Buying getting WAY out of hand

[ekimeno]

This photography hobby has become an out of control addiction...I must say!

It all started about 3 months ago, when I thought it was about time that I buy a DSLR as I was taking a lot of photos on my p&s... naturally I thought I would further my little hobby by putting down £350 for a 400D and that would be that.

Well, I got the 400D with kit lens and I loved it...thought I'd get some online advice on how to use it and came across a forum known as Talk Photography. Everyone was really helpful and offered loads of cool information... including adding their own photos and what lenses they were using. I thought I'd really need a longer zoom lens to get pictures of birds in trees etc, so off I went and bought a relatively cheap Sigma 70-300 lens.

The lens was great - off I went into the woods and onto the Heath snapping away at every bird and squirrel I could find. I loved it. I then saw some amazing high quality photos of a few people that had used 'L' lenses and suddenly I needed an 'L' to have as a 'walk about' lens. Off to my favourite online shop in Hong Kong I go and I buy a 24-105 f/4 L lens.

I used the lens a few times and fell in love - this was it - nothing but 'L' from now on.... but then I realised that it had only 2 months before bought my first DSLR - I'd already spent around £1000! It didn't matter - I was hooked and money was no object.

I sold an expensive synthesizer I no longer used and used the money to buy a nice Manfrotto tripod and monpod along with bag for the tripod, an upgrade to the flash card I had, extra battery, a 430EX Speedlite flash, ST-E2 transmitter and tonight I just bought a Raynox MSN202 Macro lens for a little insect fetish I'm developing thanks to Alby.

So, in the last 3 months I've calculated my total spending at around £1750 on photography gear and I already have another lens in the pipeline - a 70-200 f/4 L USM for the Tuesday and Wednesday night cycling photography gig I've landed - so that will be around £2150.

At least I've started making inroads to earn the money I've spent back, and I guess the whole point of spending all this was to turn my love for photography into a job at some point. Well, it's happening - at least with the cycling, and I've already sold a few digital images on my website, so, the ball is rolling and the dream has started. I must be crazy, but I love it... just love it! :bonk:

Thanks to all the posters on this forum for helping me realise my dream - you guys totally rock :love:

[Venomator]

I think we have all been through the addiction T shirt bit Mike ... :shrug: ... that's what hobbies are all about after all ... :lol:



Good to hear you are earning already ... ;)


And that you have had some benefit from TP ... :D ... that's more than most of us ... :coat:







:p

[Joe T]

I suffer from NAS :(

[Venomator]

You sure it's not NED Joe ... :suspect:



:D




:p

[dseered]

I feel your pain, last June I bought a 400D, rest is history, I did sell the 400D on though.

[IanC_UK]

Not bad for an apprentice spender ;) you are heading in the right direction though :) hehehehehe

[dod]

you do realise none of us actually take pictures? We're just Canon shareholders :D

[Gofer]

Yeah, put a 1 in front of the 2 and you're somewhere near what I've spent and I know there are many spent much more than I have. Welcome to photocostgraphy.

[Eric Mc]

Three months in and your still on your first body:shake: "Pah" your not even trying yet:razz:

[Veracocha]

Not a competition or anything but here's a few months of total abandonment of responsibility for this new found hobby

40D £765 from Chillimonster
350D £250 from Markyh
100-400 £710 from Mikeyb
7-300mm IS £280 from ?
Speedlite 420 £100 from Crocodile
1.4 x-verter £70 from Condyk
filters/cards £100+ from Various
Tripod + ball head £120Bag £90


It's become ridiculous and so far I have printed 1 picture.:cuckoo:

I am still like a big kid excited at the prospect of getting up at six in the morning to take shots of birds in the garden through a large viewing hole I have sawed through my garden shed.

Now if anybody has a Sigma 10-20 mm lens that they are prepared to let go then please PM me and you too can add your name to the illustrious list of vendors above.

[ekimeno]

Three months in and your still on your first body:shake: "Pah" your not even trying yet:razz:

Yeah - my budget forecast for June says '40D or it's replacement!' Then I'll have two cameras that I can use like guns in holsters - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly style!

que whistling theme song... :tumbleweed::whistling:

[ekimeno]

Not a competition or anything but here's a few months of total abandonment of responsibility for this new found hobby

40D £765 from Chillimonster
350D £250 from Markyh
100-400 £710 from Mikeyb
7-300mm IS £280 from ?
Speedlite 420 £100 from Crocodile
1.4 x-verter £70 from Condyk
filters/cards £100+ from Various
Tripod + ball head £120Bag £90


It's become ridiculous and so far I have printed 1 picture.:cuckoo:

I am still like a big kid excited at the prospect of getting up at six in the morning to take shots of birds in the garden through a large viewing hole I have sawed through my garden shed.

Now if anybody has a Sigma 10-20 mm lens that they are prepared to let go then please PM me and you too can add your name to the illustrious list of vendors above.

Haha - I understand your obsession with photographing birds - I love these little critters. I'm going to set up a feeder on the tree outside my bedroom window - perfect place for sunset din-dins. :nuts:

[fletch5]

i wont go too much into detail, but i spent bout 2500 and lined up the next 3k!! now all i need is the money in the bank to realise it

[Ajophotog]

Good to see a fellow TP member addicted as I am :lol: I don't ever make dosh out of this hobby, reckon I need to start photographing other stuff than macro. :lol:

[ekimeno]

Good to see a fellow TP member addicted as I am :lol: I don't ever make dosh out of this hobby, reckon I need to start photographing other stuff than macro. :lol:

Man, that really surprises me - your macros are in the award winning league! Chuck on a few Paypal 'add to cart' buttons on your site and get marketing - the web is your oyster!

[dseered]

Well I am now without my final Ducati, leathers, Helmet, gloves, winter bike jacket......I still have 2 pairs of Astars SMX2 boots to sell along with Astars GoreTex and my Arai RX7 Corsair..... oh what could I spend that cash on ?

[jounetsu]

Meh, dont worry. You've only spent half a 1Ds Mark III :P

[DinoS]

We should start a thread, so how much have you spent on photography,

Would be very interesting i think.

[tarmac_chaser]

It really is bad. Last year I spent several thousand building up my dream road bike and I thought that would be it. However this year started with a new hobby and it's going a similar way and I find myself selling every thing I don't use that much to fund photography gear.

Enough is enough and I must put a limit to it

[turbotoes]

I don't know about interesting, more like damn scary. And possibly divorce material for some :schtum:

[tarmac_chaser]

I don't know about interesting, more like damn scary. And possibly divorce material for some :schtum:

I don't know how you married guys keep the real numbers from your wives, I really don't!

[grumpybadger]

I've just spend more than that on a second hand camera body :(

[RobertP]

great thread :lol:

[marky_h]

I don't know how you married guys keep the real numbers from your wives, I really don't!

Neither do I, but I manage it somehow :D Top tip for Canon users - whenever she looks at the camera, I make sure I have a finger over the model number, so she can't discern (in my case) when I apparently lost the '3' and the '0' from my 350D :naughty:

[Eric Mc]

I don't know how you married guys keep the real numbers from your wives, I really don't!

I don't bother....I just point out that it's less than she spends on cloths and shoes :lol:

[ekimeno]

Neither do I, but I manage it somehow :D Top tip for Canon users - whenever she looks at the camera, I make sure I have a finger over the model number, so she can't discern (in my case) when I apparently lost the '3' and the '0' from my 350D :naughty:

:lol:

Also, might be wise to use a black or white pen to get rid of the 'L's' on your lenses :beer:

[wez130]

great thread, i've not spent as much sa some but it's still a good amount, and at least 2k worth that our lass doesn't know about, i told her my gitzo carbon fibre tripod and manfrotto head was £30, she doesn't even know about the 24-105L and the sigma 10-20 and other bits and bobs :D Let's just say i keep my secret stash of cash :D

[hairy]

:lol: I can so relate to what you've said here ekimeno; and everyone else in their replys.
There should be some sort of government help for this serious addiction :D

[ekimeno]

:lol: I can so relate to what you've said here ekimeno; and everyone else in their replys.
There should be some sort of government help for this serious addiction :D

Agreed!

Hey, I know in my other two cash munching hobbies (pro audio and cycling) there are forums where they do 'group buys' - I haven't seen one on here yet... I guess when there are only really 2-3 lens manufacturers they don't really need to do this sort of thing. Also, when you can get stuff from Hong Kong for 25% less than here, this wouldn't be feasible???