Photography is an expensive hobby

kennysarmy said:
I work hard, I don't drink or smoke or have any other expensive hobbies...

As long as I have money to spend doing "family things"...then my OH seems happy for me to spend what I do on my kit....

I am always honest, could nt not tell her if I bought something....something wrong in your relationship I think if you have to hide your purchases....

:)
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I'm exactly the same. I always joke about the wife, but in fairness she's happy to support.
 
That's the real trick - finding a partner who'll support you rather than ending up with a money-grabbing shrew...
 
henryf4 said:
How do you all afford your equipment, is it an addiction, do you get nagged by your other half?

I bought a used 5D last week and tomorrow I am purchasing my first L lens with a fellow poster here. My wife almost flipped out when I told her that by tomorrow I would have spent nearly 1.5k in two weeks. :help:
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Just wait till you become henryf2.8! :D
 
Richard Peters said:
Spat tea out reading that :D
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Sorry - it's now three years since the decree absolute and I'm still smarting about all the wasted money...:suspect:

Got an email (first contact since the separation) just after last Xmas from her asking if I was ever going to pay back the 'debt' I owed her - she seems to think I owe her money for the divorce...well she divorced me, so she can poke that one...
Plus no mention of my having given-up my half of the house and contents so her and her adult kids didn't have to move to smaller premises...oh no - £70,000 that act of kindness cost me...
Then she goes on to tell me that my antique gun-collection hadn't been stolen by a work colleague as I'd previously though, but that she'd given it away to a friend of hers and that my £2,000 mountain-bike, which had been 'stolen' from the conservatory, had in fact been donated to one of her cousins...
She even kept the insurance-money from that episode to pay her brother-in-law to build a car-port in front of the house!!!

:bang:

Be-eeeech!!!!
 
Like others I don't smoke, drink but I do have other expensive hobbies few grand of kites and prototype CarbonFibre Boards etc.. :O

My GF rides horses etc.. [you thought cameras where expensive]

Pay the bills what ever left after some grub goes on hobbies :D.

P.S. Being registered blind helps, bigger tax allowence, benefits & disabled discounts :P nom nom
 
Arkady said:
Sorry - it's now three years since the decree absolute and I'm still smarting about all the wasted money...:suspect:

Got an email (first contact since the separation) just after last Xmas from her asking if I was ever going to pay back the 'debt' I owed her - she seems to think I owe her money for the divorce...well she divorced me, so she can poke that one...
Plus no mention of my having given-up my half of the house and contents so her and her adult kids didn't have to move to smaller premises...oh no - £70,000 that act of kindness cost me...
Then she goes on to tell me that my antique gun-collection hadn't been stolen by a work colleague as I'd previously though, but that she'd given it away to a friend of hers and that my £2,000 mountain-bike, which had been 'stolen' from the conservatory, had in fact been donated to one of her cousins...
She even kept the insurance-money from that episode to pay her brother-in-law to build a car-port in front of the house!!!

:bang:

Be-eeeech!!!!
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If that were me I would be in prison right now.:D
 
We're not all like that guys!

I paid for our house, I bought my other half a car..............so if I spend a few bob on the photography, at least it is in proportion to what I spend on my family.
 
Arkady said:
Sorry - it's now three years since the decree Then she goes on to tell me that my antique gun-collection hadn't been stolen by a work colleague as I'd previously though, but that she'd given it away to a friend of hers and that my £2,000 mountain-bike, which had been 'stolen' from the conservatory, had in fact been donated to one of her cousins...
She even kept the insurance-money from that episode to pay her brother-in-law to build a car-port in front of the house!!!


I would report her to the insurance company for fraud.
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too late now - that was four years ago...no way to prove it one way or another...I'd know my bike, but without any reciepts etc...
 
my partner Liam has been working overtime every week for the last two months to help me afford my D700 - he could not be more supportive, considerate and loving regarding my passion - its not a hobby though, definatly a career move :)

I think it helps that i have been getting more and more photographic paid jobs, he understands my needs and helps me whenever he can

cant fault him really!
 
very rarely drink (like maybe 3 times a year!)
never ever smoked
don't do drugs
hubby has an obscene amount off basses and stuff to go with them

I can't work anymore (health) so I needed something creative to abuse (cause I can't draw/paint/play my instruments anymore) and that I could jump into, photography was just there, staring me in the face. Love it but I do get frustrated when I look through my pics and think "they're not good enough..." or whatever. Still though, I'm at the begining of my photography creativity and I'm not doing too bad considering.

Hubby doesn't mind me buying photography gear, so long as I use it.
 
miurasv said:
You must have some Nikon lenses already having the D60 so if you were considering the 5D MK11 why not get the D700?
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Only have the kit 18-55 and and old 50mm 1.8.

No extras like flashes etc.

I want video capability as well (ducks for cover) so it was D300s or 5d mkii, or 7D. However, after thinking about it, I want to get into wildlife so the weather proofing on the nikon is a big plus.

