In our most recent blog we started this series on how guns and photographic equipment are similar, even if at first they wouldn’t seem to be. First of all, we often head out into nature in order to shoot the same thing, whether it’s an animal or a landscape. (And while photographers shoot people, we’d like to ask the gun owners to avoid doing so). Second, they’ve both changed so much from their original incarnations that they’re pretty much unrecognizable from their ancient counterparts. Then we discussed how people love comparing stats on both guns and cameras in a vain attempt at proving that one model or brand is better than another. Finally, we went on to talk about all of the ways that you can take a stock body of both a revolver or a camera and improve them with other products, whether you’re talking about a revolver holster or camera strap to get them around, better optics such as sites or lenses, or speedloaders and flashes to improve performance.
But we have a lot more to say on the subject of how cameras and guns are similar, so we thought we’d take some more time to discuss the correlations between the two hobbies.
There Are Museums
Because both photography and shooting are popular hobbies, people are interested in the history of them. And what better way to learn about the history of your favorite hobby other than visiting a museum? While there are dozens of firearms and camera museums, here are two of our favorites in each category.
For firearms, it’s hard to beat the National Firearms Museum in Fairfax, Virginia and the Buffalo Bill Center of the West in Cody, Wyoming, each of which has more than 3,000 firearms from throughout history on display (with thousands more in the archives, meaning that the exhibits are always changing).
When it comes to cameras, there’s a brand new museum in the Tokyo subway that’s helping Nikon celebrate its 100th anniversary. Another camera museum that’s worth a look is the Camera Heritage Museum in Staunton, VA.
One last thing that connects these two pastimes: the camera museums have cameras that look like guns, and the gun museums have guns that look like cameras! Of course, not every amazing gun is in a museum, because…
There Are Collectors
There are rabid collectors of both cameras and guns. Sometimes people collect a particular brand, sometimes a particular style or caliber, other times they just want it because it looks cool! There are those who collect strange variances (think accordion guns or folding twin-lens reflex cameras). Others want to collect guns or cameras that were pre-World War II, because that was a huge turning point for both. Both German guns and cameras are often of top quality, and both Leica and Heckler & Koch are revered.
What is it about collecting that people like? Part of it is being surrounded by your hobby even when you’re not engaging in it. Putting an old box camera on a shelf or hanging a decommissioned M1 on the wall are ways of constantly surrounding yourself with your interests even when you’re not shooting.
There’s a Big Used Market
Thanks to recent inventions and passion projects, old cameras and guns can be revitalized. The Impossible Project brought back Polaroid film after Polaroid stopped making it. Mirrorless cameras made it easier to adapt old film lenses to modern digital systems. Similarly, vintage ammunition websites allow people to find cartridges that are no longer available, making once-obsolete guns fireable again. And if you can’t find old-stock ammo, you can probably find someone on the internet to custom reload it for you.
Many cameras were luxury items, and people tended to take good care of their guns because their livelihood depended on them (they were also both things that you kept off the table and locked away so that kids wouldn’t mess around with them). Add to that the durability of both of them and you realize that most guns and cameras have held up pretty well over the decades.
You Need The Right Tool For the Right Job
When’s the last time you went duck hunting with a handgun? Ever use a shotgun to shoot an Ibex at 300 yards? Similarly, you’re not going going to shoot a wedding with a small aperture lens or shoot a football game for Sports Illustrated with a point and shoot camera.
What we’re saying is, there’s always the right tool for the right job, and it’s often going to cost you. You aren’t going on an African safari with a $129 Dickenson Arms shotgun from Big 5, and you’re not going to take your iPhone if your safari is about capturing photographs. You’re going to want a high-powered bolt action with a scope or a 500mm f/4. And speaking of big glass…
There Are Optics Involved
Rifle or handgun scopes are all about getting closer to your target. The same is true for cameras. And while those who use scopes aren’t going to be “pixel peeping” to judge the resolution it renders like camera lens fans do, it doesn’t matter as longs as you get the shot.
You Have to Pick and Choose What To Take
There are hunters out there who take week-long hunting trips, and there are photographers who take week-long hikes in order to find that perfect spot or a particular animal. And when you’re on a week-long trip, you need to be choosy about what to take.
In our last blog, we talked about how there are all sorts of add-ons you can buy when you purchase a firearm. On the handgun side there are speedloaders, moon clips, and revolver holsters. On the camera side there are battery grips, eyepiece extenders, and timers. And while it’s nice to have those at home or in the car for when you have a specific need, you have to be choosy about what to take when you’re out and about.
For instance, you might have a .38 speedloader for your Ruger LCR 5-shot and use it all the time at the range. But as cool as it looks, you probably won’t be needing it when you’re out hunting with a rifle. (Elk don’t care how cool it looks or how fast you can reload a sidearm.) Similarly, someone shooting a wedding knows exactly what they’re going to need, and while a remote timer might be cool for one shot, it’s not worth missing 10 other shots while you’re messing with it.
Well there you go, six more ways in which photography and shooting firearms are similar. That has to be all of them, right? Wrong! We’ll be back with a few more next blog, because there are even more than we haven’t mentioned. See you then.