“I wish I was creative” is a phrase that I often hear.  

Being able to create is a strange and wonderful thing but can be a complete nightmare to be around, I understand that.  The procrastination, the inability to work set, regular hours, the driving need to create at times when it is inconvenient.  All these things get harder to manage as you get older and for anyone married or in a relationship with someone who isn’t creative, it can be challenging, more for them than us as they are never going to get it.

For anyone who knows me, they will tell you that procrastination is something I struggle with.  I know it’s better to do something than nothing or wait until everything is perfect (which often leads to disappointment) before attempting to complete a task.  But knowing it doesn’t mean it is easy to do.

Although the situation is not completely my fault, here’s a conversation I had recently with my long suffering, non creative partner:

Situation: I need a new wide angle lense and some filters for new projects this year.

Facts: 

1.  They are expensive, so I need to make the right decision and so some amount of research is needed. (Procrastination).

2.  I shoot with a Canon camera with a crop lens, which is great at longer telephoto lengths as you get a bit more reach, but at the wide angle, short lengths that I now need, it doesn’t get as wide as the lense says it can.  For this I would need a full frame camera body. 

This has been on my mind for a while anyway as I’ve been using the same camera body for about a decade and an upgrade would be good as things have moved on so much since I bought it, although I am also aware that there is nothing wrong with the body, it still works, its just a little slow and the autofocus isn’t as good as they now are, so these things would be a great help if I could get them upgraded.  But as it all costs money, it’s always been a consideration to spend the money on the lenses, that’s where ‘the experts’ tell you to put the investment. (Procrastination).

3.  This is NOT my fault but Canon and other companies seem to be slowly phasing out DSLR style cameras for the new mirrorless cameras which have now improved so much they are taking over, especially with regard to speed, autofocus, video, weight, and features.  So for the next ten years there will be the new mirrorless cameras and lenses and then the older DSLR cameras with a possible cheaper second hand market for lenses and bodies.  Both are great options. (Procrastination).

4.  You can use the DSLR lenses currently on the mirrorless bodies but they require an adapter which is no problem, so I could keep my lenses and upgrade just my camera body? (Procrastination).  

But then I ask the question, is there a better alternative to Canon for me that is lighter, smaller and more compact, that I can take travelling along and us for working on my dog and equine work? (Procrastination).

I have now gone down the rabbit hole.  I started out looking for a lense, how did I get here?

My partners reply is “Just get the lense you need for now so you’re not wasting any more time”.  

Simple and to the point.

But……..I don’t want to spend a lot of money on a lense for an outdated camera body that I need to upgrade, probably for a mirrorless, maybe with a different company.  

I know, I’ll just have a look at the second hand market…..(Procrastination).

Oh and I also need some filters…….see above, it’s the same journey. (Procrastination).

Time to walk away. (Frustration)

I’ll let you know how this turns out, but it could be a while.