Just need to talk the other half into saying its ok :bat:

lol
 
I am back on the computer now, the last few days I have been making tea, doing household chores, generally been a good boy for my other half. :love:

The down side is I have to buy her a chanel handbag for xmas. I could have bought a 70-200 2.8L for the price she is looking at. :shake:
 
henryf4 said:
I am back on the computer now, the last few days I have been making tea, doing household chores, generally been a good boy for my other half. :love:

The down side is I have to buy her a chanel handbag for xmas. I could have bought a 70-200 2.8L for the price she is looking at. :shake:
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you better have a chat with my wife.

she will tell you what expensive hobbies are.....
 
Its one of those hobbies that can be hellishly expensive but dont have to be,an Astra will get you from A-B just like a Ferrari it might just be a bit harder and slower.The same applies to a 450D and kit lens as opposed to a 1DS and L lens
 
My opinion is it's always been expensive for top end gear.

The biggest saving is the digital format, in the 80s and 90s it'd cost £4-£5 for a 36 exposure film + the same again to develop it plus you wouldn't have a clue what you'd taken for a week.
In the 80s i'd probably shoot 200 pictures at an airshow, now I can do 5x that for free and only print the ones that are worth printing so in the long run I think it's cheaper now to actually take pictures than it's ever been
 
henryf4 said:
How do you all afford your equipment, is it an addiction, do you get nagged by your other half?

I bought a used 5D last week and tomorrow I am purchasing my first L lens with a fellow poster here. My wife almost flipped out when I told her that by tomorrow I would have spent nearly 1.5k in two weeks. :help:
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I dont think it is to be honest, before photography I was into cars and they were nothing special but taking into account modifications, tyres, trackdays etc; photography pales into comparison! One year I lost about 37k+ (taking into account mods etc) on a car within 8 months. Ok that may be a little extreme but I'm fairly sure that anyone who has owned car(s) on a much lesser level can testify that in reality you spend and lose k's, k's and more k's over the period of car ownership.

Thats why I'm pretty grateful I've lost the car bug and am now into my photography. :D

Also what absolutely amazes me with photography and associated kit is the complete lack of depreciation compared to other gear.
 
wack61 said:
My opinion is it's always been expensive for top end gear.

The biggest saving is the digital format, in the 80s and 90s it'd cost £4-£5 for a 36 exposure film + the same again to develop it plus you wouldn't have a clue what you'd taken for a week.
In the 80s i'd probably shoot 200 pictures at an airshow, now I can do 5x that for free and only print the ones that are worth printing so in the long run I think it's cheaper now to actually take pictures than it's ever been
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Yep, this is the one that I use. I've been home processing and printing for 16 years or so and now I've gone digital she's got a bedroom back and there's no smell of stale stop bath hanging around the place. I also tell her a lot of stuff is 'trades' and simply lie about the prices of the rest so it's reasonable easy for me.
 
My wife is extremely supportive and is well aware of how many thousands the togging kit cost. She doesn't have any hobbies of her own, so I just make sure I treat her to some expensive stuff every now and again. :)
 
My missus is great very supportive .
I only get gear when I think I really need it though.
She has already said that I can get the new Canon 100mm IS macro :clap:
will take me a while to save up though
Pete
 
Arkady said:
Sorry - it's now three years since the decree absolute and I'm still smarting about all the wasted money...:suspect:

Got an email (first contact since the separation) just after last Xmas from her asking if I was ever going to pay back the 'debt' I owed her - she seems to think I owe her money for the divorce...well she divorced me, so she can poke that one...
Plus no mention of my having given-up my half of the house and contents so her and her adult kids didn't have to move to smaller premises...oh no - £70,000 that act of kindness cost me...
Then she goes on to tell me that my antique gun-collection hadn't been stolen by a work colleague as I'd previously though, but that she'd given it away to a friend of hers and that my £2,000 mountain-bike, which had been 'stolen' from the conservatory, had in fact been donated to one of her cousins...
She even kept the insurance-money from that episode to pay her brother-in-law to build a car-port in front of the house!!!

:bang:

Be-eeeech!!!!
Click to expand...

Bit silly putting that in an email.
Trip to the police/insurance company?
 
razor777 said:
I dont think it is to be honest, before photography I was into cars and they were nothing special but taking into account modifications, tyres, trackdays etc; photography pales into comparison! One year I lost about 37k+ (taking into account mods etc) on a car within 8 months. Ok that may be a little extreme but I'm fairly sure that anyone who has owned car(s) on a much lesser level can testify that in reality you spend and lose k's, k's and more k's over the period of car ownership.

Thats why I'm pretty grateful I've lost the car bug and am now into my photography. :D

Also what absolutely amazes me with photography and associated kit is the complete lack of depreciation compared to other gear.
Click to expand...

We had a guy used to change his car every year or so when he got bored, usually performance cars (Scooby, Evo, Golf GTI, monero, Focus ST, Astra VXR, Monero VXR etc) plus mode them.

