How much has your gear spending dropped off?

How much has your gear spending dropped off?

  • none

    Votes: 24 19.8%

  • some

    Votes: 39 32.2%

  • I have all but stopped

    Votes: 53 43.8%

  • other

    Votes: 5 4.1%
  • Total voters
    121
  • Poll closed .
M

Meleica

Well-known
Local time
12:32 PM
Joined
Mar 28, 2005
Messages
680
None ?

Some ?

All but stopped spending ?


Curious how the global economy is hitting us gear heads...

thanks
Dan
 
My spending is pretty much stopped, but not because of the economy. I have what I want (except for, maybe, some very high-priced objects) and what I need.
 
I'm still looking to buy certain items, although they require saving for and I am also selling to buy, which is no bad thing. Having tried many different cameras over the last five years, I think I have now arrived at the point where I know what I want :)
 
My spending has dropped, but has nothing to do with the economy either. Simply said: I just don't need anything right now.
 
Quite a bit but not stopped completely...I just spent a few dollars getting two light meters fixed, won a Nikon 28mm 3.5 F lens off ebay and picked up a few rolls of film and two bottles of Rodinal at Freestlye...and that was all this week...
I'm not planning on buying any more bodies this year (unless it's a Nikon F6 at a neighborhood garage sale for $10)
If I come across a lens I really, really need I might bid on it...again the price must be in the right range...
Any careless spending will be on film and photo paper...
I've got plenty of cameras...I need to use more of them...
 
I do need a thing or two, but I'm unemployed, and the money lasts longer when you don't buy things you don't REALLY need.

I did buy some batteries yesterday, but that was to clear the balance off of a Circuit City gift card I had laying about.

And I'm not quite ready to start selling either.
 
Sold my higher ticket price items and opt for beater cheaper alternatives. Plus a friend donated a film SLR so that was nice.... only thing i spent a lot on lately has been on film and chemicals.
 
My paycheck in USD is 20% lower now and USD priced gear is too dear now, so I'm only trading! I'm looking for a Canon 85/1.8 LTM and got a few choice items to trade like a Canon 100/ 3.5, 135/3.5, and a 85/ 2.0.

Bill
 
Actually, I finally decided to pull the trigger on an M8. With the favorable exchange rate between the USD and GBP (as well as Leica cashback), I was able to get a new M8 from Robert White for the price of used units here in the U.S.

In terms of my buying habits, my past activity has been some intentional "horse trading" that has netted me a few extra dollars to apply toward this purchase.
 
I have pretty much stopped, I have even been using my dying digital more lately because money is a wee bit tight and I really would like to get a panasonic G1 and at the moment it would set me back a lot to develop a lot of film right now, that and it is so dreary and dark out now that I have to use my digital, at iso 3200 just about everyday.
 
I'm pretty satisfied w/ what I've got now, so gear acquisition has slowed significantly. I expect that acquisitions over the next year or so will more likely be on the processing end of things, like a new monitor, or a better scanner. The economy IS having an impact on "discretionary" spending, particularly since I'm still paying college tuition for my daughter.
 
The economy hasn't affected me that much. I recently picked up an Oly 135/3.5 because of the good price on it and am toying with the idea of a Zeiss 50/f2 for my Leica. All in all I'm pretty much done ( for now).
 
I've been in reverse for some time now. While I've broken down a bit (a beautiful 35/1.8 Nikkor S @ a good price) and I'm looking at putting together a D40x system for the sons. Primarily because money is very tight and they want to learn photography and bodies go for about 25 rolls and processing for refurbished units these days. I'll be selling off some more stuff to fund them.

I've learned that one body for each system, perhaps two if the spread of lenses is wide enough. Having five Bessas, two Ms, one Nikon RF, five Nikon SLRs was way more than any one, even with two sons needs.

Only problem is now when I carry my S3 my son wants......

While less is not more, it's OK.

B2 (;->
 
I've never bought much, but I buy what I need/really want on a sort of drip-feed basis. Edit: much like Aizan, below.

Also, I only ever buy what I can afford. The idea of selling gear and taking a hit on it, or replacing it with gear that someone else has worn out, is bizarre as far as I am concerned. If it couldn't pay for itself, why did I buy it in the first place?

But that's a professional view, not amateur. I've been earning a good chunk of living from photography for so long that my views are skewed.

Cheers,

R.
 
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I bought a Leica M2 and two lenses recently. I am lusting after an M4-P now. Just missed that nice one that came on a couple of days ago. From the number of cameras coming up for sale in the classifieds, it seems to be a good time to buy.
 
Roger & Aizan put it well. I don't buy much, mostly it's pretty dam* cheap when I do. The exceptions happen when I realize I really need something to progress and sell a boatload of my better bits to finance such a move. I don't make anything from my photography hence all the toy money must come from the toys not the family budget.

So when all is said and done, no my spending hasn't declined. But considering that it was effectivly non-existant to begin with, what does it matter???

Unless I win the bleeping lotto - then all bets are off :D

William
 
I also don't buy a lot, and when I do it's not usually expensive relative to my earnings. I bought my dSLR nearly 2 years ago, and since then I've spent less than the equivalent of a week's wages on gear (net). I've swapped a few things, and sold a few things that I found I wasn't using, or wasn't enjoying using as much.

I'm quite sure I've spent much more on coffee and newspapers in the past year than I have on gear and film combined.
 
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