I want an M240.
However, I'm hesitant to shell out $6950 out of pocket, so the alternative would be to sell my DSLR/SLR gear (which has seen very little use of late). Selling that gear would generate more than enough $$$$ to be able to afford an M240 (if/when I can find one).
Here's where I get stuck. Even with that kind of money in hand from the sale of my DSLR gear, I find it difficult to spend all of it on a one-time purchase of a single piece of camera equipment. It's money that I can use to fund other things, such as travel.
Does anyone else go through the same dilemma? I'd like to hear your experiences and how you resolved that dilemma.
Yup. I've started threads on this issue before. The bottom line is that I don't feel comfortable spending that kind of money on any one tool for myself, especially if it's a luxury purchase (i.e., a toy, and not a tool).
My D700 cost $1800 or so used and was bought for my wedding photography business. The day I permanently close up shop will probably be the day I sell it, my wife's, and all our lenses.
There's no need to feel bad about it; you just have a different value system. On a photography forum (especially one with a significant member base investing in boutique cameras), you're going to get lots of comments indicating there's nothing wrong with spending 6 or 7k on a camera. And in a way, there isn't. But if it doesn't gel with your value system, that's fine. I wouldn't buy a Leica if I won the lottery; I'm just not interested in dropping that kind of money on a camera. I'd rather invest it and put it toward an early retirement.
Oh, and to more directly respond to your question about how I resolve this kind of issue, I resolve it by only buying things I can justify, and selling them if and when I realize I can't. A couple of months ago, I was saving up to buy an x100s to take on a cruise with my wife. A few hundred dollars away from my goal, I realized I couldn't justify spending $1300 on a toy (or a non-work camera, if you will), especially with a baby on the way. I transferred the money into our savings account and took an SD1100 on the cruise instead. It's an old compact camera of my wife's that you can buy for around $40 on eBay. It worked just fine, I took lots of pictures, and we had a great time.
Will I ever get an x100s? Maybe. But to be honest, I'm not really in a hurry to get one. If I do, I'll definitely wait until it only costs a few hundred dollars, as to me, it's just not worth $1300 anymore.
