i am directing this question to hobbyists purely. how do you justified spending the money on the gears and accessories? i always think that i do not make a living from it like a pro, so it is not justified to spend so much on it.

to all hobbyist, what makes you splash on L series lens for example, and whatnot.. it is not an investment but splurge because you will not be able to earn $$ back from it..

so are you purely a tech junkie or someone who trully loves photography who can go on with just 18-55 and 70-200mm kit lens ?

http://photographylife.com/top-photography...stakes-to-avoid
Have a read on this.

you make money already up to you how you want to spend.

if no money, please don't spend on lenses and ended up eating grass for months to come.

Same goes to those mid life crisis uncles who bought a Nissan GTR and hardly drive above 160.

Cheers and chill.............

Know your limits

Off topic.. 70-200 is definitely not a kit lens..

A 70-200 is a kit lens, if you buy it as part of a kit

back to topic:

Hobbyists spend their money on a hobby. A hobby by definition is an activity that is done for fun. So, if a person's idea of fun is buying a big lens and go shoot crap with it, then his/her reasons are just that: they want to have fun. If they have fun with that lens, their purchase is justified.

But if you buy a piece of expensive equipment and you DON'T have fun with it due to worrying about the cost, then the purchase may not be so worth it.

Maybe we can call it ROF: Return On Fun?

How much ROF have you had with your equipment?

Sorry, the above may not have answered the TS punya question.

Last year a Nikkor 70-200mm F2.8 only rm6300, now is selling rm6950. Seller said is due to currency issue. Good excuse by them. So this extra rm600 hold me back

If you keep on shooting, sooner or later you will want better lens to replace your kit lens.
There is always cheaper lens available, no need to go for expensive lenses.
I personally like Sigma and Samyang lens, very decent and affordable.

How hobbyists buy gear depends what's going on their mind.

Some buy to improve situations/convenience like buying another flash gun or a travel light graphite tripod.

Some would buy really wide apertures and maybe even FF to deal with lowlight because they hate setting up lighting or using flash.

Some are just collectors and drool on their collection of Canon L, Zeiss, Leica lens collection.

Some are just addicts and suffer from GAS.

And some are just darn rich and use a Canon 5Dmk3 for travel. Or a Canon 1dx just to make sure they don't miss a shot of their children running in a park.

I hv the bad habit of buying something n regret it immediately after paying the price

So this became my phobia and now i procrastinate when i want to buy something

Analyze

Survey

Sleep over it for months

Delayed gratification

List down whether it is "need" or "want"

Thats me

My more expensive hobby is traveling

Photography is the collateral damage

I used to rush n buy 2 cameras in two different occasions before my traveling

Err... Wait... Actually 4 times

If you can afford it and enjoy using good gears or feels good, then why not?

I think that investing in higher end gear actually is a better choice compared to cheaper ones. Easier to sell as 2nd hand since they hold their value well compared to entry level gears, more durable and performs better.

Again, only if you can afford and feel happy with the purchase.

lenses are best, you can buy and sell off with decent value.

can't say the same for cars and computer stuff (tech stuff in general) and stuff like travel and dining, that one you can't even sell off for money.

Good lens will hold its value even for 10 years and only makes you lost 1 or 2k when you want to sell it.

People never complain when they lost like 1k by trading in their smart phones every few years

depend on you, if you afford the gears, and you think that's worth, nth wrong, you spend the $$, as a reward u get the satisfaction,

jz dun be like this can already


for me, i still happy with my Tamron 17-50mm after so many years (5 years if not mistaken).

i love your answer

very true though. it's quite an expensive hobby, and we definitely wont see a ROI unless we shoot professionally. you made ur own money, its up to you how to spend it.

i wont be surprised if there are pros out there using low end DSLRs with kit lens. n there a definitely those out there with premium glass and flagship DSLRs but only use them once a month during family outings etc.

Sometime shooting commercially also won't see ROI, unless you are very lucky to be able to charge good rates, or your gear last long enough, or you don't refresh your gear that frequent.

This post has been edited by Maniac: Oct 18 2014, 10:48 AM

In Chinese:

工欲善其事，必先利其器

I means, if you want to be good at something, you must first have a sharp tool.

