Does this get any cheaper??

Lesco

Lesco

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Tony
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Ive only been into this photograpy hobbie for a few weeks and already Im looking to upgrade my camera body, I have 3 lenes already and I am looking for more, is this just a phase Im going through or will it get more expensive?

My wife is already cheesed off with me spending our money, and I still need a tri-pod, a bigger bag to carry this stuff in :thumbsdown: :bonk:
 
I'm sorry to say that it'll only get worse...
 
No, I have had to draw a line other wise this time next year I'll be able to equip the whole staff of the national papers.
 
yup, its an expensive game. Been at it a few months now and I've spent an arm and a leg.

Only advise I can give is to take your time to decide what areas of photography intrest you the most and buy kit accordingly.

What i mean is there is no point buying a 500mm lens if you don't have an interest in wildlife/aircraft etc.

Do you really need to upgrade your body? the D3000 is hardly a bad bit of kit for starters.
 
You need to find a way of keeping your wife sweet (or in the dark) as the expense will only grow
 
Once the bug bites it is fatal. You don't need every bit of gear all at once.

As a beginner take your time, learn from others and develop your skills in which ever area of photography your interest are.

Read the posts on the TP forums, there is some sound advise given on here from experienced members. Look at the postings and make a mental note of the equipment they have used.

When you decide to buy, remember you do not have to buy new, look at the TP for sale section, hopefully you will be able to save quite a lot on purchasing new.

Welcome to TP and good luck. looking forward to seeing your pictures on the forum.
 
it gets worse alot worse

i have spent well over £2000 now and only be doing this nearly 2 years now

and it is getting worse for me now ,

find a subject you like and aim for that , i like portrait and sports ( mainly football and some plane stuff )

that way you keep to a particular lens and body and instead of buying lenses you dont need or only use every so often

most of my kit gets used frequently so i can justify the cost
 
I am looking for new lenses etc and i haven't used the DSLR much at all!!
 
Buying used lenses can be an investment ;)

I have 2 that are now worth more than I paid for them so I think of it as tying money up in lenses rather than spending it.

Camera bodies do generally lose you some money but not a lot more than buying a good compact camera and finding it worth very little after a year or so and buying the new model.
 
Its finding the bargain lens though. Thats what i am after! Aren't we all!
 
lol i've dropped a bombshell because im 16 earning no cash apart from a bit from my photography and trying to get a part time job and i've got a nice list of stuff i want and try and get the cheapest stuff out the way first, for example i need a new lenspen which costs £10 so i'll get that first then im after a £150 ipod touch then a £180 35mm f1.8 and a £220 85mm f2.8.

it isn't really the expense because at the moment im shooting with just a 50mm f1.7 and its perfect because i could shoot with it all the time if i wanted to, its all down to what you want to shoot. when you first start out you think 'i'll get a 24-70mm and 70-200mm' until you realise it costs nearly 3k :lol:
 
the adage.."dont run before you can walk"...springs to mind

find what you need - wait - re-assess the "need" then buy mint used from here

I bought a Nikon 35mm AF-S DX cos i read it was good - NEVER used it and sold here
 
If you only by what you actually need and not what you think you need or want then it doesn't have to be so expensive it ends in divorce. Think before committing to a purchase your body upgrade for example is porbably not going to see a massive improvment in your photos. Don't cat jealous eyes over other peoples gear or assume that all the great shots you see on here are the result of expensive equipment.

Finally remember it's not the fancy electronics that makes a great picture it's what you the photographer decide to point it at that really counts.
 
I've just counted up what I've spent this year alone....damn!

I don't know if my hobby is photography or a collector. (mental note: puts 5DII on hold)
 
Nope...
Started off with a £300 camera 35 years ago and routinely spent about £500-£1,000 a year on equipment ever since...

Obviously some older kit was sold to make way for upgrades, but I have about £25k worth of kit scattered around the house now.
 
As my photographic career takes another turn. I am sorting my lenses to accommodate my needs. Really need to think of what is important for you to have. Also think about cost of filters bags etc that can add 200 quid to a purchase.
 
:lol:

I can spend £400 on a lens which in the scheme of lens prices is a mere drop in the ocean compared with what you could spend and get the

"so what does that do what that one doesn't" - type questioning. Halfway through explaining DOF f2.8 etc etc............. "Oh I don't really care........"

Yet......

The other half can go shopping... "I didn't know whether to get the black, brown, green, pink, purple, red, orange, white, yellow or stripy one" - so I got them all.......... and thats ok. :shrug::shrug:
 
Just remember the old mantra with electronics. The smaller it is the more expensive it is... See dear this bigger lens was cheaper than the one I replaced it with, easier to make you seen.. ;)
 
Try to adapt the old adage, measure twice and cut once to buying photo stuff, so make sure you know what you want before spending the cash

Very pertinent with a Tripod, how many people have bought a cheap and unstable one before spending more on a good'un

Cheers
Rich
 
Nope it doesn't get any cheaper, If some one had told me when I started out who much kit I would have now I would have laughed at them, also when I started I could never of justified some of the prices of lenses that I am thinking about now. Just prepare to be skint all the time.;)
 
It's only as expensive as you let it become.

But better kit is generally always more expensive, although it might be worth waiting to see what you need to be a better photographer rather than simply wanting new stuff.
 
