Affording gear

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ronnus

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Probably been asked before, but how do all the hobbyists out there afford top-quality gear?

I think its accepted that photography is a wallet-draining hobby, and that pro gear costs serious cash which can hopefully be recouped via business, but the idea of me, with my camera skills (and wages heheh) running around with a D3/1D and a bag of fast pro lenses is insane.

I've recently totted up my expenditure on camera gear that I've bought and sold, and was fairly shocked to find it over £2K. I appreciate that this isn't even the price of a pro body, but it's a lot to me :eek:

So come on, how do you afford it, hobbyists? You know who you are! :D
 
ronnus said:
Probably been asked before, but how do all the hobbyists out there afford top-quality gear?

I think its accepted that photography is a wallet-draining hobby, and that pro gear costs serious cash which can hopefully be recouped via business, but the idea of me, with my camera skills (and wages heheh) running around with a D3/1D and a bag of fast pro lenses is insane.

I've recently totted up my expenditure on camera gear that I've bought and sold, and was fairly shocked to find it over £2K. I appreciate that this isn't even the price of a pro body, but it's a lot to me :eek:

So come on, how do you afford it, hobbyists? You know who you are! :D
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Nobody (except a very few) can actually afford the stuff...but addiction is what it is ;)

p.s. never EVER tot up expenditure, therebe lies madness
 
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TinaC said:
Nobody (except a very few) can actually afford the stuff...but addiction is what it is ;)

p.s. never EVER tot up expenditure, therebe lies madness
Click to expand...

Loving that :clap:

But I've made the mistake already, AND I excluded accessories :suspect:

Twizzel said:
Student loan for the majority of it (bought my 40D, 10-20 with it), and I got my canon 70-200 as a Christmas present from the parents.
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Not being funny, but when I had a student loan I needed to use the money to live off :D
 
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I don't smoke, I barely drink and I've even stopped chasing wild, wild women! my only real extravagance is a motorbike but even that is a relatively cheap one even though I did buy it brand new.

When possible, I go for the cheaper option, hence Sigma zooms rather than the Nikon ones.
 
I am not hobbyist now but I had the top end gear before I went full time freelance and soemthing that really bugs me is when people turn round and say..

'yeagh but we cant all afford the best gear, we have families and bills'

I really do hate that :(

See the camera in my avatar on the left.. the Olympus.. that was my second camera.. I saved and saved and did a deal on my first digital and bought this second hand..

I then got a canon 10d and did the same.. sold the olympus and bought a second hand canon 10d after saving..

Same theme all the way up.. all second hand.. all wheeling and dealing and all looking for bargains... My last bargain was a peli 1560 case with deviders.. cost about 260 quid new.. i got in new condition for 70 quid off ebay...

I didnt just go out and buy all my gear.. its took me 8 yrs of wheeling and dealing.. although my last few items I ahve bought new through the business i now run.. but its relative.. when canon 1dmkII where the best you could get I had two.. both second hand

heres a little ditty that I would relay to anyone like the OP

About 8 yrs ago I went to a football match down south.. I met a photogrpaher who was laying out his kit.. I did a quick add up in my head and it was about 10k of stuff... (equivelant to maybe 15k+ now)

I said to him I could only dream of owning all that top end gear and thats all it would be is a dream...he said to me.... beleive me.. if its in your blood.. if you have the photogrpahy bug.. you will get it all... and here I am 8 yrs later with it all.. BUT I still do have a want list :)


When you see photogrpahers wiht lots of gear.. dont presume they raided the credit card bought it all then off they go.. some of us have had to do it the hard way :)
 
ronnus said:
So come on, how do you afford it, hobbyists? You know who you are! :D
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Our mortgage is under £80 a month :D

I am past 50 years old and a fair bit of the kit was bought a fair few years ago before the massive price hikes, and several lenses bought used.

A fair bit is worth more now than what I paid for it.
 
