218
prints o! of 2-megapixel
scans from my "lm camera,
and they looked great.
The other day, we had co!ee
at Cafe Du Monde (the most
famous beignet and co!ee
shop in New Orleans), and I
hooked up my homie Simon
who is attending the
workshop with my Ricoh GR
to test out. He brought a
bulky DSLR and was
thinking of trying a smaller
camera, and I o!ered him my
camera to test for the day.
Long story short, he fell in
love with it, and will be using
it for the rest of the week.
I then needed a camera, so I
asked Chris if I could borrow
his Sony a7RII to shoot with
for the day (he also has a
Fuji"lm x100T). I then
walked around with them in
the Frenchman market, and I
took some street portraits of
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The a7RII is a solid camera,
and I think for the money, it
is a much better value than
the Leica M240. But honestly
at the end of the day, I used it
for about an hour, and was
over the camera. Compared
to the Ricoh GR, it felt like a
brick, and I dont think the
photos look that di!erent on
the screen at the end of the
day.
So I downloaded the RAW
"les at the end of the day,
and processed the images.
None of the shots I took that
day were any good, but the
thing that surprised me most
was this: on my screen
(zoomed out) I couldnt tell
any di!erence between the
Sony A7RII and the Ricoh
GR. Of course if you zoom
in 100% you can see massive
amounts of detail with the
A7RII, but do you really
need all of those megapixels?
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landscape photographers
who blow up their photos for
billboards and whatnot, but
for us street photographers,
it is totally unnecessary. If
anything, if you are
interested in Sony, I would
much recommend the Sony
a7SII that is coming out
(fewer megapixels, but
insane high-ISO
capabilities).
New Orleans, 2015. Sony a7RII

and 40mm Voigtlander lens
I then returned the Sony
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More megapixels,
more problems.
When I was working on the

"nal draft of the free e-book:
Learn From the Masters of
Street Photography I
needed a laptop. Believe it or
not, all of the rough drafts
were designed on an iPad air.
I also wrote 90% of the book
on Evernote on my
smartphone. I havent owned
a real laptop the last 2
months (ever since I got my
laptop stolen in Paris), so I
"nally succumbed, took a
trip to the Apple store, and
picked up a 13 MacBook
pro).
Even with this maxed-out
specced MacBook pro (13
Retina, 16GB, 3.1 gHz i7
processor), processing the
Sony A7RII "les took quite a
long time in Lightroom CC.
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myself, if I ever owned a
camera like this, I would
have to waste money buying
an (even) faster computer
(probably a desktop), tons of
hard drives, and other
additional complications
that happens with huge "les.
Why do we need so many
megapixels? Honestly 99.9%
of us dont (especially us
street photographers). At the
end of the day, it is a
marketing ploy. We
Americans love more. Big
Starbucks co!ees, big SUVs,
big-ass houses. More is more.
But honestly friend, at the
end of the day, be happy with
the camera and equipment
you already own.
I recently gave away all of my
cameras to friends who
needed them more than me,
and also donated them to
people in need. I am not
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y o u c a n n e ve r s h o o t m o r e
t h a n o ne c a me r a at o nc e .
I got this idea from some
Roman philosopher I read
who told the following story
(I am paraphrasing):
There was once a
fabulously wealthy
king with
thousands of villas
all around the
kingdom. But one
day he woke up
with the frustration
that no matter how
rich he was, he
could only ever
sleep in one of his
ivory-crusted and
golden beds at
once.
Dont get me wrong, I love

my material possessions. I am
a sucker for advertising,
brand names, just like any
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However, having more stu!
in our lives creates more
complications. More
megapixels means more
money spent on hardware
(laptops, desktops, hard
drives) and more headaches.
Kind of like how Biggie
Smalls said:
Mo money, mo
problems.
More money = more stress