Sorry as said get no better, have spent a small fortune, and still going, will it ever stop :naughty:
 
Lesco said:
Ive only been into this photograpy hobbie for a few weeks and already Im looking to upgrade my camera body, I have 3 lenes already and I am looking for more, is this just a phase Im going through or will it get more expensive?

My wife is already cheesed off with me spending our money, and I still need a tri-pod, a bigger bag to carry this stuff in :thumbsdown: :bonk:
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Why on earth do you need to upgrade your camera after just a few weeks? :eek: Not only is it expensive but also counter-productive, you'll just be back at square one on the learning curve. Photography is only expensive if you let it become so.
 
goldenlight said:
Why on earth do you need to upgrade your camera after just a few weeks? :eek: Not only is it expensive but also counter-productive, you'll just be back at square one on the learning curve. Photography is only expensive if you let it become so.
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Just maybe he has found lack of AF motor in the body a limiting factor, or the number of AF points limiting. As to it being counter productive and going back to square one, that is not necessarily true as changing to a higher model nikon camera would make a lot of changes a lot easier to make, plus if he has picked up the basics ie iso,ss and aperture then these are the same with anycamera.
 
2 Choices........

Lie to the wife
or
Sell the wife to buy more.

Oops that's one choice really:)
 
it gets very expensive, very quickly! :(

I'm now at a point where i've spent all my 'hobby' money, and now trying to think of things i can sell to free up cash, but i can't think of anything....! :(

And, just paid for insurance, road tax, AND MOT, so no spare cash for a little while! :(

Selling the wife sounds like a good option though..... :lol: :thinking:
 
Y15HAL said:
it gets very expensive, very quickly! :(

I'm now at a point where i've spent all my 'hobby' money, and now trying to think of things i can sell to free up cash, but i can't think of anything....! :(
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A kidney?
Wife?
Sell children for medical experiments?


Seriously, I am guessing there is a slight difference between needing / wanting new gear.... gearlust...........

Theres still a lot of decent images around taken on what is now considered older stuff (but was cutting edge in its time.........)
 
Davec223 said:
Just maybe he has found lack of AF motor in the body a limiting factor, or the number of AF points limiting. As to it being counter productive and going back to square one, that is not necessarily true as changing to a higher model nikon camera would make a lot of changes a lot easier to make, plus if he has picked up the basics ie iso,ss and aperture then these are the same with anycamera.
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You can always want more with vitrually any camera but the answer is to concentrate on what your camera can do rather than on what it can't. My E-3 is getting rather long in the tooth in digital technology terms and an improved replacement is imminent. However, it's highly unlikely that I will upgrade, at least for some time. I've had this camera two years now and I'm still learning new things about it all the time. There are some things I can't do with it, or can't do very well but rather than worry about those I use it for what it can do well. Mind you, anyone who can pick up the basics of ISO, ss and aperture in just a couple of weeks sure is a faster learner than I ever was! :)
 
As said above, take your time in choosing lenses. we all want everything all at once but it's much more satisfying to know that you can use something to its full potential, that way you know you've truly earned it..
 
In a way I'm lucky in that:

A/ I don't have much money so something always has to be sold in order to purchase new gear.

B/ I have pretty much run out of old hobby gear to sell.

C/ Bar a lottery win the gear I want is out of my reach.

D/ I was returning to photography so already had a good idea of the kit I wanted (half decent body with good noise handling, a few fast lenses), so wasn't lured by the latest and greatest thing.

I'm reasonably content with what I have, though there's no denying that had I the money there would be a 5DmkII and some L glass on the shopping list.
But even then I could qualify it as almost all of my shooting is done in low light.
The only additions planned in the near future are:

A battery grip + 2 batteries
An eyefi card
A 60CM softbox and grid
Another light stand
A boom arm
Another manfrotto 190XPROB (1 each side of the bed, continuity with QR plates makes life easy when switching locations)
A macro lens

Oh and the added bonus is there's only me and the dog, he doesn't bend my ear when I want new kit.
 
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iancandler said:
Oh and the added bonus is there's only me and the dog, he doesn't bend my ear when I want new kit.
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If you ever consider downgrading the dog, I can offer a wife + cash your way.

Bob
 
Lesco said:
Ive only been into this photograpy hobbie for a few weeks and already Im looking to upgrade my camera body, I have 3 lenes already and I am looking for more, is this just a phase Im going through or will it get more expensive?

My wife is already cheesed off with me spending our money, and I still need a tri-pod, a bigger bag to carry this stuff in :thumbsdown: :bonk:
Click to expand...

you dont need to upgrade your kit, you need to lean how to use the kit, inside out, and some. when you get to the stage where you consistently cant shoot an image, and you kow why, and there is no technical way around this, then consider changing your kit
 
I have a wish list that looks pretty modest on paper, but it's still the thick end of £400. At the moment I'm still using my Fuji S1500 a heck of a lot because it has more reach then my kit lens.
 
Richard King said:
you dont need to upgrade your kit, you need to lean how to use the kit, inside out, and some. when you get to the stage where you consistently cant shoot an image, and you kow why, and there is no technical way around this, then consider changing your kit
Click to expand...

:agree: 100%
 
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