Ben Berkowitz

See here’s the thing. Ever heard of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or G.A.S. for short?

It is a mania among photography enthusiasts to buy more stuff. All manner of stuff, no matter how unnecessary or how expensive.

It can verge on an obsession, really. Why do you think gear review videos do so well on YouTube? Why do you think I’ve watched almost thousands of them?

Anyway, that’s how I ended up sitting at a computer at 1 a.m. today, arguing with myself over whether or not I needed a Fuji X100VI, their new high-end point-and-shoot camera that had just gone on pre-order that moment.

I put it in the cart. I yelled at myself. I closed the tab and walked away. I walked back and said, eh what’s the harm, let me just see if there are any YouTube videos. (The influencers get new cameras weeks before they’re announced so they can drop review videos simultaneously with launch.)

“Almost perfect.””Nearly everything we wanted.” “Massive hit.” Yeah yeah ok, sure, but I still don’t need one.

And then I came to Kai W himself. Kai Man Wong. Been reviewing gear online for 15 years, nearly a million followers, beloved for his snark.

“I don’t often say it – in fact I don’t think I’ve ever said it – but if you think you might like this camera, just go ahead and buy it.”

Kai you absolute street pusher you. What else was I supposed to do but click the button?

And now I await delivery of a camera I don’t need and shouldn’t have bought, while I eagerly check eBay every few minutes to see if I can flip it for a small profit instead of having to return it in shame.

Heck of a thing, willpower.