I ain't rich by any stretch of the imagination but, if you want some disposable income to play with, then a company car and no kids is the way forward :D
 
KIPAX said:
When you see photogrpahers wiht lots of gear.. dont presume they raided the credit card bought it all then off they go.. some of us have had to do it the hard way :)
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Very similar here although I started off with a minolta dimage 7i:) I've bought most stuff second hand through sales, with the stupid exception of a brand new MkIII. Now I let someone else take the initial hit :)
 
I wish i could afford more pro gear, but am slowly but surely building up the equipment....next on the hitlist is the D700, but thats going to be a b****r to save up for - even second hand! :(

Its a tough thing buying decent kit....i'm trying to scrimp and save all i can, but it just isn't happening! :(
 
My previous vice was watches - "imagine wasting two grand on a watch" said my mate, puffing on one of the 20 cigarettes he would go through that day.

That watch is still worth two grand, I wonder how much he'd get for the tar in his lungs?

Also, I don't drink and don't buy anything until I've sold the previous lens or whatever to fund it...
 
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TinaC said:
Nobody (except a very few) can actually afford the stuff...but addiction is what it is ;)

p.s. never EVER tot up expenditure, therebe lies madness
Click to expand...

I did that with my tools, came to almost £2000. For working on a mini in a tin garage... I vowed I wouldn't ever do it again for a hobby as that's a new car just in the tools to work on them! In the last 6 months I have spent a fortune on photography (for me) and still only have used starter gear. Though in fairness the total is still probably less than a new d300s body.

One day I would love all pro gear, but I suspect I'll get there via all the usual stops/trades/etc just like everyone else.
 
I bought a lot of my gear secondhand. The only new camera we have in the house is a 50D, oddly enough it was mine but is now my wife's camera :)
A few lenses were brand new though, but only one of them is an L series.

Matt
 
It's a question of priorities. I see peoples jaws drop when they ask about the price of some my kit, and they usually protest they could never afford it, while many of them take foreign holdays twce a year which cost a lot more. :shrug:

Being an old fart with no mortgage helps a lot too. :D
 
Likewise..don't smoke, dont drink much and the mrs doesn't wear make up!! lol. Photography is my main and without doubt most expensive hobby, not so much now in equipment as I pretty much have all what I wish for (although like most photographers it is easy to be tempted!!) but of course film, chemicals, ink, paper etc all take a drain on resources.
As already stated it is what you do with your gear and what you get from it rather than the actual gear that you own. Some of my most pleasurable photo experiences have come from vintage cameras which have light leaks and pretty poor quality...it has been the experience of using and obtaining an image from antique equipment that has given the satisfaction. All depends what you want from your hobby.
Why not pick up an old box Brownie on ebay for a couple of quid (how cheap can it get!) and run a 120 film through it...The possibility of light leakage can add to the essence of the photo although its easy enough to wrap it in a dark cloth if the leakage is too much. I have a SIX20 Model D which is rusty and practically falling to pieces...cost me 99pence and throws out fab pics!
 
wheeling dealing, saving , bargains and used gear.. However when I got to the point i needed a 6.5k lens i stepped over used as i wanted a proper warranty ect but even then i did a bargain.. you cant pick up a 400 2.8L lens in the uk for less than 6.4k so i got mine through kerso for 5.5k first checking canon that the warranty would be exactly the same as a lens bought here... so saved 1000 quid :)
 
CT said:
Being an old fart with no mortgage helps a lot too. :D
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Yeh! and selling your Gran to fund your hobby is as well Ced`s :D Although I dont resent what I paid you, she could have walked to save me on postage costs ;)
 
u8myufo said:
Yeh! and selling your Gran to fund your hobby is as well Ced`s :D Although I dont resent what I paid you, she could have walked to save me on postage costs ;)
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You got a bargain.... just keep her well supplied with chewing tobacco - don't beat her at arm wrestiling and she's no trouble at all. :shrug:
 
KIPAX said:
I am not hobbyist now but I had the top end gear before I went full time freelance and soemthing that really bugs me is when people turn round and say..

'yeagh but we cant all afford the best gear, we have families and bills'

I really do hate that :(
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Hate is a strong word, but I get your point, and you said some very sensible things :thumbs:

I wasn't having a moan really, was just curious... to me its about justification. For the amount of use I give my gear (I'm very much a hobbyist with no intention of ever doing it for a living), I just can't justify £10K worth of gear. At the moment :lol: :D

FWIW, I was able to afford my D90 body after buying and selling a few bits n bobs and making a small profit on them, as well as saving so I agree with you there, and totally agree that not everyone has abused the credit card to get their gear :)

But on the other hand, I don't think a D3 would make me a better photographer at this stage in my hobby. But if someone wants to give me one free... :lol:
 
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ronnus said:
Probably been asked before, but how do all the hobbyists out there afford top-quality gear?
Click to expand...

