Is this hobby really expensive?

kram wrote in post #2254752
I've always looked at the price of glass that I want to buy and the 1 series and the accesories list. The list is rather long if you want a full setup with high quality.

But when I put things down and put down a price, a really top end set can be assembled for 10-20k. Leaving out real exotics of course.

My question is : Do you or did you have hobbies that will put this hobby to shame in terms of expenses?

Quality (hand made) musical instruments....at least one order of magnitude higher costs.
An example......the 1200mm prime is the ultimate EOS cost item. However, for that sort of money, one can barely buy an entry level NY Philharmonic rank and file string instrument.

Another example.....an advanced student/junior player violin/viola bow typically costs as much as the new 5D.

When I lived back East my hobby was boating/salt water fishing, $1000/month 12 months of the year.

My other hobby is custom knives but that is a self sustaining hobby that actually has allowed me to have great camera gear and some other toys.

Win

lostdoggy wrote in post #2255047
10-20k is relatively cheap. Try looking into Cars, they loose at least 10% of their value as soon as you drive it off the dealers lot and then they are only worth less then 1/2 the original value after 3yrs unless you find a sucker (which are born every minute) to buy it for more. After the warrantee expires they start to break down at small increments of $100 or so. Yea Japanese cars don't break down and yea they also heal themself. So think about it $10-20K ain't that bad and if you invest into L lenss you can pretty much get back at lease 75% of the cost back by selling them.

Your looking at the wrong cars. Now, pick up a nice '67 caddie for about $500, put about 3k into it with several months of loving labor and you got yourself at least a 15k ride. Geez I miss that car. Nothing like thousands of pounds on American steel powers by a purring 429.

Aviation - PPL will set you back about the same as a 1D II, and you can only go out on nice days with that. Add IFR, Multi, type ratings, and you're up in the "pretty nice set of lenses" range. Do you want to rent ($100/hr) or buy (maybe a 30-40 y.o. light single with basic panel for $50,000, fuel starting at around $15/hr for a small 2-seater, and regular major inspections)?

I think it's as expensive as you allow it to be.. Ofcourse lenses,bodies extras are not cheap.. But, not much in this world is cheap.. It's about prioritizing spending only what you can afford when you can afford it..

sari

Im not sure if this qualifies as a hobby or an addiction, but guys like Ozzy have dropped that kind of money into certain white powders in the span of days.. and you cant sell that on eBay when you want your money back!

gjl711 wrote in post #2255920
Your looking at the wrong cars. Now, pick up a nice '67 caddie for about $500, put about 3k into it with several months of loving labor and you got yourself at least a 15k ride. Geez I miss that car. Nothing like thousands of pounds on American steel powers by a purring 429.

'67 Caddie!!! Wut kinda mileage that'll get ya, about 4MPG down hill???

kram wrote in post #2254752
I've always looked at the price of glass that I want to buy and the 1 series and the accesories list. The list is rather long if you want a full setup with high quality.

But when I put things down and put down a price, a really top end set can be assembled for 10-20k. Leaving out real exotics of course.

My question is : Do you or did you have hobbies that will put this hobby to shame in terms of expenses?

sport fishing puts photography to shame when it comes to expenses. makes me glad i never pay a cent when i go fishing. tournament entry fees are generally abouyt 2k. costs a few grand these days to fill up the boat. not to mention buying the boat. theres anywhere from 40k-10million. and you havnt even left the dock yet.
yea id say photography is quite budget friendly in that compairison.

lostdoggy wrote in post #2256507
'67 Caddie!!! Wut kinda mileage that'll get ya, about 4MPG down hill???

Wasn't that bad. It would average somewhere around 18 mpg. Of course you let those 429 horsies out of the barn all at once, and the darn thing got thirsty. But hey, that’s not what a Caddie is about. Get it up to speed and the shear mass alone kept it cruising. Wind resistance, road friction, who worries about those when you got mass behind ya.

I spend less on this hobby than on my other 2 hobbies.

rklepper wrote in post #2256785
I spend less on this hobby than on my other 2 hobbies.

which are?

liza wrote in post #2254808
The only thing more expensive in my life were those two ex-husbands of mine.

Atleast the lenses don't talk back though with the cameras, right?

JaGWiRE wrote in post #2256955
Atleast the lenses don't talk back though with the cameras, right?

True, and Liza...if we get unhappy with our lenses, we can sell them and break even...

rklepper wrote in post #2256785
I spend less on this hobby than on my other 2 hobbies.

Let me guess:
(1) Horseback Falconry
(2) Deep Space TV Signal Interception and Decoding

Am I good ?

Maybe. Prior to injuring my back, I was an AVID golfer. I plunked down $15K for a country club membership, a couple of grand on clubs, and used a cart most of the time. I went on many golf outings where I flew to the resort, paid for hotel, and sometimes paid several hundred dollars to play particular courses. I also paid $300 a month on membership dues and my bill at the end of them month was usually $500, which included the monthly dues and food and beverages. So, I guess that was an expensive hobby, especially for a fire fighter. But I didn't regret a dime of it. I miss golf and would pay any amount to be able to play again. If I had every dime I put into golf the past fifteen years, I guess I could own just about every "L out there and any camera I could wish for. I was decent golfer holding a five handicap most of the time, and in golf terms applied to photography, I am a hack holing a 30+ handicap, but am carrying the BEGINNINGS of a pro golfers equipment.