Selling most of his camera collection sounds like a crisis. For Noe Alonzo, it became a way to shoot more freely and reignite a hobby he had abandoned for over a decade. He now owns a Canon R5, a Canon film body for analog work, and a Ricoh GR III as his travel camera. His recent trip to Hokkaido demonstrated how much more enjoyable his travels became when he left the R5 at home, eliminating the need to carry multiple camera bodies and lenses.
Alonzo admits he’s never been a heavy gear buyer, but the accumulation of small gadgets and grips still piles up. His lens strategy follows the principle of one lens per focal length. He sold most of his autofocus lenses, retaining only the vintage pieces he truly loves, such as a Pentax 105mm f/2.4 for medium format Fuji and a pair of Voigtländer lenses treated partly as collectibles. Surprisingly, his most-used lens for night photography is the Canon 24-105mm f/4; he often prefers adapted, slower lenses on his Fuji X cameras because they encourage him to slow down and focus on composition.
The one-lens-per-focal-length approach helps combat gear creep by reducing decision fatigue. When he owns three 35mm-equivalent options, he spends time choosing lenses instead of framing shots. This philosophy aligns with the trend among street and travel photographers who use single-camera, single-lens setups. Constraint sharpens creativity more than endless choice, and building a kit around essential needs keeps his bag light and his mind clear.
Beyond cameras, Alonzo discusses feeling drained by the platforms he built on. With the money from selling gear, he picked up his guitar again—a hobby he set aside in 2011 when he moved to Korea. He approaches learning fundamentals methodically, much like he did with photography. His shooting habits have shifted too; now living in the countryside, he primarily photographs during trips to Taiwan, Japan, and Hong Kong, then spends the rest of the year editing and cutting videos from that work.
He’s also upgraded his pocket camera, having sold his previous model to fund a newer one. This approach focuses on swapping and thinning out gear rather than accumulating more. Watching his video reveals how far he trimmed his kit and what remained in his bag.