I'm a real sucker for G.A.S, a term that a lot of photographers use that stands for Gear Acquisition Syndrome. It's a terrible disease, where hobby photographers such as myself pour thousands of dollars into photography equipment, particularly gear that has a very specific or niche use. It's a debilitating condition, causing the patient to be surrounded by marvelous examples of precise optical engineering, which in turn makes the patient euphoric with joy (and their loved ones angry because of this month's credit card statement).

I am lucky that I am in a point in my life, where my job pays well, my wife and kids are well looked after, we're not living beyond our means and I have some small disposable income. To which I splurge on things that I think are pretty cool, even if I don't get a chance to use them that often. One example of this, is my new-to-me Bronica ETRSi.

Many moons ago I had bought a Nikon AF-S 200-500mm f/5.6 lens brand new with some Christmas and birthday money, hoping that I could use the lens to dabble in some wildlife and bird photography. After purchasing a tough hard plastic protective case and some insulating foam cut out in the shape of the lens, I stowed this monster of a lens away, ready to be taken out the next time I go birding.

About 3 years go by however, and I haven't really used the lens. I occasionally got it out of storage and played around with it, checking that it still works fine and that there's no mould on the glass. But taking a proper photo with it was something that I hadn't gotten around to doing – until recently.