How Steve Jobs Helped Me Organize My Gear
I’m not rich or famous. I don’t have camera companies sending me gear to test.
But over the years, I’ve built a reliable camera collection that works for my needs. Each of my cameras – two DSLRs, two M mirrorless bodies – has a place and a purpose. Kind of by accident, it reminds me of Steve Jobs’ initial Macintosh product strategy after his return to Apple in the mid ’90s.
To explain it properly, I have to show you how I think about all my gear.
The Apple Connection
The first Mac I purchased with my own money was an iBook G4 in 2005 – the accessible, everyday option.
Now, I use an iMac. I have since 2010. As my needs and preferences changed, my computers changed, but I never left the ecosystem. I’ve always been an Apple guy, and remain so to this day.
I’ve done the exact same thing with cameras, and I’ve used an old Apple product philosophy to keep everything manageable.
The Grid
In 1998, after recently becoming Apple’s CEO again, Steve Jobs simplified the company’s product strategy into a 4×4 grid (above): Professional and Consumer on one axis, and Desktop and Portable on the other.
From there, you could easily understand the PowerMac, iMac, Powerbook, and iBook’s place in the market. What did you need – a desktop? A notebook? Professional or consumer?
Here is the product grid, courtesy of 512 pixels:
Two axes, four boxes. Clarity. That was one of Jobs’ hallmarks after his return to Apple (and the resulting products changed both Apple and the computer industry in amazing ways).
Sort of by accident, I’ve applied this product philosophy to my digital camera collection. Here’s how:
- DSLR Pro – Canon 6D: My paid gig workhorse. Weddings, serious shoots, and most of my portrait project work. I pull out the 6D when it has to be right. Plus: 20 megapixels, my highest MP count other than my M6. The Power Mac in this lineup.
- DSLR Everyday – Canon 5D (classic!): This almost-20-year-old camera was once my top-of-the-line pro body because it was full-frame. Now it handles family photos and casual shooting. My everyday DSLR option and the iMac equivalent.
- Mirrorless Pro – Canon EOS M6: The travel and vacation camera. Europe trips, family vacations, and some project work. The M6 offers more manual control and higher resolution than its predecessor, the OG M. It is like the PowerBook on the mirrorless side.
- Mirrorless Everyday – Canon EOS M2: The iBook. Still owned, still used, still earns its spot in the front seat of my car and goes just about everywhere, every day, with me. This is my everyday carry camera.
There are a few exceptions, especially on the film side. I get handed film cameras all the time, so I’ve built up quite the collection. But using this model, you could put my Canon AE-1 in the pro/SLR category, and my Canonet QL17 in the everyday/rangefinder category. Plus my little digicam Canon Powershot, plus plus plus.
Here’s the updated camera version of Steve Jobs’ product grid, based on my use case:
All Canon, All the Time
You may notice that I live entirely in one photo ecosystem: Canon Land.
Just like I use Apple products – Macs, iPhones, etc. – I stay pretty loyal to Canon, and always have. EF lenses, muscle memory, system consistency – I like what Canon has to offer, and I stick to it. It works well for me.
Brand loyalty is about knowing what works for you and growing inside it rather than constantly starting over. It’s the same reason I’ve used Apple products since college: when something works, you build on it.
The Grid Is Alive
My system isn’t frozen. It’s changed over time:
- My Canon T1i used to live in the everyday DSLR spot. It’s gone now.
- The original 5D was the pro body. After I grabbed the 6D, a worthy upgrade when I bought it 12-plus years ago, the grid had to adjust.
- The mirrorless M got upgraded to the M6. Again, the grid adjusts.
My gear earns its quadrant and sometimes loses it. That’s the point. And while it’s not totally logical or neat, it helps keep my cameras organized.
Not everyone needs four cameras. I get it. But even two bodies can fit the framework: your “nice” camera and your “bang around” camera.
By using a system like this, every camera earns its place and has a purpose. Knowing why you own the cameras you own is more useful than owning the best thing – or everything – on the market.
I don’t need the latest and greatest. I just need what works for me.
(Thanks, Steve!)