Photography is worse than dope!

Ramesses

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Photography is worse than dope!

Hi Everyone:

This is my first post in over a week. I have been very busy buying things like…well photography equipment. This hobby is worse than potato chips…”you just can’t buy one more thing. There is always one more item after you finish. My new item, the one I can no longer live without or understand how I survived without, is a belt/waist pack bag, like the Lowpro Mini Orion. I can put all the things like the extra battery, extra SD card, remote controller, lens cleaning kit (these are all items I just purchased + the tripod + the tripod bag, magnifying eyepiece, Nikon Capture NX, +++,) reading glasses, sunglasses, and the few coins – mainly pennies – I have left over after my buying spree. J

Oh, yes. I almost forgot. I got a call from Belair Camera: the 55-200 VR lens is in and only $235.00. I’ve got to go and see it. Just look at it. I do not need it now. However, my problem is that I already have a belt lens bag, but it is empty. I have to do something about that. (I better start taking some more photographs, the whole purpose behind the idea of getting a camera SYSTEM.)

I have to reconstruct my PayPal account again after devastating it for the second time! The problem is that I’m running of things to sell on eBay. I NEED A WHOLESALER!!! Does anyone know of one (You can leave me a private message if you do not want to blast the info all over the internet.) You have to help me, please. I need to keep my habit (photography) going! J

Best regards,

Ramesses
 
Now you tell me? 40 years as an addict, and no hope for recovery. :lol:

I just bid on a DSLR camera, because I wanted the lens!

At least you are trying to warn others, before it becomes a serious problem.

I drive a $1000 rusted out car and have a camera with about $3000 in lenses! :confused: I'm trying to find a way to sell enough "stuff" on eBay to buy a Sony HV10. I take whole weekends shooting and sell pictures for $20 each to magazines.

Can anyone explain how investing $4000 to make $100 a year, makes sense. Oh I get it Recovering the costs by selling photos. I'll have the camera paid off in 40 years. :meh:
 
lol - my car cost me $60 and Ive got about $3500 - $4000 dollars worth of camera gear
 
Try working at a camera store and having the ability to play with all of the different cameras and lenses. I spend more money on my equipment in a year than I make in a year selling the stuff. People don't realize how addictive photography really is until they are already addicted. No matter where you are, there's a picture to take or a memory to capture. The world is sure beautiful through the eyes of a photographer. I wouldn't trade my hobby for anything in the world.
 
The world is sure beautiful through the eyes of a photographer. I wouldn't trade my hobby for anything in the world.
Hi:

I could not have said it better. Yes, indeed the world looks better. There is always a picture to be taken and a place to visit, no matter what it is and how many times one has been there – never a dull moment. I’m even looking forward to orchids shows, now (my wife’s thing.) Beautiful flowers and the photos…

I would love to get a high-definition TV for my study. My problem is why? In the past month, I’ve watched TV for at most ½ hour. I rather be taking photos, uploading them, watching them on the screen, participating in the forum, or be in eBay buying and selling! The TV has to wait. The 70-300 VR first! OK. Maybe the 55-200 VR. It all depends if I can sell enough. Friday – Sunday I’ll hit garage and estate sales! I even learned how to walk with my head glued to the ground! That’s right! Looking for orphan coins! :wink:

Best regards,

Ramesses
 
"There is always a picture to be taken and a place to visit"

I've almost gotten into accidents while driving down highway 101 because I'd see something "that would make an amazing photograph" and look for a place to turn off instead of watching traffic.
 
Try adding videography to that and yes it's ridiculously bad. When clients whine about how expensive it is I'm going to whip out a scrapbook full of receipts and photos of my family going without because I needed a wireless LAV mic or a better tripod head or new software or or or or or or
 
this one time i got addicted to crack, but in the end photography beat out the addiction by making me spend all my money on lenses instead of more crack. but in all honesty ive been eating ramen for the past 4 months to save enough for a new lens....
 
Try adding videography to that and yes it's ridiculously bad. When clients whine about how expensive it is I'm going to whip out a scrapbook full of receipts and photos of my family going without because I needed a wireless LAV mic or a better tripod head or new software or or or or or or
Hi:

Many years ago, I decided to go into Videography and got meself a Sony camcorder. The spanking new small model. I found out something about myself, then: I am bad, really bad. I do have talent, but of the negative variety. It all ended when my Sony decided to take matters into her own hands and stopped working. However, I can modestly and honestly boast that the world is a better place ever since I stopped.

Best regards,

Ramesses
 
Is anyone interested in buying a ton of darkroom equipment from color processors to tongs, a ton of MF cameras and lenses from yesteryear, a ton of LF cameras and gear, Novatron and Norman studio lights???? There's a newer camera thingy I want to buy and need a bunch of money for it.
 
Is anyone interested in buying a ton of darkroom equipment from color processors to tongs, a ton of MF cameras and lenses from yesteryear, a ton of LF cameras and gear, Novatron and Norman studio lights???? There's a newer camera thingy I want to buy and need a bunch of money for it.

Hi:

Just one word: eBay! You can sell almost anything there. There is always someone that is looking precisely what you are selling.

Ramesses
 
Try adding videography to that and yes it's ridiculously bad

That's the reason I haven't gotten into videography, or any other hobbies, for that matter. The other day my sister (an illustration major) was showing me her markers. A tiny tin of markers cost about three hundred dollars -- and those weren't even all her markers, just the ones she was using on a current piece! I found myself looking at them thinking, "I'd really like to take up drawing..."

