Define "heavily invested in glass"

[Benjamin Marks]

Let me refine this:

4) if someone asks you how many 50mm lenses you own and your answer is "I don't really know" ... you are "heavily invested in glass."

Heh, heh. To quote the lady: "I've got it bad, and that ain't good . . ."

 

[Ko.Fe.]

Honestly, all really good lenses are expensive. But if you have pile of junk, no investment was made.

 

[Moto-Uno]

^ One mans floor is anothers' ceiling. Peter

 

[Crazy Fedya]

Let me refine this:

4) if someone asks you how many 50mm lenses you own and your answer is "I don't really know" ... you are "heavily invested in glass."

What if your answer is "in which mount?"

 

[rbsinto]

I think the term "heavily invested", with respect to photographic lenses refers either to the dollar value or the number of pieces one owns.
In my case it refers to quantity as virtually all of my equipment (which is quite old manual focus film) was purchased used and so the dollar value of the pieces is modest when compared with the prices of modern auto-focus lenses.

 

[Scapevision]

not heavily invested in concrete

 

[Ronald M]

More than 5% of your annual income is too big a loss.

Bodies come and go. What one has , the other will eventually adopt. I have changed and/or been invested in multiple systems and my photography has not improved because of changing gear.

 

[David Hughes]

Honestly, all really good lenses are expensive. But if you have pile of junk, no investment was made.

Hi,

but you can have bad investments...

Regards, David

 

[pyeh]

Let me refine this:

4) if someone asks you how many 50mm lenses you own and your answer is "I don't really know" ... you are "heavily invested in glass."

Actually, if someone asked me how many Leica 50 mm lenses I had, my answer would be this. I think I could be heavily invested in glass.

 

[GarageBoy]

I had at one point a fifty one point something in Nikon, Canon FD, Canon EF, Minolta MD, contax Yashica mounts and all that was still worth less than one "real" lens

Heavily invested to me means you can't afford to start a new system without selling your existing system and then some...

A buncha slow zooms is not heavily invested. A full set of primes, costing you a few grand? You need to think twice

 

[michaelwj]

I had at one point a fifty one point something in Nikon, Canon FD, Canon EF, Minolta MD, contax Yashica mounts and all that was still worth less than one "real" lens

Heavily invested to me means you can't afford to start a new system without selling your existing system and then some...

A buncha slow zooms is not heavily invested. A full set of primes, costing you a few grand? You need to think twice

This is my (serious) answer.
And I'll add that it means that you will suffer the loss of $ that mean you do without something you actually want/need because you can't afford to change (or just supplement).

How to tell if you have problem (10 possible responses) . . drum roll please:

1) if you could sell your lenses and put a down payment on a house, you are "heavily invested in glass."
2) if you choose glass over food as a monthly expense you are "heavily invested in glass."
3) if you think there is a US Recommended Daily Allowance of Thorium, you are "heavily invested in glass."
4) if someone asks you how many lenses you own and your answer is "I don't really know, " or "it depends" . . . you are "heavily invested in glass."
5) If you have ever had to build furniture or move houses to accommodate your lens collection, you are "heavily invested in glass."
6) If you think Berkshire-Hathaway is a junky stock because it doesn't own any lenses, you may or may not be "heavily invested in glass," but you definitely have a problem.
7) if you refer to lenses as "glass," you are probably "heavily invested in glass."
8) If you have ever rented an exotic lens from Lensrental.com rather than just purchasing the darn thing, you might not be "heavily invested in glass," but if you then turn around and offer to purchase your rental unit you probably are.
9) if you tell your spouse/partner/lover/dog that you can stop buying lenses any time you want to, you are are "heavily invested in glass."
10) if you think the world cares what lens your picture was taken with, you probably are just an average RFF member. We are nuts. We know it. And I couldn't tell you how many lenses I own. . .

typed while grinning,

Ben

[Edit: if you think it isn't worth selling your Pentax screw-mount lenses, your Hexanons, or Sears-branded wide angle because the paltry sum you would realize is not worth doing without these classic over-achievers you are probably (sigh) "heavily invested in glass." And I can stop ANY time I want to. ]

Nice list!