So, whether you are hobbyist or pro, having a better tools do gives you the advantage.

This post has been edited by hidden830726: Oct 18 2014, 03:58 PM

its like, you need to eat, going to this hotel spend rm80 for a steak worth it or not. or you can spend rm20 at kopitiam economy westernfood stall.

the value is up to you, many ppl have megatrazillion of own point of view. all will end up contradicting each other.

if you treat it as hobby, its the journey that make it a hobby, not the ending.

Skill make blunt tool sharper then sharpest knife. XD JK JK

that phrase is just saying you need good tools to do a good job.

or more appropriately, you need the right tools to get the job done.

some people think you need high end stuff or spend a lot to get the job done when actually even simple camera setup could work wonders if you know what you're doing.

if you don't know what you're doing then give you better, best or better than bestest best tool also no use.

tailou, you buy one D7100 with 17-55 f2.8 and SB910. Total cost also less than RM 10,000.

Within 5 - 10 projects you should already recover cost, at most also 20 jobs.

if not then something wrong with the business management already.

i spent approximately 10-20k over the past few years to hire models for shooting

no ROI in terms of monetary gains, but had lots of fun. no regrets at all

no offense but...

for me, a good photographer will get money from shooting models because the output is worthy for model to pay for it, not the otherwise.

you buy gears, find place and do a lot more of things, at the end you still need to pay money to others?

so rugi man.

professional models are no different from photographers. you want their service, you have to pay them.

you don't get money from photographing the models you hired. those are you own photos, you use those photos to sell your service and / or get awards for recognition.

if you decide to let those photos stay in storage then it's too bad.

no offense at all. because i feel that by paying, i do not restrict myself to shooting only the models that will pay me. most girls do modelling to earn money, and a rare few only do it for photos

anyway, the themes i shoot is usually quite sexy, most girls won't do it for free although I got few offers for trade (of which I declined, because they were not attractive for my liking)

and i never said i am a good photographer too

i'm just a hobbyist, so i dont expect any monetary returns

it's actually fair to pay the models. that's how to get the industry going.

instead of spending 20k on gears you spent 20k on getting people to pose for you, nothing wrong with that.

even if you're not into services, do try submitting to places like http://www.internationalapertureawards.com

yes, i think it is fair to pay them. there are always those that is willing to do it for free. depends who is better

the general rule is that the person that initiates the contact should be the one willing to pay, or at least trade

it is weird for a photographer approaching a model saying "hey, i would like to shoot you".

model says "sure". and then photographer says "great! my charges are xx"

i opened a thread here because most of the discussion here is about gadgets and gears, and it is perfectly fine to spend less money on gears and more money on shooting things that you like... be it nice places, events or girls

you pay models to photograph them. i buy figurines to photograph them. same concept.

difference is i get to keep (and sell off if i want to!) my models. and i get to photograph them any way i want, and they're not afraid of touching! can pose them any way you want, no need to feed them and take care of their well being.

down side is pose could be limited, clothings often not changeable and facial expressions are limited.

haha.. agreed it is same concept

not all girls are afraid of touching. i can tell them how to pose and I generally don't need to feed them or take care of their well being. except in some cases they get really hungry after the shoot

real human models can learn how to pose better, can change clothes (sometimes without clothes) and may have more expressions too if you tell them what you want.

so it is all not much difference. some spend on gadgets, some on figurines and some on girls. whatever that rocks the boat

5-10 projects to earn about 10K? Where you find the people that give projects? Sometimes noobs don't know where to start. Even earning RM5K on 10 projects would be nice start to fund the expansions on gear.

Back to the original topic:

How much a hobbyist should spend on their hobby? Create a personal hobby fund account. It helps having a separate fund to make sure you don't overspend and effect your living expenses and financial commitments. For example its like every month you put RM200 into the hobby find. End of the year you'll find yourself with RM2400. That's a good amount to buy gears on your mind. I find when you see things monthly like this its less financial stressful rather than getting a lump sum money straight from life savings.

you only spend 10% from your salary on your hobby. that is the max

ya, but a lot of photog likely get something more expensive to start... gaya mesti ada mah.

that's because people charge low.

i go out half day job already 4 figures la. depends on your business skill.

my old clients who gave me a start in the career gets the cheaper rate, that also they engage me a few times a year also cover quite some cost already.