Here's what I do:

Don't smoke.
Drink very little, maybe five units / week.
Only eat out or get a takeaway a couple of times a month
Buy my raw meat, fish and non-perishable food in bulk at Costco (very cheap compares to Tesco / ASDA etc) and freeze it, only using the supermarket for perishables, dairy etc. Don't buy ready meals.
Don't routinely go on holiday every year.
Have buttered toast for breakfast and make porridge in the microwave at work for lunch (rather than spending a couple of quid a day on a sandwich / pasty - very easy to spend fifty quid a month just on lunches)
Don't pay into a pension, because that's just a big bet that I'll live to retirement.
Don't have life insurance, accident / sickness / unemployment insurance, credit card payment protection insurance, mobile phone insurance. The only insurances I have are buildings, contents and motor.
Do some of the work on my cars myself.
Do as much decorating and other household maintenance myself as I can, within the limits of not being qualified to self-certify under part P or gas safe registered.
Keep the same car for a long time - current one was bought in 2004, still no intention of changing it.
Mortgage on base+0.24% lifetime tracker.
My sofa cost £300 from some mail order place in Wales a decade ago, my other sitting room chairs were my parents' old ones (20+ years) that they were going to chuck out.
and so on ...

With the camera stuff I keep my eye out for bargains on new and buy a lot of things second hand.
 
I saved 2.5k on my safari holiday by booking all of the components myself..... so I spent it on a 7D with a couple of new lenses :D
 
they have Jobs :eek:

ronnus said:
Probably been asked before, but how do all the hobbyists out there afford top-quality gear?

I think its accepted that photography is a wallet-draining hobby, and that pro gear costs serious cash which can hopefully be recouped via business, but the idea of me, with my camera skills (and wages heheh) running around with a D3/1D and a bag of fast pro lenses is insane.

I've recently totted up my expenditure on camera gear that I've bought and sold, and was fairly shocked to find it over £2K. I appreciate that this isn't even the price of a pro body, but it's a lot to me :eek:

So come on, how do you afford it, hobbyists? You know who you are! :D
Click to expand...
 
POAH said:
they have Jobs :eek:
Click to expand...

I also have a job, but I have the following drains on my resources

1) Mortgage
2) Car
3) Other hobbies
4) Wife

4) is by MILES the biggest financial drain.
 
I suppose everyone's situation is different...Some have jobs, some dont, some have well paid ones, others dont....some have more commitments than others....
 
I smoke and drink, have an expensive mortgage that I can just about afford and spend £4000 a year on a train ticket.

This is not conducive for an expensive hobby!

However, I make do with what I have and just save.
 
I finally understand Adam Ant:

Don't drink don't smoke - what do you do?
Subtle innuendos follow
There must be something inside
Click to expand...

Inside is a massive pile of Nikon gear :D
 
KIPAX said:
I am not hobbyist now but I had the top end gear before I went full time freelance and soemthing that really bugs me is when people turn round and say..

'yeagh but we cant all afford the best gear, we have families and bills'

I really do hate that :(

See the camera in my avatar on the left.. the Olympus.. that was my second camera.. I saved and saved and did a deal on my first digital and bought this second hand..

I then got a canon 10d and did the same.. sold the olympus and bought a second hand canon 10d after saving..

Same theme all the way up.. all second hand.. all wheeling and dealing and all looking for bargains... My last bargain was a peli 1560 case with deviders.. cost about 260 quid new.. i got in new condition for 70 quid off ebay...

I didnt just go out and buy all my gear.. its took me 8 yrs of wheeling and dealing.. although my last few items I ahve bought new through the business i now run.. but its relative.. when canon 1dmkII where the best you could get I had two.. both second hand

heres a little ditty that I would relay to anyone like the OP

About 8 yrs ago I went to a football match down south.. I met a photogrpaher who was laying out his kit.. I did a quick add up in my head and it was about 10k of stuff... (equivelant to maybe 15k+ now)

I said to him I could only dream of owning all that top end gear and thats all it would be is a dream...he said to me.... beleive me.. if its in your blood.. if you have the photogrpahy bug.. you will get it all... and here I am 8 yrs later with it all.. BUT I still do have a want list :)


When you see photogrpahers wiht lots of gear.. dont presume they raided the credit card bought it all then off they go.. some of us have had to do it the hard way :)
Click to expand...



That's a really good post. Well said.
 
onomatopoeia said:
Here's what I do:

Don't smoke.
Drink very little, maybe five units / week.
Only eat out or get a takeaway a couple of times a month
Buy my raw meat, fish and non-perishable food in bulk at Costco (very cheap compares to Tesco / ASDA etc) and freeze it, only using the supermarket for perishables, dairy etc. Don't buy ready meals.
Don't routinely go on holiday every year.
Have buttered toast for breakfast and make porridge in the microwave at work for lunch (rather than spending a couple of quid a day on a sandwich / pasty - very easy to spend fifty quid a month just on lunches)
Don't pay into a pension, because that's just a big bet that I'll live to retirement.
Don't have life insurance, accident / sickness / unemployment insurance, credit card payment protection insurance, mobile phone insurance. The only insurances I have are buildings, contents and motor.
Do some of the work on my cars myself.
Do as much decorating and other household maintenance myself as I can, within the limits of not being qualified to self-certify under part P or gas safe registered.
Keep the same car for a long time - current one was bought in 2004, still no intention of changing it.
Mortgage on base+0.24% lifetime tracker.
My sofa cost £300 from some mail order place in Wales a decade ago, my other sitting room chairs were my parents' old ones (20+ years) that they were going to chuck out.
and so on ...

With the camera stuff I keep my eye out for bargains on new and buy a lot of things second hand.
Click to expand...

So in essence, a fellow pikey like myself? ;)
 
tell your wife to get off her backside and get a job then

c) big problem lol

save for thing, not everyone buys on credit cards. I had to save for things when I was working.

ronnus said:
I also have a job, but I have the following drains on my resources

1) Mortgage
2) Car
3) Other hobbies
4) Wife

4) is by MILES the biggest financial drain.
Click to expand...
 
Working for an airline I get holiday concessions of about £1750 per year, so that's what I've agreed in my head to spend as a budget.

A lesson I learnt early on and you will read time and time again on here is "Buy well, buy once"

I do my research before parting with cash now so I never suffer that dreaded buyers remorse when I open up a new box.

Sent from my iPhone using TP Forums
 
I remember saving for two years to buy my first 35mm whilst at school back in the 1950's, I have slightly more disposable income now, but as with most things you afford what you want to afford. I used to race sailing dinghies, with all the travelling to championships, accomodation, new sails etc etc, photography doesn't seem as expensive, or perhaps my gear aspirations aren't high enough :lol:

Now if I can sell a few more of my paintings perhaps I could get that 500L :D
 
I blew my savings well about half of them. I had been saving for a deposit on a house for a while but with the house prices going up I decided I would stay where I was. I spent a bit on a holiday and bought a camera that was OK I had the cash for the camera and made it part of my holiday in 2009. On holiday bought a new flash 580EX2 and a niffty 50, came home and asked to do a wedding so bought 3 nice new lenses and another new flash, picked up a 2nd hand 450D for backup. I have been saving up for the last few months and will be spending it very soon as I become the owner of a 300mm f/2.8 IS my first used lens but in great condition and well looked after with the exception of some really expensive screws.

How do I afford it? I am a tight git, I spend nothing and If I am spending on anything I find the best prices I can hence Kerso being the owner of quite a bit of my savings, all the benefits of buying in the UK but without the silly prices.

Well I actually work hard for what I have, I have no problem buying something for £1000 even with alternatives for £200 if in the long run it will save me money. I could have bought the 70-200 f/4 but I would always have wanted the f2.8 IS in the end so I would have lost a few hundred quid on selling the f/4 not what I want really.
 
It's easy. I'm loaded!!:D Gets in the way a little of which car to buy every 6 months, Porsche, Bentley, Aston etc but i can afford what i want.















:D Only joking. How many of you thought pompous prick?;)

Just the same as everyone else. I can't afford it but i save like mad and sell older gear to help fund the newer stuff. If you want something bad enough you'll find ways of getting it. Just takes time.
 
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