How to lie like "L"

[stevekwiz]

Okay, so you've gone out and spent $1500 on a 100-400MM IS and you've managed to keep it all from your wife so far. Problem is, you can't hide it forever. Now you're sitting in the back yard, and along comes that rare bird you've been waiting to shoot, and the wife is sunbathing on the deck. You have to take the shot. What do you do?

If the first thing she sees is the lens extended to 400mm with a 2X extender and a four inch lens hood, you're cooked. She'll automatically assume you've spent $5000 and you're in divorce court. So forget the extender and the hood.

Start out with the lens at the 100 (shortest) setting. When she sees the off white color, explain that everyone knows that most lenses are black, this is an indication of one of Canon's "cheaper" lenses. When you extend it out to 400mm, explain that there must be something wrong with it to flop around like that, that must be why you got it so cheap.

Of course, if you have to tell her what you catually paid for it, you better have a tradeoff ready to go. Buy her that sidewalk she's always wanted, or that new set of kitchen cabinets. You ought to be able to get off for $3000-5000.

Or just sleep on the couch with your new lens, extender, and hood.

I do.

[johneo]

Not about the 100-400 "L" ... YET! :P

I bought my 10D last July. Money I had saved for a new computer (I have priorities). In late August she asked if I could go to a dog show she was running for 4H and take some photos ... SURE! Looked like a great way to play with my "new" camera.

I had taken the camera out numerous times during the previous month at family cookout, shooting my own dogs and just casual shooting around the yard ... no response.

Half way through the dog show I get a tap on the shoulder ... "Real cute, John. When did you buy that camera?" Standing, talking to her friend to the side of the show ring her friend commented that I had a great camera. My wife said, "No, it's just his old Sony" Duh ... could Canon make their name any larger on the neck strap?

To get even, she told me she was spending the money for a shotgun she wanted but didn't think she should buy. (She already has a number of them but this one is a real nice one ... I guess? :roll: )

We now have a deal ... She won't shoot me if I don't shoot her :lol:

Just to clarify ... She belongs to a number of Hunting Retriever dog training clubs and trains and shows our Labs in Obedience, Field and Hunt trials. She really can't complain on what I spend on camera equipment because I KNOW what it costs for her "hobby" of which I help pay for ... Know what it costs to feed 7 Labrador Retrievers? An "L" lens per year!

As for my 100-400 "L" ... she hasn't seen it yet. Really no reason for her to see it unless she asks me to do some hunt/field trial photography again this summer.

[Ikinaa]

johneo... isn't it dangerous to have a wife that's interested in shotguns ??? :twisted:
especially when you have an expensive hobby? Even if she spends an "L" in dogfoot a year, but I guess she doesn't buy the whole stock for a year in one day

[johneo]

johneo... isn't it dangerous to have a wife that's interested in shotguns ??? :twisted:

Not really, as long as I have the washing done and dinner ready when she gets home and the house and yard spotless I don't see any problems at all ... :cry:

especially when you have an expensive hobby?

That's why I don't tell her what I buy ... :wink: :lol: :shock:


Even if she spends an "L" in dogfoot a year, but I guess she doesn't buy the whole stock for a year in one day

It is I that spends an "L" of a lot of money for the dogfood. Be surprised how much you can save by cutting a dogs meal here and there (just kidding ... I spoil these clowns more than she does)

Seriously ... She usually has sticker shock when I buy things so she never wants to know how much I spend. By the same means, I never question where her check goes or what it was spent on. Things get paid, we both work making OK money. Kids are grown and gone so all those years of scrimping and saving and doing without are past and we enjoy our "hobbies" ... within reason.

By the way ... Our plan was when the kids grew up we would begin to travel. Before they were grown and gone we started "collecting" Labrador Retrievers. We've saved a lot of money on vacations over the years so we have to do something to pass the time ... I travel around locally, to take daily vacations and take a lot of photos to recall my trips.


My other "Kids" (and to take the boredom out of daily life) ...
http://members.cox.net/gerrie/e173139n.jpg

[G2Jim]

Great "family" photo! My problem is I like photography, guns, and dogs, and my wife doesn't like any of them. That plus two kids entering college means no L lenses for me for a longgggggg time!

[where1]

johneo,
Nice looking family you have there. My last lense I was to purchase was preempted by my puppy's emergency surgery. I was glad I had the money set aside for the lense. :)

G2Jim,
Sounds like the Christmas blues you have there. "No L for me"

stevekwiz,
Those cheap white lenses don't even have auto minimum focusing. You gotta select it yourself. :)

[Lamplight]

Ahh, makes me appreciate the single life a little more. :D Well...not really, but it's something we make ourselves believe. :p

[mjordan]

We have 8 dogs, 7 of them Bouvier des Flandres, Belgium Cattle Herding dogs. You wouldn't believe how much it costs to keep them in cattle. :lol:

But we do the dog circuit too, but my photo interests lie in agility, herding, carting and other working activities. It's because of the dogs I got back into photography in a serious way a few years ago. I've almost bought a 100-400 twice... once last year when I got the 10D but my wife took over my D30 and the 28-105 lens on it, so I had to replace my closeup lens, which I did with a 24-70 2.8L and then I got the 70-200 2.8L IS to replace the 70-200 4.0L (which I let her use). I had saved the money up again to finally get the 100-400 this spring when I caught a case of Inflaenza A and ended up in the hospital for a week (5 days of those unconsious with some very worried specialists watching over me). After it was all said and done, my share of what insurence didn't cover (boy am I glad I have medical insurance) I paid a little over $1300. Which was my 100-400 lens money. But I had it, thank goodness. I have $900 put aside right now and barring any other "surprises" I hope to get it before June 12th, which is when we have a big Dragon Boat race in Portland and I shoot for a couple of teams. If I don't have it, I'll use the 70-200 2.8 again. Although I've not told my wife exactly how much I've spent on this, I have told her they are expensive... and she's no dumby either. Besides, she went out and bought a $8000 (oh the MK II that could have bought) 6 needle embrodery machine. I don't know why, she had a perfectly good single needle embrodery machine in her sewing room. :lol:


http://www.sitnprettyphoto.com/display/1500work.jpg

Mike

[johneo]

We have 8 dogs, 7 of them Bouvier des Flandres, Belgium Cattle Herding dogs. You wouldn't believe how much it costs to keep them in cattle. :lol:


Ahhhh, someone that understands ... :lol:

Beautiful dogs, Mike!

How can you have 8 dogs? My goodness that's a lot of dogs! I'm sure you get asked that an awful lot.

Our reasoning was 2 wouldn't be any more work than 1! ... 7 wouldn't be anymore work than 6!

If you don't have dogs or only 1 or 2, it's really no big deal having 7 but I will say that when we take my sons Lab or a friends dog for a few days it is total chaos.

Personally, I would like to have more than the 7 I have but we suddenly realize that the future isn't very bright. We find ourself with 4 of the 7 over 10 years old (14, 13, 12, 10, 8, 5 & 3) and while they are all pretty healthy, the thought of losing any of them is not a happy thought. We've decided it will be all for a while.

[AzzKicker]

I have a harder problem :)


I like Photography, Guns, Computers, Home Theater and Car Audio :)


I went on a trip to a Gun Show, and a Camera Store was next door :lol: :shock: Do you know how hard it was to resist blowing a paycheck there :)


Here's what got me out of the dog house once. I'm only 23 and live at home, so its my parents I have to convince, not a wife. Anyway I had my cousins wedding coming up, I knew my G3 wouldnt handle it so I bought my Rebel. My mom gets pissed, so I just say "you want me to take excellent pics at your brothers son's wedding dont you " She never bugged me about camera equipment after that LOL. Now she tells everyone "Oh my son is gonna be the photographer today" at every single family function LOL!! I make GOOD MONEY just photographing Family EVENTS!! What do you expect with 11 aunts and uncles on my moms side. I have a GRADUATION every year, this year I have 5 cousins graduating. :shock: :shock:

[pradeep1]

The the evils we perpetrate in the name of photography. I find it simple. I just take really good photos of my wife and make nice prints and send them to my mother-in-law. She will apply pressure from above, since her son-in-law is such a good photographer. She is so proud of me.

I love it. 8)

Actually, my wife is quite understanding and even has offered to buy me a new 420EX flash for my next birthday. Pretty cool gal I have.

[tommykjensen]

I don't get it :?: :?: :?:

Why lie about this?

I think You will be in more trouble when she discovers You lied about the purchase than if You are honest to begin with. Perhaps a nice gift is required....


Perhaps I don't get it because I am not married and don't have to justify to anybody how I spend my money.....

[MrChevy]

We both shoot, so no having to lie in our house!

If she could only get a job so we would have MORE to spend on toys!

[G3]

Please, guys....seriously...don't lie to your wives about this stuff. I can't think of a faster or surer way to turn your spouse completely against you and your hobby. Include her in it. If she feels like you want to share your interest with her, I guarantee she'll be much more understanding and tolerant of it. If you are spending the rent money on it, she should be mad. I don't think anyone in here is doing that. You can't enjoy your hobby fully if you have to try and hide it.

There should be an understanding up front that photography can be an expensive hobby. If you try to make her think it's inexpensive and then she gets wind of the real expense, it's much worse than if she knew up front. Just think about this. What if she went out and bought a new piece of jewelry and told you it cost $100.00 (I'd never know the difference, would you?), then you found out months later she really spent $5,000.00 on it? You wouldn't be too thrilled with it would you? And you know what? If you think about it, it's probably not the money that would really upset you, but the fact that she felt she had to lie to you about it. There's nothing quite like being betrayed by someone you think you can trust.

It's cool to joke around about this on the forum and have fun with it, but please don't really do it.

[Belmondo]

I would never lie to my wife. I just do my best to keep her confused. :wink:

But I don't lie! Besides, I'm really bad at it. :cry: