Anyone know how to convince a parent?

i need help trying to convince my parents to get me a new lens. there was a 70-200mm f/4 on sale (atually used )at the store i get my stuff from and they said that they would alk about it and they never did. i kept on persisting/nagginf but they nvr talked SERIOUSLY about it. its getting annoying!! any suggestions? and i am getting a 90% ave. in school if that helps.

jordan101 wrote in post #4531953
i need help trying to convince my parents to get me a new lens. there was a 70-200mm f/4 on sale (atually used )at the store i get my stuff from and they said that they would alk about it and they never did. i kept on persisting/nagginf but they nvr talked SERIOUSLY about it. its getting annoying!! any suggestions? and i am getting a 90% ave. in school if that helps.

Maybe it will be a gift.

If you are serious about photography and you will stick at it, then perhaps you could work out a deal with them where you pay a portion and they pay the other, they may even lend you your portion.

If you go through fads, then forget it:p

Id tell them I wanted it for xmas and if it was too much then youd offer to pay some.

Was it an IS or Non-IS? Makes a big difference. It's nice to see a 13 year old wanting something creative, but if it's an IS lens that's a hefty gift to ask for. Even still a non-IS lens is pretty pricey. Either way, prove to your parents beyond grades that you want/deserve this. Put together a nice little photo album of them or something to show your appreciation and how often you use things that you ask for to their full potential.

Good luck, just don't be obnoxious to your parents, cause that'll completely negate any brownie points you've earned thus far.

I have a 14 year old son. As well as a 16 year old, a 12 year old and an 11 year old. So I know of what I speak.

If my 13 year old "kept on persisting/nagging about it", regardless of how well he was doing in school, I'd make sure that the particular thing I was being nagged about dropped right to the bottom of the list of things to get, and that the chores list increased in proportion to the amount of nagging.

They are the parents, you are the child. You would do well to remember that.

I know when i was a youngster... If i worked for half then sometimes id be spotted the other half for my efforts in saving. When i bought my first car i found $4500 and my parents gave me the other $4500 to get it. It wasnt anything too fancy but was a nice modest car. I still consider that to be a super generous way to do it but i think that they figured if a 16 year old can save $4500 then better than blowing it on junk.

I think you need to put together a mature reasoning and offer about the item and if you dont get your own way accept it - if you throw a spaz you wont have a chance at the next thing.

They may not be able to afford the lens? It aint a cheap lens and they may not see the value in spending 700-1200 on a lens. But if you said youd use 1/3 your savings, 1/3 work for and they could chip in 1/3 as your next xmas & Bday present then you might be able to broker a deal. I think the key here is to not act like a child in how you approach this and ultimately if you do not get what you want to tell them you understand its alot of money - maybe you can do extra work/chores for it and work towards it. Dont forget second hand lenses come up quite often so if it doesnt happen now it doesnt mean it wont happen in the future - especially if its what you want.

Is there a compromise in price you may be willing to make? Looking at other items you can get some great quality lenses without the L pricetag?

I didnt catch the 13 bit, growing up is hard sometimes. I wouldnt give a 13 year old a $1k lens.

^Or a $500 lens. Heck, nothing over $200 really. Although I've had parents spend $200 on a P&S for a 9yr old.

I bought my own stuff when I was 16 so...being 13, I doubt they will. Unless you're spoiled like I know some kids are.

If you really wanted it, your way to go about getting would not be to nag them but work and earn money for it with either the intention of purchasing it yourself, or working out a deal and purchasing a percentage of it.

Getting it just because you want it doesn't prove much to your parents about how serious you are about your hobby but if your willing to put in the time to truly earn it then your parents might think otherwise.

edit: Agree with the above statements, if they decline take it maturely and responsibly that makes it a much easier situation on them and for yourself in the future if you want anything else.

jordan101 wrote in post #4531953
i need help trying to convince my parents to get me a new lens.

Get a job? If you're not of age to do that, you might just have to wait until you are.

haha starting the L craze off YOUNG now a days ... sheesh. it took me till i was 22 to get the craze

this is interesting.. i remember skipping recess (& kiddy pursuits) and saved every dime i had for about 6 months before i got my first Keystone 110. no pain, no gain. now that i have my own kid, i made sure he need not do what i did to get what he wants, but within limits. i would think an L is rather out-of-your-league, especially when you're not old enough to work part-time to chip-in. but i understand your feeling, it reminds me of my younger days. perhaps a good compromise would be to offer to do some extra chores for your parents and take a cut in your monthly allowance. but i still think the cost of an L lens is rather prohibitive for a youngster. my 13-year old son is not keen on photography, more in games, so i bought him a PSP and 3 games when he did very well in a crucial exam last year. but the cost is barely a fraction of the 70-200 (if you're referring to the IS version). show them you're really serious abt the hobby and you just may get lucky tho.

70-200 lenses are overrated for hobby use. They're way too big and the only ones who REALLY need them are the pros.

They look cool, but trust me, you're better off with a prime 100/2 or 85/1.8

My parents did the same thing in terms of "we'll talk about later". It meant that they're not fond of the idea and there was little I could do.

When I was 13, I just did what I was told... I trusted the higher beings.

I love this forum...

- Camera buying suggestions
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Is there anything we can't do?