from dealing with how to
invest your money. More
money = worrying that your
taxman or accountant is
stealing your money. More
money = family always
asking you for money, and
friends trying to kiss ass to
get at your money. Just think
about all the people who
have won the lottery in the
past whose lives have been
absolutely ruined.
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I am not grateful for what I
have. I always want more.
Ironically enough, t he key t o
h a p p i n e s s fo r m e h a s b e e n
t h e a vo i d a n c e o f
u n h app i ne s s , wh ich h a s
b e e n a c c o m p l i s h e d by
s ubt r act i ng (not add i ng)
t h i n g s i n my l i f e .
One of the biggest takeaways
I got for traveling in Europe
for 3 months with just a tiny
backpack (ThinkTank
Perception 15) is that I dont
need a lot of physical
possessions for me to be
happy. Honestly at the end of
the day, even a laptop is
optional at this point. I was
able to make do with just my
smartphone, camera, 2 pairs
of clothes (quick-drying
ExO$cio boxers and
UNIQLO Airism shirts), one
pair of shoes, and one pair of
quick-drying shorts. The
fewer physical possessions I
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could walk around all-day
without any strain and
frustration), and more energy
to spend time with my
friends and loved ones.
Another thing: when we got
back from Europe, Cindys
younger sister Jennifer
needed a car, so we gave her
our car. So we have been
car-less for about a month,
and it has been the best thing
in life. I have had a car since I
was 16, and have always been
a sucker for cars. But
honestly after getting rid of
our car, I have been walking
more, taking more photos,
shopping more locally,
saving money (not buying
tons of crap at Costco), and
getting to know people in the
neighborhood.
At "rst I was afraid: but how
can I see my friends and
loved ones? Ironically
enough I have found that my
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ERIC KIM BLOG

Berkeley to see me. So
problem solved.
Sorry friend, I got a little
distracted but to get back
to the point at hand, I think
a not he r s e c r et t o h app i ne s s
i s not t o f u l " l l a l l o f o u r
de s ir e s , b u t t o k i l l de s ir e
c o mplet ely .
Which means not to desire
things that we dont have,
but for u s t o de s ir e t he l i fe
(a nd c a me r a) we a lr e ady
h a ve .
Just try to remember how
much you lusted for the
camera you currently own,
how many camera reviews
you read, and how excited
you were for the camera you
just bought. Dont forget
that, re-live that experience.
Re-read old camera reviews
of your current camera, and
re-inspire your love of your
camera.
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to not change our
circumstances in life (like
quitting our job and
traveling the world), but to
be happy in the life and
circumstances we currently
have. Which means: " nd t he
b e n e " t s o f y o u r d a y - j o b,
a nd s t i l l " nd t i me t o p u r s u e
yo u r p a s s i o n
(phot o g r aphy ). I dont think
we should just quit our jobs
that we hate. Rather, we
should be satis"ed with the
jobs we have, and "nd some
time before work, during
lunch-time, after work,
weekends, to make time for
our photography. I think for
most people, it is better to
have a secure full-time job
(provides you security, rent
money, money to travel, buy
photo books, and
experiences) while pursuing
your photography as a
passion (and not to
prostitute the type of
photography you love to
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And at the end of the day,
Im not telling you to never
buy anything. We need to be
realistic and normal human
beings need (some)
possessions in life in modern
society. Also it is foolish to
keep any digital device for
longer than 5 years for the
sake of it. There are
necessary times to upgrade
your things in life.
But what I want to tell you is
this: if you have an alreadycapable camera in
photography, kill any sort of
desire to upgrade your
camera with more
megapixels, more functions,
more buttons because it
will just add more
complications for your life.
If you have a 5-year old bulky
ass DSLR and you want to
reduce your weight, I
recommend buying a Ricoh
GR (not the new one which
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s a ve d m o n e y t o b u y
e x p e r i e n c e s , t r a ve l , a n d
e du c at io n .
Mo n ey c a n b u y yo u
h a p p i n e s s o n l y i f yo u
s p e nd it o n exp e r ie nc e s ,
not s t u ! .
I also dont say any of this to
sound like I am on some
high-horse. To be honest, I
am still a%icted with GAS
(Gear Acquisition
Syndrome). But whenever I
desire a new camera, it is
because I feel dissatis"ed
with my photography and
creative abilities and I tell
myself, Eric, if you just
bought that new camera, it
would open up all these
creative possibilities for
you.
But that is bullshit.
The true secret to creativity
are constraints, or creative
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forces us to be hungry and
creative for solutions.
Think about it: all of your
friends who were fed with a
silver-spoon and never
su!ered in their life are
any of them super-successful
entrepreneurs? No, most of
them are playing World of
Warcraft and stuck in
middle-management at
boring corporations.
The real innovators are the
ones who have had struggle
in life, "nancial woes,
restrictions and had to
innovate out of necessity.
For me, I am glad that I grew
up in poverty (not
knowing if my mom would
be able to pay the rent money
because my Dad gambled it
away). Growing up poor
meant that I didnt get
everything I wanted, and I
had to work hard and hustle
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hunger and entrepreneurial
drive. Not only that, but I am
so grateful for all the
mentors and guides I had in
life (school teachers, Sunday
school teachers, Boy Scouts
leaders, my tennis coach, and
all of my other adult
mentors) who gave me to me.
I am also grateful to the
American government for
providing me with a free
public education, with
scholarships and loans for
college, and the ability to
easily start my own business.
So now I need to pay my
society back by continuing to
give away free open-source
information to empower my
fellow mankind.
Everyday is a
struggle
Friend, everyday is a struggle
in this battle of life. One nice
quote I read from Seneca
(Letters From a Stoic) is this:
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dancing.
Not only that, but Epictetus
(Of Human Freedom) tells us
along the lines of:
Like a good
trainer, God
matches us up with
di$cult opponents
in life, not to give
us a hard time, but
to train us to
become strong, so
we can make it to
the Olympics and
win.
So no matter how di$cult

your lifes circumstances, be
strong. Know that it is the
hard times, the struggles, the
lack of money, the anxiety of
paying the bills, the lack of
free time, and stresses of life
which make life worth it.
If it wasnt for hunger, would
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would we enjoy the taste of
water? If it werent for
moments of boredom, would
we enjoy the moments of
creativity?
I consider myself as a sick
patient in a hospital just like
you. So let me share some
solutions and medications
that have worked for me:
1. Dont look at
gear-review sites (every
time I visit one of these
sites, I get an urge for a
new camera I dont
need)
2. Re-read old camera
reviews of the camera
you already own (and
re-inspire a passion for
the gear you already
own)
3. Think about what you
can donate and subtract
from your life, rather
than adding things to
your life (more stu!,
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4. D o nt w a s t e mo ney o n
s t u !, b u t e x p e r i e n c e s
(travel, photography
classes and workshops,
taking your loved ones
out to dinner)
5. Memento mori:
remember you are going
to die. Dont live a life
according the rules and
standards of others, but
follow your inner-voice
(no matter how scary
this might be)
6. Shoot as if everyday
were your last (if you
went to bed tonight and
knew you wouldnt
wake up the next
morning, what would
you take photos of, or
what kind of creative
pursuits would you
continue to pursue?)
7. Everyday when you
wake up, scream out
loud: Thank God I am
alive!, have a
double-shot of espresso,
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(and please please
please, do not check
your email "rst thing in
the morning)
8. Ask your local barista or
server What is your
name? and How are
you doing? with a
genuine smile. Treat
them like humans,
nobody ever does.
9. Practice an attitude of
gratitude (rather than
desiring for things we
dont have, let us
appreciate what we
already have, like the
love of our friends,
family, and the
comfortable life we
already have)
10. Everyday uninstall one
app from your phone
(until you are left with
the essentials; this will
help you be more
present in your everyday
life)
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I am still struggling everyday
to be a (less horrible) human
being, and to be less
frustrated as a creative
person (writer,
photographer, teacher).
But as long as we can make a
little progress everyday (1%
everyday) we are both on the
right track.
So friend, stay strong and
know that God (or the deity
of your choice) is always
watching over you and
supporting you. Know that
everything happens for a
reason (even the shitty
things in life), and whenever
life gives you lemons, make
lemonade.
Also know that I will always
be here for you; sharing some
of the ideas that have helped
me along the way. Know that
your friends and loved ones
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are there for yourself. There
is nobody stronger than you,
full of inspiration, creativity.
You are limitless; nothing
can stop you but your own
mental blocks.
So break past those mental
blocks, and create the art
that you were destined to.
Farewell friend.
Love always,
Eric
Wed, 8:04am, at Addiction
co!ee in New Orleans
(seriously try out the Miss
Tracys Addiction next time
you are in town).
As a random note, I am super
excited to start my workshop
here in New Orleans.
Amazingly friendly people
(Southern hospitality is real),
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ERIC KIM BLOG

only city in America that I
feel like I am not in America
(especially here in the French
Quarters).
For my fellow Americans
reading this, traveling in the
states is seriously
underrated. Before you travel
to Europe, come visit New
Orleans you will NOT be
disappointed.
Filed Under: Equipment
Tagged With: gear
acquisition syndrome,
happiness
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More Megapixels, More Problems

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Stockholm, 2015. Film Leica shot