BUT NO! I have to FOCUS, because there is so much money to spend right here, in 35mm photography, and I haven't even begun experimenting with large format, polaroid transfers, and all that other fun stuff. ;)
 
Hi:

eBay sometimes drives me up a wall. I have been bidding on this single slide viewer (Royal made by Zadiix) for the past 7 days and sitting on it for $1.99 with a $4.00 shipping charge. I want to use it as a portable viewfinder so I can look around and find a photo without having to bring the camera to my eye. One member in TPF gave me the idea. I have no idea if it is going to work or not, but for $5.00, I was going to give it a try. With less than 12 hrs remaining in the auction, someone jumped in the bidding and drove my bidding price to $6.12

For the light of me, I just can’t understand who might be interested in such a thing (unless it is another addict like me, but I doubt it.) It is advertised as vintage. My foot! It is not even an antique!

Regardless, I still love eBay. I have purchased almost everything for the camera through it, because it becomes very special. Let me give you an example: my trials and tribulations with the tripod.

I knew nothing, but absolutely nothing about tripods. However, I did my research, went all over town looking at them, and settled on the Bogen/Manfrotto 3021, the venerable 3021, with at least a 3029 head. I must have gone to the Bogen website a thousand times.

Armed and mighty dangerous with my little knowledge, I descended on eBay to make a killing. I have been running in place for about three weeks, chasing tripod after tripod. These people are nuts. They even paid $175.00 for a used one, I could have gotten for $159.00 brand new. To make the story shorter, I finally settled on a 3021 with a 3029 head and followed it for over 6 days. Most of the time, I was the high bidder, but not too much action – bad news. It means that there are a lot of people sitting in the sidelines waiting for the last minute to make a jump. I began to get a bad feeling. For some reason, I began looking into the 3001.

The reviews on it were very good, with advantages and disadvantages compared to the 3021. However, what caught my eye was that about six reviewers from Amazon and other websites stated that they stopped using the 3021 after they got the 3001 for the field (it is lighter.) Therefore, I began following the 3001 and one, in particular, located in West Virginia that looked better than new, but with a 3025 head.

I still pursued the 3021/w the 3029 head and put a high bid of $95.00 – I had to leave. I came back with 15 minutes left in the auction, and the price was up to $122.50. I decided, against my better judgment to go for $125.00. However, I went a bit further and bid $129.99, to be sure, with 30 sec left. It went for $130.00. eBay, over $100.00, goes in incremental of $2.50 with less than a minute left. In other words, the other guy outbid me for 1 cent. If I had bid $130.01, I would have gotten it.

I set my sights on the 3001 with the 3025 head. I can always upgrade the head. Throwing away the 3025 is not like disposing of the 3047. After I work with it, I will get a better idea of what kind of top I need. I followed the 3001 for a day or so. Again, I had to leave and I put a high bid $95.12. When I came back, I finally got the tripod for $80.50. This one looks spanking new. The seller even stated that he only used it twice and it looks it. I believe it is a good price, but not that great one, either.

Why did I bring this up? It is easy to go to the store, shell out the money, and walk out with a new tripod. eBay is the hard way to get it, but much more meaningful, in my opinion. I put a lot of effort into getting it. Needless to say that I will cherish it. I already got a bag – through eBay – to house it. I did the same thing with the other items like the ML-L3 remote, extra battery, magnifying eyepiece, etc. I won the bids, at a reasonable price – they are more precious (can you imagine letting an item go, that you followed for days, because of a couple of stinking dollars. It is not the money; it is the principle. I did the same thing with the D40 and the 18-70 lens. Boy, did I chase the D50. Finally, I just purchased the D40 and 18-70 through authorized Nikon dealers, because of the high price and warranty, through eBay, of course!

It has been over 24 hrs since my last purchase in eBay, and I' m getting withdrawals pain.

Best regards,

Ramesses
 

It has been over 24 hrs since my last purchase in eBay, and I' m getting withdrawals pain.

Best regards,

Ramesses

it is addicted people like you who make eBay such a nice place for sellers like me :)

been selling quite some camera gear recently, and I was amazed how far bidders would go ... almost like you buy a lens, use it a couple of years and then sell it for a profit! :p

but i know the other side as well ;)
 
I started out with camera equipment with one camera and one lens. Then I decided to start visiting many camera stores and venues bargaining for various equipment that I would resell. The key is to find stores that have a heavy Nikon clientele and others that have a heavy Canon clientele. I made money moving equipment between their stores. I also frequented many used camera swaps and purchased in bulk in cash.

I made a good load of cash which would go back into my hobby. Unfortunately, I could not resist the temptation and started to keep items that I was suppose to sell. Even worse, I started purchasing equipment with the intent of personal use. That was the end of it.... Yes... I'm a pack rat.

I used to sell a lot on ebay but the wide availability of digital has brought down the value of older equipment so far that it was no longer worth my time and effort. The used camera swaps are 1/4 the size they used to be. I still sell and purchase on ebay occasionally but I find ebay annoying at times.

My biggest gripe with ebay is their auction format. The auction ends promptly at a specified time. In my opinion, a real auction is one that continues until higher bids are no longer offered... the traditional "going once.. going twice... SOLD"... is what I would like to see.

The current format only brings "snipers" the advantage and doesn't bring much activity until the last seconds of the auction. It doesn't allow other bidders the opportunity to put in a higher bid and it robs the seller of a potentially higher selling price.
 

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