RM 5k for 10 projects is actually on the very low side of things.

You should only invest on those lens that u will be using. Having a L lens or a Full frame itself won't make good photos. If u want to invest on lens then find out which focal length you use the most then invest on a prime lens of that focal length.

better think carefully before buying...me already regret buying expensive dslr...now leaving it on cabinet lol

Sell it quick before it depreciates more?

aikz...plan to sell soon...if not very sayang leave it there no use

Why bother about ROI when just doing it as a hobby?

So the right question is... if this is done as a "hobby" or as a "business".

If doing it as a business, have to calculate the ROI and decide if the investment is "worth it" or otherwise

But as a hobby, you just spend what you can afford without expecting much return

If you can make money out of your hobby then why not? you get to enjoy more of your hobby with the $$$ coming in.

im a hobbyist.. 7 years ago..i bought an entry level DSLR D50 with kit lens and 70-300mm G lens. at that time i think i didnt know what type of photohraphy im into..is it landscape? street? wedding birding etc etc.

so i after a year play around with my D50 i realised that i really liked wideangle shooting, street photography and sometimes family asked to shoot wedding. and my D50 and lenses at that time were not good enough for that purpose. so the urge of upgrading came.

so i upgraded to D90, with kit lens (good walkaround lens), tokina 11-16mm wide angle, 50mm and 35mm, and also flashlight. and havent made any upgrades since after because i dont see the need.

as a hobbyist u need the right gears for your hobby and settle down with it..i did that and i have no regret..only thing is, i dont have the time to shoot like before..
now, all those gears are in my drybox eating dust..and im started to think to go mirroless..

This post has been edited by sallehsi: Nov 13 2014, 10:03 AM

actually it depends on individual. some ppl would spend more money for seek to get better IQ

for me, i'm prefer something handy & deliver better IQ - the mirrorless camera with better quality lenses. at last, i had get my sony A6000 & SEL1670Z Zeiss zoom lenses (current market price around RM5XXX for both)

Spend what you feel like spending.

You are buying the experience, not the gear.

The last point is the best lOL
18-300mm cam can shoot one of the best photo hahahaha

Well, if it can suit a person's need, why not.

No, i mean the pro-photographer just bash and proove equipments is a tools, it depends on the skill and per son using it

They usually do, their statements always change. Like they always says they can use kit lens to do wonders, but when check on their photos, they are using dedicated lens for dedicated occasions.

Uhhhh... lol

Hahahaha.
Just think and get what suits you with your budget.

If you are good at something, never do it for free.

If you enjoy something, never do it for money.

this is a lesson learn from most hobbyist turn professional.

investing or not on lens or accessories is a personal answer.

if a person like aquarium, is it worth to buy bigger tank or aqua super clear glass, adding more plants, add co2 system for plants?, using latest tech filter, expensive lights, import soil from japan, freezer to keep the water cool on hot day? best fish food to run a aquarium? this is give the same answer up to a very personal opinion.

i am a photographer(hobbyist, workshop trainer), a gamer(with a 10k rig, multi(4) monitor setup) who keeps a expensive aquarium of shrimps(co2 system is over 2k setup), who also play archery(hobby, several gold medals), and also rides a sportbike(weekend rider hobby, tyre cost few K liao...).... is it worth it? yea, no GF bah....

This post has been edited by ieR: Nov 14 2014, 03:49 PM

this defeats the term of a hobbyist, I guess. It will be better to call it a part time job.

I think the urge to earn money out of a hobby takes the joy out of the hobby itself, but maybe that is just me

I prefer to max out the enjoyment factor in my hobby, instead of the potential to make money from it.. and maybe that is just me again because there is no way in hell I can recover the cost of my hobby

there's a difference between hobbyist and professional.

you can make money out of your hobby, whether your profession is related to your hobby or not.

i turned my hobbies into my business. and now i enjoy my hobby and make money to enjoy my hobby more. why not?