In 8 years we worked out he's lost £130k in depreciation
 
As long as my wife can spend money on fishing gear I can spend money on camera gear! like a mutual understanding.
 
my wife asked how much i was going to spend on one i said you dont wont to now and she said ok i love my wife .i spent 20 hrs plus on the net looking at prices before i payed out some off the stuf i got cheeper than ebay secondhand prices
 
Byker28i said:
We had a guy used to change his car every year or so when he got bored, usually performance cars (Scooby, Evo, Golf GTI, monero, Focus ST, Astra VXR, Monero VXR etc) plus mode them.

In 8 years we worked out he's lost £130k in depreciation
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Easily done. It recently cost me £20,000 in depreciation to cover 8,000 miles in my last purchase.

Still deciding what to do with the car. If someone wants a bargain....


Kev.
 
I havent read through all the post but for me personally it all started when I wanted to upgrade my old point and shoot... one thing led to another and now I have two bodies and a great selection of lenses... Kit is forever growing and the best thing is its all getting used... Did go through a phase where I didnt use it but I have kept a spread sheet of every penny I spent and that soon got me motivated to keep using it :lol:

***EDIT***
Just read a a few posts, im not married yet but it seems to be a contributing factor :lol: to how much people spend
 
kennysarmy said:
I work hard, I don't drink or smoke or have any other expensive hobbies...

As long as I have money to spend doing "family things"...then my OH seems happy for me to spend what I do on my kit....

I am always honest, could nt not tell her if I bought something....something wrong in your relationship I think if you have to hide your purchases....

:)
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The last bit here I totally agree with.

The rest pretty much sums me up really. I don't smoke or drink.

It does help my other half being a wedding tog though - although he shoots Nikon.

There are other hobbies that are just as expensive. I.e people who adore fashion would spend the same amount (if not a lot more) as I just spent on my 300mm, on a handbag.

It has taken me 7 years to get to the level of kit I have now, and I am extremely proud to have what I have.
 
Byker28i said:
Bit silly putting that in an email.
Trip to the police/insurance company?
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What amazed me more that was in the same breath she still asked about me paying her the supposed £500 from the final month that we had the joint mortgage...:cuckoo:
This was after I'd had my name removed from the deeds to the house - she still expected me to pay half the mortgage even though we were seperated and my name was no longer on the paperwork...derrr...
I pointed out that the house was now hers to dispose of as she wished - I gave up my claim to half the property-value and contents...
I thought I was doing her a kindness...evidently she thought otherwise...
 
There's always a few bad apples. Luckily I seem to have a good one that puts up with me :D
 
BalSanghera said:
***EDIT***
Just read a a few posts, im not married yet but it seems to be a contributing factor :lol: to how much people spend
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Possibly.
Both my wife and I have decent jobs, and no children. She says I can spend what is reasonable at the moment, as someday hopefully we may not be in such a good position.
Makes me worry a bit!
 
My OH does not moan at me for spending what spare cash I have she earns a lot more than me and I do have a guilt trip when I order but she sees how happy and useful it is to have decent camera gear.

I do not have a contract phone, car or Sky TV think how much that saves you right away
 
kevshore said:
Easily done. It recently cost me £20,000 in depreciation to cover 8,000 miles in my last purchase.

Still deciding what to do with the car. If someone wants a bargain....


Kev.
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i'll have it as long as it cost 22k new :D

Byker28i said:
We had a guy used to change his car every year or so when he got bored, usually performance cars (Scooby, Evo, Golf GTI, monero, Focus ST, Astra VXR, Monero VXR etc) plus mode them.

In 8 years we worked out he's lost £130k in depreciation
Click to expand...

My next door neighbour does that, he's had a subaru STi, Evo 9, currently has a civic type R, now he's looking at a Jaguar XF , does it on the PCP so he thinks he's saving money, doesn't see that all he's doing is paying the depreciation, oh and he can'y use it as he has it on very low miles to keep the rental down :bonk:
 
The difference between spending £5K on lenses and £5K on handbags and shoes is that in a pinch, if you need the money, you can resell the lenses for 80% of what you paid for them new. Try doing that with handbags and shoes.
 
wack61 said:
My next door neighbour does that, he's had a subaru STi, Evo 9, currently has a civic type R, now he's looking at a Jaguar XF , does it on the PCP so he thinks he's saving money, doesn't see that all he's doing is paying the depreciation, oh and he can'y use it as he has it on very low miles to keep the rental down :bonk:
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It's actually a good way of getting cars depending on your attitude towards the outlay. From the moment I bought my first car I decided that a certain amount per month would always be the 'car fund' and wasn't interested in owning and running into the ground.

By doing that the selection of available cars for say £500 a month isn't directly related to their cost but how well they depreciate, meaning that if you choose correctly you get more bang for your buck. Suddenly a 5 Series BMW can cost the same each month as a Mondeo on HP and you get to change it semi-regularly. Just depends on what you're happy with I guess.

EDIT: That said, the choice of cars your neighbour has isn't too clever on the PCP front. Especially the scooby!
 
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